Author Interview with Prue Batten

Hello Prue, please tell us about you, as awriter.
Hello Stuart and thank you so much for having me here onyour blog.Like many writers, I have been writing since I was young andthat's a looong time ago. For me, it was a form of emotional fulfilment, anescape and of course the obvious… a creative outlet. It's interesting that as achild I learned ballet, had art classes and learned to horse-ride but at notime did I have a chance to learn the craft of writing because there was nosuch thing for primary school children. It was merely something that wasvaguely alluded to in English at school under the rather generalised title of'composition'. All I knew was that when I was told we had 'composition', myheart sang and I would write like a devil possessed.
Your book A Thousand Glass Flowers is a fantasy. Perhaps you'd you give ussome insight into it in a few sentences.
Okay, here goes: Driven by the knowledge thatcharms exist that could kill the one remaining member of her mortal family inEirie, Lalita Khatoun is desperate to find and destroy the infamous Cantrips ofUnlife. Finnian, an Other, hunted by his insane grandmother after he fails in amurderous attempt on her life, is convinced the only thing that will rid him ofher are those same cantrips and he too is desperate to find them. Fatecontrives that Lalita and Finnian should seek together. In an ominous questthrough a world where spine-tingling Others lace their way in and out of thelives of mortals, it's a story of legend, love, and clashing ideals; a story ofmurder, regret and revenge… a story that journeys across a world too hauntinglylike our own.
How did you come to write this particularbook?
I've always been inspired by oddthings: stumpwork embroidery, miniature books, pocketglobes, intricately wovenfabric and in this particular case… paperweights. It was only a small step toimagine something dastardly and secret concealed within these things and for aballad or myth to be created.
      Do you have a favouritecharacter from the book? If so, who and why this particular one?
I think Lalita is a woman to beadmired. Such loss and grief should have pitched her into a breakdown! Butshe's a determined, feisty woman who knows how to handle a dagger and inaddition, she's a calligrapher and bookmaker and I once learned to book-bind atArt School so Lalita is dear to my heart. As for the co-protagonist, Finnian,he is a damaged man… attractive, dark and infinitely dangerous and could killLalita with a flick of his fingers, but…
Where can people buy your books?
All my books both in hard copyand e-format are available at Amazon.com http://amzn.to/ks8C6iand Amazon.co.uk http://amzn.to/m01qxa aswell as for Apple, Kobo, Nook etc. A Thousand Glass Flowers will be released inSeptember and I suggest readers keep an eye on my blog (see below) for details.
What qualities does a writer need to besuccessful?
Success is relative, I think. Forme it's the creation of a story that can take people out of themselves and far,far away. But in addition, that story has to be backed up by credible skills,by application, by research and dedication. In short, a form of obsession.
What's the single biggest mistake made bybeginner writers?
Its difficult to generalise butit would perhaps help to show what my own mistake was. A thing called Point ofView. My POV would jump from one character to another in the space of aparagraph. It's rarely handled well and can lead to a jumpy, incoherentnarrative. It's still the thing that terrifies me the most.
To what extent are grammar and spellingimportant in writing?
Vital. Vital, vital, vital!Enough said.
How much do you revise your MS beforesending it off?
A hundred times and then I couldrevise a hundred times again. I honestly believe that any writer, published ornot and re-reading their work in the future, will find things they could reviseand write with more polish.
As a writer of fantasy and historicalfiction, to what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?
This is a bête noire for me. Genre is necessary to catalogue a work but thereare so many subgenres that are rarely used that would make selection easier fora discerning reader. Take Glass Flowers. It's fantasy. But if I could, I wouldclassify it as any or all of fantasy ballad, fantasy romance or magicalrealism.
Many authors see marketing as a bind. What'syour opinion on this, and how do you deal with it?
It's a necessary part of the lifeof a published writer. Of course I would rather be writing but I'm able toengage with many readers as part of the marketing process and so manyrelationships have been formed with kindred spirits.In terms of dealing with it, it'svery difficult because I live in the southern hemisphere and most of my readersare in the northern hemisphere. In order to engage properly, I should be awakeall night and chatting on the internet! Suffice to say I do what I can andshould do more and should have a timetable but I don't.
      What's your working method?
I research what has to beresearched. I read monographs and internet detail. I use sticky notes a lot.Then I bullet-point my story with pen and paper. My characters have a stylefile including a photo of any likely face I have seen that fits. I also have astyle sheet that I divide into squares in alphabetical order and into which Idrop words so that spelling of names, places etc remains consistent. I writemostly on the computer but sometimes I have ideas in bed or in the bath orwalking and I will jot those down. Sometimes I wake in the middle of the nightand will write pages in pen, taking off from where I stopped on the computer. Iwill then type that up next day. I edit the previous day roughly. When thestory is finished, I edit on the screen and then print a hard copy and editthat with red pen and sticky notes. I send it off to London and when it comesback, I edit (and sometimes re-write chapters) again. Until it gets the seal ofapproval.
What sort of displacement activities keepyou from writing?
I do love that term:displacement. My husband and I are farmers, growing the superfine merino woolfor which Australia is famous, so that displaces me more than I want! Inaddition I have dogs I adore, I volunteer as a dog walker at our local dogs'shelter, I am an obsessive embroiderer, I love the beach and the sea and spenda lot of time on and in the water.
What support, if any, do you receive fromfamily and friends, or a writing group?
My family are supportive, myhusband chiefly so. He is my backbone, my agent and my financial adviser. Myfriends are marvellous… beta readers of the best kind. I'm a member ofYouWriteOn.com and have found the peer-review process to be the best sort ofwriting group.
Is presentation of the MS as important asagents and publishers suggest?
Indeed. If one wishes to submitmainstream. After a period of time submitting, I decided to go the indie routeand such presentation has stood me in good stead for any other publishingmethod I might follow.
How long does it take you to write a novel?
Taking into account the fact thatI submit to an editorial consultancy in London, to bring the novel to the pointwhere it's considered commercially viable, it takes me two years.
Who or what inspires your writing?
My emotions and a feeling ofwriting what I need to. It's the oddest sort of motivation. I'm an eclecticreader and because of that, I couldn't honestly say it was one writer more thanany other that inspires me. That said; I love Shakespeare's plays and sonnets.I love Yeats. I admire Dorothy Dunnett's historical fiction and of course, JaneAusten is a given.
If there's a single aspect of writing youfind frustrating, what is it?
Line-editing… it's excruciatingand I always worry I've missed something.
Is there a particular feature of writingthat you really enjoy?
Two things. Research because I amconstantly learning and characterisation because the characters become real andit thrills me to see what happens to them. I think I might be a voyeur!
Do you believe creative writing is a naturalgift or an acquired skill?
Being creative is a gift. Being awriter can be an acquired skill. To be a creative writer, you simply MUST havethe imagination.
What are you writing now?
A historical fiction calledGisborne and based on the legendary Sir Guy of Gisborne. This is my take onwhat he may have been and what he might have become in different circumstances.The novel will be released for Christmas 2011.
Do you have a website or blog where readerscan visit?
I do. My website is merely aninformative site (http://www.pruebatten.com)but my blog is interactive and welcomes all comers. (http://www.mesmered.wordpress.com)I'm also on Twitter if anybody tweets: @pruebatten and on Facebook: Prue Batten
Given unlimited resources, where would youdo your writing?
Exactly where I do it now… exceptmaybe the room would be much more of a library room than currently… shelves onall four walls and filled to the brim with books of interest, a sliding ladder,an illuminated manuscript on a lectern, tellurions, and orreries.
Where do you actually write?
At home, I write on a laptop on acouch because I love the sunshine through the window and the birds-eye view ofthe Derwent River and the city of Hobart. All my books and research are inanother room and I jump up and down. It's good exercise. But when we are at ourtiny cottage by the sea, I have a table by a window (also masses of sunshine) whereI can look out at the garden and hear the waves and the seabirds. Sometimes inboth instances, the view can be a little distracting.