Author profile: Kiki Archer

Top of the lesbian Amazon book charts, popular Independent Author Kiki Archer shares what gets her excited about writing & more...

What’s your first memory of enjoying reading?
My parents had to pay me to read. My older sister's books were forced upon me and I never quite bonded with Malory Towers, Little Women, or Black Beauty, hence the payment to complete a story. However once I discovered the Beano books this little lesbian was well away.
 
What are you currently reading?
Peter James Want You Dead. The 10th book in the brilliant Roy Grace series. I love a good thriller.  

Which character you’ve created/written do you wish you could spend a day as?
Jenna James [One foot onto the Ice]. I love skiing and she's a ski instructor. She also has very good sex. 

Which character that someone else has written do you wish you could spend a day as?
Lucy from Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series. A very smart, very rich, very hot lesbian.  

Have you created any characters you don’t like?
Yes, but I like them for being so unlikeable. Bea, Marcus, Zara, Amber. It's great to get readers cringing, or shouting, or simply feeling the intense emotion of hatred for a character.  

What was the first thing you ever wrote that made you think, “I want to be a writer”?
It was when But She Is My Student started to sell. I saw it get to #1 on the UK and US lesfic charts and stay there for months. It was at that point that I thought - maybe I can do this.
 
Do you edit as you go or as a full process after a first draft?
Both. I reread and edit my work from the previous day before I start my new word count. When I'm finished the whole MS goes to the wonderful editor Jayne Fereday: http://feredayediting.wordpress.com/  

Where do you write? And what do you need around you?
Mon-Thurs 9.30am-2.30pm in my office. Friday 9.30am-2.30pm in Costa. Both places need lots of coffee and cakes. Outside of these hours I do my real job - a stay at home Mummy.  

Pen and paper, typewriter or computer?
Laptop. [see photo!]

Find out more and stay in touch with Kiki...

• www.kikiarcherbooks.com
• www.twitter.com/kikiarcherbooks
• www.youtube.com/user/kikiarcherbooks
• www.facebook.com/kiki.archer

Get yourself a copy if you haven't already...
All links for all books are on my books page: www.kikiarcherbooks.com/books


 

Author Profile: VG Lee

Successful author VG Lee shares a few tidbits of life behind the scenes, in the second of our author profiles.


What's your first memory of enjoying reading?
My grandmother had a pictorial copy of Pilgrim's Progress - four drawings on each page with writing underneath. I remember at some point finding the writing of more interest than the illustrations.

What are you currently reading?
Empire Falls but Richard Russo. I read a collection of his short stories on holiday this year and loved his writing.

Which character you've created/written do you wish you could spend a day as?
Mrs Botolph in my first novel, The Comedienne. She is the old friend of the main character's mother and is very bossy and gets things done!

Which character that someone else has written do you wish you could spend a day as?
Hmm. As a child I wanted to be Katie in the What Katie Did series. Can't think of anyone I'd like to be in a more recent novel.

Have you created any characters you don't like?
Not really. I have created characters that I like but aren't necessarily meant to be liked by the reader!

What was the first thing you ever wrote that made you think, "I want to be a writer"?
Just a few pages about going to see 'Perchance to Dream' with my mum and aunty at The Connaught Theatre in Worthing. I sort of knew that I'd captured them with affection and thought I might be able to do it again.

Do you edit as you go or as a full process after a first draft?
I do both: edit as I go along all the time and then again after each of many drafts.

Where do you write? And what do you need around you?
It's a bit like sleeping, I can do it anywhere. Best times are when I wake up in the morning but often on a train when I have set myself a deadline I'll work.

Pen and paper, typewriter or computer?
I always start with pen and paper. I have notebooks piled high and full. At least first draft, sometimes second before I move on to typing it up.

Keep up to date with VG Lee
My website is www.vglee.co.uk (currently being updated).

Watch VG Lee reading from a work in progress, her next novel, Mr Oliver


If you want to buy any of VG's excellent novels and books, find her on Amazon:
The Comedienne, Always you, Edina, Diary of a Provincial Lesbian, The Woman in Beige (only available on 'new & used') and short story collection, As You Step Outside.

Author Profile: Clare Lydon

The first in our series of author profiles... get to know Clare Lydon!

What’s your first memory of enjoying reading?

My parents are both keen readers and they took me to the local library every three weeks when I was a kid.

I would take out eight books every time and read the lot. Books have always been the ultimate great escape for me.
 
What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading two quite contrasting books. First, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway as it’s a classic I’ve never read. Second, Lindsey Kelk’s I Heart London - she’s a fantastically compelling romance writer.
 
Which character you’ve created/written do you wish you could spend a day as?

Tricky one! I would say probably Kate from London Calling. She’s cool, has a chilled attitude towards life and has great hair. My hair is ultra-fine, therefore impossible to do much with. 

Which character that someone else has written do you wish you could spend a day as?

Good question! In lesfic, it would have to be Caid from KE Lane’s ‘And Playing The Role Of Herself’ just for the chance to kiss Robin. Swoon!
 
Have you created any characters you don’t like?

Yes! In my new novel, The Long Weekend, there are a couple of characters who are annoyingly self-absorbed. In London Calling, Jess had her moments too - she was a frustrating lead character at times, even if her heart was in the right place.
 
What was the first thing you ever wrote that made you think, “I want to be a writer”?

I wrote my first novel in primary school and loved it - so the seed was sewn early on. I’ve always written since, formerly as a journalist, now as an author and blogger. It’s a pretty cool gig!
 
Do you edit as you go or as a full process after a first draft?

I read what I did the previous day every morning when I’m in full writing flow, so edit lightly as I go. But the key thing is to get the first draft done, then it’s time for serious editing. Finish first, edit second. The edit often takes longer than the writing.
 
Where do you write? And what do you need around you?

I write at my desk in my office. I had it specially built into an alcove and I love it. I need a cup of tea, notepad and a thesaurus. The internet helps too if you want to check facts. I wrote the first half of my second book, The Long Weekend, at the kitchen table of my friend’s house in Spain. So sunshine and the promise of a pool in the afternoon works too!
 
Pen and paper, typewriter or computer?

I prefer to write directly onto my laptop. I occasionally write with pen and paper, but it’s always a pain transcribing it.

Find out more!

Personal Blog: www.clarelydon.co.uk
 
How can we buy your books?
 
The ebooks are available at Kindle, Kobo, Smashwords, iTunes, Nook and most other stores.

• Kindle version 
• Smashwords 
• Kobo

To buy a paperback, contact Clare via her website to buy a signed copy. Or head to Lulu.com or Amazon.co.uk. 

Read our review of London Calling

• Lulu