Interview With Romance Author Kirsten Nairn

Kirsten Nairn has a secret. It’s so hush-hush that even her family and close friends don‘t know what it is. The only people she’s shared this secret with is her readers and me. Would you like to know what her big secret is?

Kirsten is a writer. Her first contemporary romance novel A Sorry Affair debuted on July 31, 2017.

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Kirsten lives in Scotland with her husband and two children. Her favorite city is Edinburgh. She thinks it’s the most romantic city in the world and used it as the setting for A Sorry Affair.

Now that I’ve introduced you to Kirsten let’s get to know her a little better.

Hello, Kirsten, and welcome. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview.

Thank you for having me.

What inspired you to be a writer?

I’m not sure anything inspired me as such, but more I just needed a shove to get me to put pen to paper! I work full time, have two children and naively thought I’d start writing when I was on maternity leave������. It took another 14 years to get me to a point where I had a spare, quiet moment to write.

Is writing your full-time profession?

No, I do it as a hobby at the moment. I’d love to do it full time, but it’s not viable at the moment. Maybe when I retire…

How long have you been writing?

Only about 3-4 years, although I had lots of stories in my head before that.

How many books have you written?

1 published and three more manuscripts almost ready for submission, another two ‘in-progress’.

Which genre do you write? 

Contemporary Romance

What do you find most challenging writing for this genre?

Nothing challenging about the genre just the actual writing process.

Photo courtesy of: Pixel2013; courtesy of: Pixabay

What are you working on now?

I am really trying to get my current manuscript ready for submission, but I am also working on another about a holiday romance which blossoms, turns into a long distance relationship and in turn focusses on the dilemma of the main character and the choices and decisions she has to make

Where do you find inspiration for your characters?

Well, my inspiration for the story above came from something I saw written in the sand at St. Andrew’s beach- I won’t give it away here as it features in the story.

My inspiration for A Sorry Affair came from a conversation I overheard on a train.

What has been your most rewarding experience since publishing your work? 

The marketing and promotion process- it’s all completely new and daunting, however I have built an author platform from scratch, developed a website and connected with people all over the world.

What advice would you give to authors just starting out?

If you have an idea, just find time and space and start writing. Hopefully the words will flow. Don’t think about it too much to begin with and get it all down on paper.

Is there anything else you’d like your readers to know about you?

I write in secret! No one, not even my family or friends know I write or have published a book.

What message are you sharing in your books?

My stories are mainly high on the angst and emotional turmoil of some relationships, but there’s usually a happily ever after of sorts. If there’s any message it’s that all relationships have ups and downs and everyone makes mistakes. Whether we can move on and accept them is the big question.

What are your favorite books?           

Oh way too many to mention. I love all the John Irving books- The World According toGarp, The Hotel New Hampshire. Lord of the Rings, The Harry Potter series, Twilight, the classics, such as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, anything by Mhairi McFarlane and Nick Spalding.

What are your favorite movies, TV shows?

Any films from the books listed above, but I also love the film, About Time, directed by Richard Curtis and in fact, anything by Richard Curtis.

Photo courtesy of: Kirsten Nairn

When you’re not writing where can we find you?

Working, running around after my children and their animals, running on my own, at the gym.

Do you have a website/Facebook page, etc?                

Yes. Here are my links

facebook https://www.facebook.com/Kirsten-Nairn-1886899944963399/

twitter  https://twitter.com/KirstenNairn

Google plus https://plus.google.com/116661743998012242113

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/chrnairn25/

my website https://kirstennairn.wordpress.com/

A Sorry Affair ‘landing page’ https://asorryaffair.wordpress.com/

Where can we find your books?

Amazon

Kobo

Waterstones

Smashwords

Goodreads

Barnes and Noble

Thank you, Kirsten, for spending time with us and sharing your story. We wish you lots of luck and continued success!

Interview With Author/Teacher Dean Russell-Rands

Dean Russell-Rands is a teacher, a writer, and an advocate for the under-represented. He discovered his passion for performing arts at a young age and has taken this creative zest with him wherever he goes, whether it be teaching in an elementary school classroom, writing a picture book, or reading children’s stories on his Youtube channel.

Dean lives in Essex with his husband and their cat named Shadow.

Now that I’ve introduced you to Dean let’s get to know him a little better.

Hello, Dean, and welcome. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview.

Thank you for having me.

What inspired you to be a writer?

I’ve always been a creative person and a bit of a dreamer, really. I guess some people would say I had an overactive imagination (and hopefully I still do).

I started writing and performing at a young age–I had a poem published at age 9, a short story published at age 11, and then another poem at age 15.

Is writing your full-time profession?

It’s not my full-time occupation yet. I’m a teacher and I’m currently working as a supply teacher.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was young but I’ve taken it more seriously since completing my performing arts degree. I have a catalogue of stories saved and recently I put my hand to illustrating so I could self-publish.

How has teaching influenced your writing?

I had settled into a lovely school which I miss dearly but I realized that I was telling children to follow their dreams and I hadn’t fully chased my own.

Also, I told my last class I was getting married to a man, and they were so accepting but together we noticed that there aren’t many books that promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

I decided then I’d focus on my creative dreams and publish books that all children and families could relate to.

How many books have you written?

At the moment,  I’ve self-published one book ‘Love, Cuddled & Tickled Too!’. However, I have a catalogue of stories I continue to develop and tweak.

Can you tell us a little about your Youtube Channel Big Box Of Books?

I very quickly discovered that self-publishing requires a lot of effort and a lot of promotion. I turned to social media and my YouTube channel was born.

Big Box of Books is a tool I use to promote lesser known books including my own. There are so many great books out there that deserve to be read many times over.

What inspired you to start your Youtube Channel?

It was primarily my own struggle to promote my book but also seeing so many new children’s authors on Facebook pages and Instagram.

How can an author have their book read on your channel?

They can contact me via my Facebook page, Instagram or my website www.deanrussellrands.com

Which genre do you write? 

I write children’s picture books.

What do you find most challenging writing for this genre?

I think it’s about keeping an open mind to the age range of books–it’s important to remember the age of your audience but with important topics like ‘equality’ you want to remain as accessible as possible so that the right message can be spread to lots of readers.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on a book that’s all about being different. It begins with everyone and everything looking the same but someone has an idea and it all starts to change…

Where do you find inspiration for your characters?

With my first book, it was a lot about the families I worked with. I had a multi-racial girl in my class and I included a multi-racial family in the story so she could feel included.

With this book, it’s mostly people on the street and clowns. I think my inspiration is usually what I see around me and parts of myself that I want to explore too.

What has been your most rewarding experience since publishing your work? 

Recently, a girl at the school I’m currently working in told me she’d found my book. She said she really liked it and that it was a very important message for others to hear.

If I can make one child realize that love is love then I did my job.

What advice would you give to authors just starting out?

Just do it, take the plunge–once you put the effort into getting your work out there, more opportunities will come.

Is there anything else you’d like your readers/viewers to know about you?

I have two beliefs–everyone has the right to be happy and everyone has the right to be treated equally.

What message are you sharing in your books?

Hopefully, exactly what I’ve written for question 16. We’re all different but deserve to be treated the same.

What are your favorite books/authors?

I have soooo many. I love Rachel Bright and Tom Fletcher.

As for adult books, I love an emotional story–Cecelia Ahearn and Rowan Coleman are great for that.

What are your favorite movies, TV shows?

I’m a total Netflix fan–Grace and Frankie is fantastic. I’m also desperate to watch Homecoming because I LOVE Julia Roberts.

When you’re not writing where can we find you?

If I’m not writing, I’m usually watching tv or a show. I love Wicked the musical. I also like travelling and this year I’ve got trips booked to New York and Disney World.

Do you have a website/Facebook page, etc?

There are links to all of my social media on my website: http://www.deanrussellrands.com/

Where can we find your books?

 Search for me on Amazon.

I’m currently organizing book signings with a certain Highstreet store and I’ll post the details on my website as soon I have finalized the details.

Thank you, Dean, for spending time with us and sharing your story. We wish you continued success and lots of luck!

The Curious Lyle Lunarman

Lyle Lunarman was a curious child. He had a curious mind, read curious books, and played curious games. But, the most curious thing about him was how he came to sit upon the milky sliver of moon each night.

When passers floated by and asked him how he got there his answer was always the same. He’d shrug in that lackadaisical way only eight-year-old boys can then cast his long silvery line into the endless ocean of space.

“Search me,” he’d say, “but it’s the best spot in the whole galaxy to catch starfish.”

Who do you think this boy is?

The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Review

Hogwarts

Joy!

That’s the one word, the only word that can define a visit to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter for me.

It’s everywhere, in the laughs of each  “witch” and “wizard” window shopping in Diagon Alley, the eyes of each passenger riding aboard the Hogwart’s Express, the expressions of each person as they collect their bag of sweets from Honeyduke’s or enjoy a dollop of hand-dipped ice-cream from Florean Fortescue‘s Ice-Cream Shop.

Photo courtesy of: Frank Ralph

Everyone wishes to share in the magic in every way imaginable: to sample the flavors brewing in The Three Broomsticks, to catch sight of the dragon perched atop Gringott’s breathe fire, to know the exhilaration of casting their first spell in this most magical of worlds.

J. K. Rowling introduced us to this joy through her novels, the movies showed us another visual perspective and now in The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter we can immerse ourselves in it. 

Photo courtesy of: Frank Ralph

Roaming up and down Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, children and grown-ups from around the globe donned Hogwarts robes and waved wands to do spells. All of them experiencing a slice of the joy, J.K. Rowling has shared with the world.

Photo courtesy of: Frank Ralph

Wall to wall, wand enthusiasts packed into Ollivander’s. Small groups of admirers clustered around wand displays; others carefully held the beloved rods as if the great wand maker were really there scrutinizing how they treated his handmade creations.

Photo courtesy of: Frank Ralph

Eyes as round as galleons, shoppers bought a Butterbeer for the first time sipping at it with as much satisfaction as Harry and his friends.

Photo courtesy of: Frank Ralph

As an author I can think of no greater joy than having people keen to take part and contribute to a story I wrote. To watch this story take on a life of its own and thus become larger than life.

What a remarkable way to bring folks together and it all started with the joy one writer had while drafting the tale she had to tell. One day, I hope the stories I write create a similar sentiment in those who read them.