{"id":1679,"date":"2024-06-26T11:51:27","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T10:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/?p=1679"},"modified":"2024-06-26T11:51:27","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T10:51:27","slug":"author-qa-with-john-wheatley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/?p=1679","title":{"rendered":"Author Q&A with John Wheatley\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author Q&A with John Wheatley<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve recently read your Detective Nula Ryan Mysteries, they\u2019re a change in genre for you, what prompted this?\u00a0<\/i><\/h3>\n

Thanks for reading them! I\u2019d taken a break from writing and wanted a new challenge. GENRE is very important in marketing, so I wanted to try something with well-defined\u00a0 <\/span>conventions, hoping to target particular groups of readers. I\u2019ve also noticed that having a series of linked books is sometimes a good way of keeping and building an author\u2019s readership. So, the Detective Nula Ryan Series is a bit of an experiment really. I\u2019ve got another Nula story up my sleeve, but I\u2019ll wait to see how the others do before I commit to it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can you tell us what you\u2019re working on at the moment?<\/i><\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve got a number of projects\u00a0 <\/span>on the go. I have a young adult \u2018time-slip\u2019 novel set in Alnmouth, on the coast of Northumberland, Northumberland \u2013 \u2018ON WODEN\u2019S HILL\u2019 which is available for pre-order now and will be launched on the 8th<\/sup> July. You can pre-order it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I also have a novella \u2018THE APPARITION\u2019 set in Staithes, North Yorkshire, written some time ago but as yet unpublished; I\u2019m working on another supernatural story \u2018THE GHOST IN THE CELLAR\u2019 to accompany it \u2013 I plan to publish the two novellas in a single volume so that readers get their money\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also well on with my sixth \u2018Middleton\u2019 novel [Middleton being the Lancashire town where I was born and brought up]. This one is set during what is locally known as The Great Middleton Flood of 1927. <\/i>It\u2019s about the flood and the devastation it brought to what was then a small mill town, but it has lots of personal stories and love stories embedded. It\u2019s called \u2018IDLERS CORNER\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As a multi-genre writer, what connects all of your books?<\/i><\/h3>\n

I think the answer to that is PLACE. Whether I\u2019m writing about Anglesey, Middleton or Yorkshire the local landscape and mood seems to be like a main character in the story.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You\u2019ve written several books, do you have a favourite? If so, why?<\/i><\/h3>\n

MARCIA. When I met Christine she asked me which of my books she should read. I said \u2018You could try MARCIA but it\u2019s not the one I\u2019d necessarily want my mother to read.\u2019 She said \u2018Well, I\u2019m not your mother!\u2019 and she read it. Then we got married. But at the moment, ON WODEN\u2019S HILL is my favourite. It\u2019s the second Young Adult novel I\u2019ve written and it\u2019s set in Alnmouth, on the Northumberland coast where I have very happy memories of childhood holidays. It\u2019s also a paranormal time-travel story with a final twist \u2013 always good to experiment with!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What does your writing process look like?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Initial kernel of an idea. First chapter, like a sudden unexpected burst. Pick the bones out of it. Watch the characters and story lines beginning to emerge. Follow them like a stalker!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How long does it take you to complete a first draft?<\/i><\/h3>\n

Not long. Eight weeks maybe, sometimes quicker. An old tree produces lots of fruit because it knows it has limited time left. I produce first drafts like an old tree.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What do you like to read when you\u2019re not doing research for a book?<\/i><\/h3>\n

Reading for fun is sometimes also research, like Val McDiarmid and Anne Cleves for detective stuff. Apart from that I think Elif Shafik and Elizabeth Buchan are really intelligent authors with amazing and enviable imaginative powers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What advice would you give to someone writing their first book?<\/i><\/h3>\n

Go for it. Write, write, write. Tackle the other stuff later. If you keep writing it\u2019s in your blood, in your DNA. Keep writing, take advice, don\u2019t be put off by criticism. Network with lots of people. Be kind to yourself. Keep writing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

John Wheatley\u2019s YA novel \u2018ON WODEN\u2019S HILL\u2019 is available to pre-order at Amazon, price \u00a31.77.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B0CZVGG4JG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author Q&A with John Wheatley I\u2019ve recently read your Detective Nula Ryan Mysteries, they\u2019re a change in genre for you, what prompted this?\u00a0 Thanks for reading them! I\u2019d taken a break from writing and wanted a new challenge. GENRE is very important in marketing, so I wanted to try something with well-defined\u00a0 conventions, hoping to target particular groups of readers. I\u2019ve also noticed that having a series of linked books is sometimes a good way of keeping and building an author\u2019s readership. So, the Detective Nula Ryan Series is a bit of an experiment really. I\u2019ve got another Nula story up my sleeve, but I\u2019ll wait to see how the others do before I commit to it.   Can you tell us what you\u2019re working on at the moment? I\u2019ve got a number of projects\u00a0 on the go. I have a young adult \u2018time-slip\u2019 novel set in Alnmouth, on the coast of Northumberland, Northumberland \u2013 \u2018ON WODEN\u2019S HILL\u2019 which is available for pre-order now and will be launched on the 8th July. You can pre-order it here. I also have a novella \u2018THE APPARITION\u2019 set in Staithes, North Yorkshire, written some time ago but as yet unpublished; I\u2019m working on another supernatural story \u2018THE GHOST IN THE CELLAR\u2019 to accompany it \u2013 I plan to publish the two novellas in a single volume so that readers get their money\u2019s worth. I\u2019m also well on with my sixth \u2018Middleton\u2019 novel [Middleton being the Lancashire town where I was born and brought up]. This one is set during what is locally known as The Great Middleton Flood of 1927. It\u2019s about the flood and the devastation it brought to what was then a small mill town, but it has lots of personal stories and love stories embedded. It\u2019s called \u2018IDLERS CORNER\u2019. As a multi-genre writer, what connects all of your books? I think the answer to that is PLACE. Whether I\u2019m writing about Anglesey, Middleton or Yorkshire the local landscape and mood seems to be like a main character in the story.   You\u2019ve written several books, do you have a favourite? If so, why? MARCIA. When I met Christine she asked me which of my books she should read. I said \u2018You could try MARCIA but it\u2019s not the one I\u2019d necessarily want my mother to read.\u2019 She said \u2018Well, I\u2019m not your mother!\u2019 and she read it. Then we got married. But at the moment, ON WODEN\u2019S HILL is my favourite. It\u2019s the second Young Adult novel I\u2019ve written and it\u2019s set in Alnmouth, on the Northumberland coast where I have very happy memories of childhood holidays. It\u2019s also a paranormal time-travel story with a final twist \u2013 always good to experiment with!   What does your writing process look like?\u00a0 Initial kernel of an idea. First chapter, like a sudden unexpected burst. Pick the bones out of it. Watch the characters and story lines beginning to emerge. Follow them like a stalker!   How long does it take you to complete a first draft? Not long. Eight weeks maybe, sometimes quicker. An old tree produces lots of fruit because it knows it has limited time left. I produce first drafts like an old tree.   What do you like to read when you\u2019re not doing research for a book? Reading for fun is sometimes also research, like Val McDiarmid and Anne Cleves for detective stuff. Apart from that I think Elif Shafik and Elizabeth Buchan are really intelligent authors with amazing and enviable imaginative powers.\u00a0   What advice would you give to someone writing their first book? Go for it. Write, write, write. Tackle the other stuff later. If you keep writing it\u2019s in your blood, in your DNA. Keep writing, take advice, don\u2019t be put off by criticism. Network with lots of people. Be kind to yourself. Keep writing.\u00a0 John Wheatley\u2019s YA novel \u2018ON WODEN\u2019S HILL\u2019 is available to pre-order at Amazon, price \u00a31.77.\u00a0 https:\/\/amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B0CZVGG4JG \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[14],"tags":[34,15,38,11,42,63],"class_list":["post-1679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-author-interviews","tag-author","tag-author-interview","tag-author-qa","tag-self-published","tag-self-published-author","tag-writer-interview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20220914_1039493.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1679"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1684,"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1679\/revisions\/1684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elizabethhollandauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}