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| Taken at a Waterstones book signing |
What’s your first memory of enjoying reading?
My first memory of reading on my own is when my cousin gave me a copy of one of the Famous Five novels by Enid Blyton. I was captivated and imagined myself being in the story with the characters. From then on I was hooked on books.
What are you currently reading?
I'm currently reading 'Beauty' by Louise Mensch, formally Louise Bagshawe. I love her work.
Which character you’ve created/written do you wish you could spend a day as?
It has to be Hyacinth Dickinson from Beautiful Strangers and Beyond Midnight, Books 1 and 2 in the Hyacinth Dickinson Series. Tall, blonde and gorgeous. Hyacinth is psychic and can use telepathy to get into people's minds and learn all their secrets, or make them do what she wants them to do. Plus, she owns valuable and rare diamonds (a girl's best friend) two fabulous houses, a yacht and enjoys partying with a wide circle of friends. It would be a hard to decide where to actually be: in one of her fabulous houses, controlling the Amethyst Coven or lazing on the yacht in Cannes. Oh, decisions, decisions!
Which character that someone else has written do you wish you could spend a day as?
Lucky Santangelo created by Jackie Collins, another of my favourite authors. Lucky is a savvy, strong woman, with her eye on the main chance, and she owns a hotel in Las Vegas as well as a film company in Hollywood. She takes no prisoners. In the morning I would be overseeing things at the film studio in Hollywood and then fly in the private jet to Vegas, for the rest of the day.
Have you created any characters you don’t like?
Lady Penny Corday. She's a conniving back stabber who doesn't know when she's well off.
What was the first thing you ever wrote that made you think, “I want to be a writer”?
I wrote a short story about a mountain bear when I was about eight or nine years old and I still have it in a school book. I really enjoyed making up the story and I guess I got the writing bug from there.
Do you edit as you go or as a full process after a first draft?
I usually write the first draft and then go back to edit. However, I have been known to edit a chapter in the first draft if something comes to mind that I feel needs attention straight away.
Where do you write? And what do you need around you?
I try to write in my study, but really I can write almost anywhere, and usually end up writing within close proximity to the kettle. It's surprising how many cups of tea us writers need. I like to have music playing in the background that fits with what I'm writing about. i.e. If I'm writing a scene set in France, I listen to French music. It's not unusual to hear pipes and drums when I create a scene that is set in Scotland. At the moment I am working on Vampire Farmer the first of the Penny Farthing Series which has evolved from a screenplay I've written called The Icing On The Cake. The music for that one has included My Son The Vampire and Monster Mash.
Pen and paper, typewriter or computer?
I write the initial draft with good old fashioned pen and paper. I love stationery and have a great collection of pens to choose from. After that I upload to the computer and do the first edit at the same time.
How can we buy your books?
Print and ebooks can be bought from Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Waterstones. Many small bookstores have my books in stock, but they are too numerous to mention. Vampire Farmer (ebook) will be for available to pre-order soon and will publish on November 26th 2014.
Keep in touch with Ellen at
www.facebook.com/ellendean36
www.twitter.com/ellendeanauthor
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