Please join me in welcoming one of my favorite authors to the blog. I know you will enjoy the talented Sakina Murdock as much as I do!
Autotherapy is your first novel. Please tell us a bit about it.
Hey Susan, thanks for asking. Autotherapy is one detective’s attempt to find the truth about a series of vampiric murders that rip through his hometown. It’s told through the eyes of several people involved in the investigation, as well as through Detective Inspector Jake Campbell.
There are several analogies to self-healing throughout the story, including the fact that as humans we are expected to heal up (mind, body, soul) or die trying, even if we don’t get the justice we seek.
It’s set in rural Cumbria in England – any more north and you’d be in Scotland – and the tale incorporates the geological oddities and historical man-made artefacts that litter the beautiful landscapes here.
You can find it on Amazon US and Amazon UK, both Kindle and paperback versions, and those nice people have provided a free sample of something like 5 chapters, so you can decide it’s worth reading right the way through!
It’s also on Barnes and Noble, for those who have a Nook.
Where did you first get the idea for Authotherapy?
I was quite calculated at the ideas stage. I decided that I needed to write a book now because you never know if you’ll have time tomorrow. It had to have a vampire theme – those have been perennially popular for years – but I couldn’t just write something that said ‘yeah, it’s about vampires’ and leave it at that. What could be the scientific explanation for the existence of vampires? And the reason behind the explanation? That’s what drove much of the story.
I was inspired by the creepy town I live in (well, it’s creepy at night), tales of tunnels under the town, and a massive quarry in a fell (hill) near by. Oh, and ruined castles, Neolithic monuments and, I admit it, Crime Scene Investigation: CSI.
How long did it take you to write and edit Autotherapy?
It took around 9 months of actual writing time to get a first draft, but OMG, it was dreadful, and nearly of epic length, and I was lucky, lucky, lucky to have three people who were prepared to wade through it and discuss things with me to the point where I could develop it further. Editing wasn’t complete until just before publication in 2012, so that was almost 3 years in total.
How did you go about sending it out to publishers? You live across the pond – where you surprised to find a publisher in America?
I first hit the agents in the UK who are known for their thriller interests. They rejected it unanimously, mainly due to the mix of first person and third person narrative, so I changed it all to third and tried publishers directly. I aimed for those who were fine with email submissions – I’m not known for my patience – and the first gave me some great feedback and the second was Rainstorm Press. I’m so used to the internet that I didn’t think of them as a publisher in America; everything on the internet is about global, so that for me is where Rainstorm Press fits in. I know more American writers than British ones.
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
I remember saying I was going to be an author when I was about 8 or 9; I wrote a children’s book called The Adventures of Rabbit about a Rabbit who was born in an egg, and typed it into a booklet and illustrated it. I read books constantly, partly because my family only had TV for alternate years while I was growing up. I lost my way for quite a while as other creative areas beckoned, and it was only when I was about 30 that I took up creative writing again.
We have spoken before and I know that you use a very creative approach to outlining your work in progress. Please tell us about your spider charts.
Spider diagrams are my favourite way of presenting information. I’m a bit of a chart freak, and an A1 procrastinator, so to develop a story by following several lines of thought simultaneously, I like to make great big charts showing characters, plot, sub plots and action. They start with a first few ideas and expand outwards, like a catherine wheel firework. Initially I draw them by hand on A4, but if I’m in full procrastination mode, I use a programme like Edraw Mind Map to pull everything together. It’s procrastination because I spend a silly amount of time making it pretty.
You are a successful freelance writer as well as a successful novelist. Please tell us about your freelance work and how we can reach you.
‘Successful’ makes me laugh, Susan! I write for www.copify.com and www.purecontent.com at present, creating original internet content – blogging, researching, articles … even product descriptions (don’t ask me how I feel about production descriptions) but I’m as green as they come as far as freelancing is concerned, just feeling my way.
I’ve set up a website in beta at www.sakinamurdock.com, centring on copywriting – I’ve called it Just Words, but I’m still working in a frenzy to get it finished, learning the ropes of SEO, so I haven’t publicized it at all. When I can get it to appear on the first google search results page, that’s when I’m ready to go live with it!
I’m registered on www.LinkedIn.com, so the best way to contact me is through the message function on there.
You write one of my favorite blogs. I love to read your thoughts and recipes. I especially love finding out what your geese have been getting into! How do you come up with such interesting stuff to blog about?
Cheers, Susan, you are most kind! I love the mundanity of everyday life. The geese and lambs and food are the building blocks of my life and my blog, and those are intersected by things I find interesting. And I try to be honest. Ooh, and just so you know, I’ve just set my new incubator going for the first time. The eggs go in tomorrow!
http://soulsubsistence.wordpress.com
What advice do you have for writers just starting their career?
Persistence wins over talent. Keep going, even though you think you’re not good enough. Above all, keep going. Think Bulldozer.
Susan Dorsey, Author 