How
long did it take you to write Darkwood?
About eight
months. You know how they say some books are easy and others try to kill you.
This was one of the latter. Fortunately I survived.
What
is your process for writing a book? For example, are you a plotter or a pantser?
Do you start at page 1 and write your book sequentially or do you skip around?
Do you start with your characters or the plot?
I pants it
until about chapter three, which is about the time I realize I have no idea
what I’m doing. Then I start to plot. With my next book, I’m planning to plot
the whole thing before I start. We’ll see how that goes.
Too many
drafts to count. I’m never satisfied with my work.
When
you are writing, who is in control? You or your characters?
If I leave the
characters in control they go crazy. I have to wrangle them into shape.
Who
has had the most influence on your writing?
My editor. She
gives good advice. And, since she picked my debut book out of the slush, if it
weren’t for her I wouldn’t have been published.
What
advice do you have for other writers?
Just keep
writing. Don’t sweat the small stuff. And don’t worry about things you have no
control over. (Easier said than done.)
Why
did you decide to become an author?
I didn’t
decide. I was cursed at birth by a bad fairy.
What
books can we expect to see in the near future?
I’m just
completing the first book in my new paranormal mystery series. Dead Monk Walking will be released at
the end of April 2016.
What
do you want your readers to take away with them after reading the story?
My stories are
fun mysteries, so I want readers to feel that they’ve had a good time.
What
is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as an author?
To take the
good with the bad, and keep moving forward. Just because one book sells doesn’t
mean the next one will.
What
was the defining moment that you considered yourself an author?
When Carina
Press accepted my debut novel Allegra
Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator.
Do
you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?
A basic Kindle
that’s so well-worn the paint is flaking off. I’m hoping to upgrade soon.
If
you could have one special, supernatural power, what would it be?
Healing. There
are so many sick and suffering people in the world, it would be great to wave a
magic wand and make them well.
Tell
us a little about the state/country you live in.
Sydney,
Australia. The traffic sucks, but other than that it’s a pretty great place to
live. Good weather, the habour—I’ve yet to see a kangaroo hopping down the
street but I live in hope.
What
is your favorite film?
Mamma Mia! Totally
fun escapism. Plus ABBA music. What’s not to love.
What’s
your favorite place in the world to visit?
About two
hours north of Sydney is the wine region of the Hunter Valley, where there are
actually kangaroos hopping around. Plus great food, great wine, great places to
stay. Hmm think I’d better book my next trip now.
Who’s
on your auto-buy list for authors?
Tracy Chevalier, Ashley Gardner’s Captain Lacey Regency
Mysteries, Nicci French, Victoria
Connolly’s Austen Addicts (I so hope she writes another book in this
series.)
If
you were a millionaire would you still write?
Sure, unless I
could bribe that bad fairy to lift her curse.
Back Cover Copy of Darkwood
Ellie
Oxrider is having the worst week of her life.
First
her aunt has a premonition of danger. Second Ellie is stalked by a faceless
shadowy figure. Third, Saxon, the new owner of Darkwood Lodge, arrives in town.
Saxon
Darkwood claims to be an accountant, but he knows an awful lot about magic. Is
he the faceless stalker? Or someone much more dangerous?
Ellie
is determined to discover the truth and not even the darkest magic will stop
her.
Buy Links for Darkwood
Except from Darkwood
My cousin Matilda’s shadow plays were
always cause for excitement. No matter how many times I’d seen them, I never
failed to marvel at the beauty and grace she created when she sculpted shadows.
In that I was no different from the hundreds of locals and tourists who flocked
to her performances. The main difference between me and the other audience
members was that I knew the shadow plays were magic. Literally. As in witch,
wand, spells—you get the picture.
I live on Freshwater Island, which is
part of the Fable Islands, a small group in the North Atlantic Ocean. Although
we belong to the USA, most of the time people forget we’re even on the map. In
summer, the tourists come and the small businesses—the bed-and-breakfasts, the
craft shops, the bars—make enough profit to support themselves through the quieter
months. The members of my own family made their livings from a variety of
things. Grandma specialized in potions, Aunt Amalina made charms and, of
course, Matilda created the shadow plays. I was the odd man—well, woman—out.
The biggest disappointment of my life was that I had no magical talent
whatsoever. I compensated for this by assisting the more talented members of my
family by booking appointments, packing orders and collecting ingredients for
potions and charms.
Matilda had employed me as one of the
ushers for this, the largest shadow play of the year. There were always a few
latecomers and I hurried to get everyone, tourists and locals, seated in the
small open-air amphitheater before the show began. All around me the excited
buzz of the audience filled the air. People were smiling, kids laughing, but
everyone became silent the moment Matilda came onstage. She was about my height
of five feet ten inches, but where I had long brown hair, hers was blond and
even longer. Although I call her my cousin, she was actually a second cousin
twice removed or something and closer to my mother’s age than mine.
Since Matilda’s plays were loved
equally by children and adults, she always began with a play for the kids and
finished up with a short piece for the older members of the audience. Today she
stood in front of a backdrop painted to resemble a playroom and addressed the crowd.
“There’s something missing from this
playroom. I wonder what it could be? Is it a doll?” She turned to look at the
backdrop and pointed to the left. “No, there’s a doll over there.” She turned
back to the audience. “Are there blocks in the playroom?”
One of the kids called out, “Yes.”
“So there are,” said Matilda. “Well-done.
Is there a train in the playroom?” This time there was a chorus of yeses.
Matilda mentioned several other toys that were painted on her backdrop before
saying, “Something is still missing.” She snapped her fingers. “I know what it
is. A teddy bear.”
She moved to an empty wooden chair
that was the only piece of furniture onstage. Standing behind it, she pressed
her palms together and gently rubbed them against each other. Then, as she
slowly moved her palms apart, an oval shadow appeared between them. Matilda
moved her hands again, shaping the dark oval into a large fat teddy bear. To
the sound of oohs and aahs from the crowd, she set the
shadow-teddy on the chair and left the stage. Most people who attended the
shadow plays expected to see 2-D images or puppets, but these were 3-D shadows
and they were controlled by magic.
Two little shadow-girls ran in, each
cradling a doll. One child saw the teddy, dropped her doll and hugged the bear.
Immediately the other little girl dropped her own doll and headed for the bear.
To a prerecorded soundtrack of songs, each shadow-child expressed her love for
the teddy and why she alone should be allowed to play with it. The girls ended
up fighting over the shadow-teddy, and literally tearing it apart. In tears,
they slumped on the stage, surrounded by teddy bear parts, until Matilda
appeared and promised that if they agreed to share, the teddy bear could be put
back together. The show concluded with the girls and the teddy dancing to a
song about sharing.
The kids in the audience were
delighted that the teddy got put back together, and the parents were happy with
the message of sharing. I was probably the only one in the audience who could
see future trouble for the teddy unless a second teddy was introduced to the
playroom. Even then, kids will find something to fight over. It’s the nature of
kids, isn’t it? Still, this was entertainment, not real life.
While Matilda corralled her shadows
into a curtained area at the side of the stage, a woman with a guitar led the
audience in a sing-along of children’s songs. I headed to the curtained area to
run interference. In the past there had been incidents where kids and even some
adults had tried to discover what Matilda did with the shadows after the show.
No one needed to see that her technique for putting them away was similar to the
way she created the teddy onstage. She simply folded the shadows, making them
smaller and smaller until they literally disappeared.
About the Author
Janni
Nell has traveled extensively, living and working in Britain, before settling
in Sydney, Australia. She has worked as a personal assistant, receptionist,
sales clerk, and even cleaned a very scary old building. When she isn't
writing, you can find her in dance class, on the yoga mat, or walking the dog.
Janni is currently working on a new paranormal mystery for release in Spring 2016.
Janni is currently working on a new paranormal mystery for release in Spring 2016.
When
not writing, Janni hangs out on Facebook and Twitter. You can also find out more
about her books at www.janninell.com Stop by and join her.
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