The Author Interviews, Round 2: #7: Helen Pryke

The next Author in my series isHelen Pryke, who stopped by to answer a few writing related questions.Tell us a little about yourself - Perhaps something not many people know?I’ve been living in Italy for 27 years and speak fluent Italian. I’ve also published my book in Italian and the fact that I translated it myself means that it is faithful to the original version.Something that not many people know is that I have an auto-immune disease, which can make it difficult to write some days. Apart from the pains and tiredness, there are days that my brain just doesn’t want to work! I try to take it easy and write as much as possible when I can. Working at home as a freelance translator means that I can programme my days according to how I feel.What made you want to become a writer?I’ve always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was little. I had an article published in my school magazine when I was 10, and I remember writing stories even before that! When I left school, I wanted to be a journalist but unfortunately that didn’t happen. I started writing seriously about 20 years ago, and managed to get a couple of articles published in some women’s magazines in the UK. Then I wrote a children’s book one summer while on holiday, and never really stopped writing.Million dollar question, are you working on another book?Of course! I’ve been working on my new book for the last few months. It takes me about a year to finish a book, and then I need to translate it into Italian, so it takes me quite a long time. The new book is also set in Italy, in Tuscany this time. Not for any particular reason other than it’s a very beautiful area, and it’s given me an excuse to go on holiday there this year, for research purposes! I’m also working on some short stories so that I can try writing in other genres for a change, maybe something a bit lighter every now and then.Have you written any other books that are not published?I’ve written two books for children, which I hope to publish later this year under a different name. I loved reading the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis and anything by Enid Blyton when I was little, which is evident in both these books. Dreamland (working title) has giants, dragons, unicorns and witches, while Adventure in Malasorte Castle has a group of children who must defeat an evil demon that’s taken up residence in an abandoned castle.Do you write alone or in public?Always alone. I need total peace and quiet, no TV, no music, and definitely no family interrupting me! I hate having to stop mid-sentence, I never seem to be able to pick up again where I left off. I love the romantic image of the solitary writer going to a café to write, but I don’t think it would work for me!What tactics do you have when writing? (For example: outline or just write)I tend to write a rough outline of the story and then get on with the writing. I find that as I write I have to change certain things, either because it doesn’t fit the character’s personality or because the story deviates from my original idea, so I don’t write down a rigid outline and just trust my instincts. I jot down any ideas for the storyline I have during the day so that I don’t forget them, so I usually have lots of pieces of paper lying around. My first draft is also full of little notes, to add pieces here, change things there… my latest story is based around a large, Italian family, so I have to keep referring to the family tree I’ve made up for them! I love it when I have that lightbulb moment while writing, when I suddenly find a solution to something in the storyline that’s been bothering me. It can sometimes be very worrying waiting for that moment to arrive, though!What has been the best compliment?For me, the best moment was when a friend phoned me after reading my book and told me that I’d made her cry. We then stayed on the phone for half an hour, talking about the characters as if they were real people. It was incredible that someone could be affected by something I’d written, after reading it only once. I’ve read it so many times that the characters are like my best friends now!Could you tell us a bit about your most recent book and why it is a must-read?Walls of Silence is a story about a young girl who is sexually abused by her step-uncle and then abandoned by her family and everyone she knows. I wrote the book after suffering years of psychological, emotional and economical abuse from my first husband. While Maria’s story is not my own, there are some similarities, emotionally. I feel that this book is a must-read not only for women but also for men, so that they can understand just how a woman feels when she is derided, insulted and made to feel stupid, how she will turn her hatred and disgust towards herself and take the blame for everything. Everyone who has read it, both men and women, says it has been an eye-opener.Where can we find you online?I’m on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads. I also have an Amazon author page and I’m on Smashwords.Do you use a bookmark or fold the pages?I always use a bookmark, or any piece of paper lying around. I can’t stand folding the pages – my husband does it and it drives me crazy. The worst thing you can do is bend the spine right back so that the book lies flat – I feel like crying when I see someone do that!Thank you to Helen for this interesting interview, and if you would like to support her, please click the link below. Many thanks.