How much time did you spend in Australia? Do you still live there?
I was born in Australia and currently reside there, but I lived for 5 years in London and 1 year in New York,
Why did you choose the fantasy genre?
I am a huge fan of fantasy novels and don’t read much outside that genre. I particularly like high fantasy and young adult fantasy. Ranger’s Apprentice is one of my all-time favourite series.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
It always seemed unrealistic to want to write a novel, which is why I did not try to do so earlier. On my 50th birthday I was in hospital for brain surgery and had to have 4 months off work. I couldn’t do much, but I could write, so that is what I did. Once I had started, there was no going back.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t really plan what I am going to write. Sometimes I have to keep writing just to find out what happens.
Having a degree in music composition, did you ever consider making a career in music industry?
I did do a degree in atonal musical composition and in fact won a competition for one of my compositions, but I could not see a career pathway. I also studied Opera singing. When I was in my 20s, I moved to London and joined an indie pop-rock band. We release a single and toured. It was great fun! I play saxophone and flute and sing in a jazz band now and consider myself a semi-professional musician.
What inspired you to become a teacher?
I became a teacher when I had children of my own. I was disillusioned with working in the finance industry helping rich people get richer and wanted to give something back to the community. I quickly grew to love working with children. Being a teacher is very much part of my sense of identity.
Do you love cats? How did you come up with the idea for "High Clowder Cats"?
I love animals and nature, but I don’t particularly love cats the most. I chose the cat world because of its intersection with the human world and the opportunity that presents for storylines.
What do you prefer- paperbacks or ebooks? Why?
This is a hard question! A year ago I would have said paperbacks but they are so expensive! I love that if I really want to read something straight away I can get it as an ebook.
What challenges did you face while writing your first book?
SO many! In the first place, most people think that writing is a waste of time so it is hard to have self-belief. After I wrote the book, it took a long while to find out how to edit and publish. I learnt so much going through that process and I am very grateful to the whole team at Indiemosh – editors, cover designers, web page designers and everyone else! When release day finally came, I suddenly had to learn new skills – all the in and outs of marketing! It is a big commitment of time and a financial commitment – but all the reviews are telling me that it is absolutely worth it. I know that I am connecting with people.
Your thoughts on conventional vs. self-publishing? What route did you choose and why?
It is very hard to get a literary agent to represent you to a publisher, so really you need to prove your self first, and self-publishing is a pathway to do that. However, once you have achieved this, the decision is not straight forward after all. With self-publishing I keep more of the royalties, so why would I want to give away that (and some of my creative rights) by signing a deal with a publisher? I guess it depends on how many books they think they can sell with bigger backing but it is not an easy call.
How did you come up with your Instagram username, rubyclowdercats?
I think that one is pretty obvious! Ruby Knight was gone and Clowder Cats is the name of the series.
If you had a reality TV show about your life, what would your theme song be?
If it was a reality TV show I would make them use music I have written so that I would get the royalties!
Do you think there are aliens on other planets?
I have no idea. I would like to think so just because I love Star Trek so much and wish that I could live in that universe.
What are you currently working on?
Book 2 of the High Clowder Cats series – Dark Clowder is coming out this year. It is currently being edited. Sign up at www.clowdercats.com.au if you want to be the first to find out when it is released.
What has your experience with AllAuthor been like so far?
AllAuthor has been amazing!! I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to market a book. I didn’t know much about twitter and loved that they scheduled tweets for me. There tweets were also good examples of how to write marketing pitches. The most important thing to me about AllAuthor, however, is the mock up banners they send each week. I could not have run my social media campaigns without these high-quality images. I love them!
