So as I feel I've been neglecting the interview 'Ten Questions' section of my blog recently I caught up with blogger and author Laura Jane Cassidy to chat about
How long have you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was nine. I recently found a story that I wrote back then entitled ‘When I am Twenty-one’. The first line was ‘When I am twenty-one I want to be an actor or a writer.’ Three years ago I left Drama School to write full-time, so that story was very prolific!
How long have you been writing for?
I wrote a lot of stories in primary school but then didn’t write any sort of fiction until I started my first novel when I was 20 years old. I’ve been writing for three years now.
Tell us about your up and coming novel...
It’s called Angel Kiss and tells the story of Jacki King, a fifteen year-old who is adjusting to her new life in a small Irish village. She misses Dublin city but starts to make new friends: artistic Colin, feisty Emily - and Nick, gorgeous but unavailable. But just as Jacki is settling in she starts to suffer from recurring nightmares and frightening visions. She refuses to believe that anything paranormal could be happening, but then she hears about the unsolved murder that occurred in the village, thirty-two years before…
Angel Kiss will be published by Puffin in early 2011. It is the first of a series of books that focus on Jacki.
Why "young adult with a supernatural edge"?
I’ve always liked supernatural stories. Anything with ghosts or magic. My favourite tv shows growing up were Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I liked reading Goosebumps and Point Horror. I was never into full on fantasy, I like stories that have a fantasy element but that are grounded in the real world so I suppose it was inevitable that I would end up writing a story like that. I never really thought about the market I was writing for, I just concentrated on the story. Then when I got an agent she categorized it as teenage fiction. I am really happy to be involved in the YA fiction world, as I am never short of something to read. There are so many amazing books written in that category.
What are you reading at the moment?
I am reading a fabulous young adult novel called What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. It is set in the U.S. a few years after World War II. It’s a real page-turner, which is the number one thing I look for in a novel.
What else do you do aside from creative writing?
I write full-time now, so not much else. I have a blog about writing called First Three Chapters. I started blogging when I was submitting to agents and publishers. They ask for the first three chapters of your novel and a synopsis, so that’s where the name came from. I also volunteer at a creative writing centre called Fighting Words in Dublin.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
I see myself in one of those Georgian houses with a big garden and a bookcase housing the various editions of my supernatural series. I try to be optimistic!
Do you have a regular job, or do you just spend all day every day writing?
I am fortunate to be able to spend every day writing. I treat it like a full-time job.
Describe your average day:
I get up around half 8 and try to do some form of exercise before sitting down at my desk for the day to work. I always have good intentions to get up earlier but rarely do. I check my emails, maybe write a blog post and then write until 6pm. My daily goal when I’m writing a first draft is 1500 words. When I have a deadline coming up, or if I am really on a roll, I could end up writing past midnight.
What's next for Laura Cassidy?
At the moment I’m writing the second book in the series and looking forward to my first book’s release. I can’t wait to see it on the shelves!
You can find our more about Laura at her blog, First Three Chapters!
