Author Q&A with M. J. Bavis

Author Q&A with M. J. Bavis

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M.J. Bavis coined her first book as a teenager and it was about horses, mean girls and a misunderstood heroine—and a worrying amount of violence. It took a move from her Finnish childhood home to the UK, a degree in Criminology and a whole lot of life experience to realise that while horses and mean girls weren’t her thing, her passion was to write. She now writes young adult novels with a bit of fantasy, mystery and headstrong characters.

She calls many places her home, but her permanent address is in West Yorkshire, England.

1. Tells us about your writing/ published book(s):

I write YA contemporary fantasy (although I think it appeals to all ages!), or some might call it low fantasy. I like to mix reality with a touch of fantasy and write characters that are a little on the broken side. I’ve published two books, Shadow Soul and Shifting Shadows, which make up the Narun duology.

2. Tell me about your main character?

The main character in my Narun duology is a girl on the run from her past, or in effect, herself. She battles with guilt, self-doubt and depression which are driving her actions (whether she admits it to herself or not). In so many words, her mind becomes her greatest enemy. But she’s not all doom and gloom either… She has strength inside of her she’s yet to have found—and a dose of dry humour!

Tell me about your current work?

The book I’m currently writing is a little different from my duology. I’ve yet to quite narrow it down to a genre, but it’s sort of dystopian with paranormal elements. In some ways it’s darker than Shadow Soul but in other, lighter. Go figure. But I’m excited about finishing the first draft…if I could just figure out the ending! Argh!

 

How do you handle criticism?

With chocolate and Netflix. Ha! At first criticism puts me down (I’m prone to have a negative mind) but I make a point of taking it on board instead and changing my mindset from “I’m rubbish, I’ll never be able to do this” into “How could I use this feedback into making what I’m doing better?” . It helps me to then put my focus on improving my writing rather than dwelling on negative thoughts. If writing has taught me anything, it’s developing a thick skin!

 

What’s your favourite genre to read?

Romance! Ideally, romance with fantasy or paranormal or suspense (or the other way around!). Anything romance. Just. Give. Me. Romance. Or whatever, you know… I’m not obsessed or anything… But the story needs to be strong. I’m not into insta-love or erotica.

 

What advice would you give to someone wanting to write their first book?

READ. I’ve been writing in some capacity ever since I was a kid but when I started writing novels, the biggest difference to my writing was reading! I think it does wonders on improving your flow, vocabulary, world-building, plot, pace, character development, you name it. But—and this is important—don’t try to copy someone else’s voice. Find your voice and then just write. Also, write what you want to write… Getting too stuck in your head thinking what others think of your story, will only kill it from the get-go.

 

You can find M. J. Bavis on Twitter.