Delighted to share with you the major interview I have just had published on Smashwords, the independent authors's website. ![]() Smashwords Interview with author Ellen Frazer-Jameson What motivated you to become an author? All my life I have been a writer. Since the age of 7 I kept a diary. I don't remember a time when I wasn't actively writing, from the school mazagaine up to the present day. Most of my career was spent as a working journalist on national newspapers and magazines. To write a novel was a lifetime ambition. I still have at least one unfinished manuscript from decades ago at the bottom of a desk drawer. I've been published in fiction and non-fiction and co-authored original plays. What do your readers mean to you? My readers help me to mirror emotions I am processing through my characters. When a woman tells me, "You touch a special place inside me. I feel you know me and relate to the challenges in my life - and I love the five-star luxury and the glamourous world you describe." I laughed when the husband of one of my readers told me, "Once my wife starts reading a new book of yours, I know I've lost her to your storytelling world. She becomes so enchanted, she even forgets to cook dinner." What is the greatest joy of writing for you? To develop great characters, research amazing locations and develop a story that will transport my readers to another time and place. My style of writing is not about the ordinary - it is about the extraordinary. I love to share my thoughts and feelings with my friends the readers and together we go through great emotional experiences and find strength and power to overcome. My books are a celebration of life - and love. What are you working on next? Currently I am finishing up my next book the title is Once Upon a Lie. It's a bit darker than some of my other books but the connecting chord is love. Who are your favorite authors? I love Jackie Collins, (she was British, like me) her characters are so well drawn, rich and bitchy. Her gold plated five-star world is where my female heroines reside. We both have extravagant tastes! I am also a big fan of the younger, best selling authors like Gillian Fynn and Paula Hawkins, Their psychological thrillers never fail to keep you guessing right to the end. What inspires you to get out of bed each day? The sun shining through my windows if I am at home in Miami or Spain, or the sound of the rain if I am in London. I am constantly excited and enthusiastic about life. Truth is, I spring out of bed even before the alarm goes off. I tell myself, "Something wonderful is going to happen today." When you're not writing, how do you spend your time? My passion is to dance the Argentine tango and ballroom dance classes, especially waltz and foxtrot classes, are how I keep fit. I am not a gym bunny. I love classical and pop music and regularly attend concerts and live performances. Culture nourishes my soul, I love ballet, visiting art galleries and checking out great architecture. I also do my fair share of retail therapy, checking out the latest fashion at the high-end designer stores, Even if I am only window shopping. Bookstores with in-house coffee shops are another favourite. How do you discover the ebooks you read? I have a never-ending supply of books on my kindle - bestsellers, unknowns and most important, ones recommended by friends. It took me ages to get used to reading a whole book electronically - but when traveling it is a luxury to have thousands of books to hand in one small device. Do you remember the first story you ever wrote? Yes - I was about 6 or 7 and the primary school teacher read it out to class.The story was a funny one about a case of mistaken identity with a ginger cat that a little girl wore as a fur collar. Something must have sparked my imagination. I don't remember where I saw the cat. What is your writing process? When I am writing a novel, I am very disciplined. I write for at least four hours a day. That produces 2,000 words and I don't allow myself to leave my desk until I've made my word count. Words on paper is my mantra, you can't edit a blank page. Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you? The classics were the ones that inspired my enduring fascination with literature. Charles Dickens will always lead my author list, Oliver Twist is perfection. American writer Mark Twain and his Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. But before these lofty novels, like most girls, I was enchanted by fairy tales, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. I've written several modern fairytales and even turned the character, Chicabella, into a stage play. How do you approach cover design? The image is always presented to me in my imagination as I am writing the book. I know exactly what I want. The challenge is then to work with a very talented graphic designer to make my vision come to life. The images of my Love trilogy, are a great example of how an image develops through the continuing story and the characters in the book came to life on the covers. What do you read for pleasure? My books are more about handbags than handguns but I get excited by masterful storytellers like Lee Child and Ian Rankin. I am also a huge fan of the thriller writer, Peter James and his detective and murder series. I also devour crime books by Lynda La Plante. The woman's angle on violence and crime is eyeopening. What is your e-reading device of choice? Kindle Describe your desk My desk is wherever I am, I set up working spaces all over the world. I use a desktop computer where possible but sometimes for practical reasons I use a smaller laptop - but never write on my lap. I insist on a proper chair and desk and clutter is kept to a minimum. Certainly I put everything away every evening When did you first start writing? I have written all my life and kept a daily diary since the age of seven. Even now I don't miss a day. It serves as a record for when I want to look back over the years and reminisce - and is a valuable research tool. What's the story behind your Miami based book, Dark Hole in Soul ? This is a family saga. Dark Hole in my Soul is set in New York and Miami. It features three strong, beautiful women and the very different paths their lives take. Serena is a teen sensation pop star who falls in love with by a drug dealer, her mother Kathleen becomes an alcoholic and her grandmother Caitlin struggles to make anything decent of her life with a wastral husband. The colourful Cuban community in Miami features in the book as does the wild and carefree ways of the Irish in New York. The story is contemporary but timeless. The women all face their own heartbreak and eventually are forced to find salvation.
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AuthorEllen Frazer-Jameson is a journalist, author, actress. theater producer and drama coach. She co hosted the largest live late night radio show in Europe for the BBC and has appeared on national TV shows and taken leading roles on stage. She lives in Miami and London and loves to dance Argentine tango. Archives
February 2021
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