My dream goal would be to see some sort of turning point for us human beings. We have an amazing planet, stunning environments, a wonderful provider in Nature and incredible wildlife, and yet we seem to be hell bent in destroying it all. I've worked in many wonderful countries guiding on expeditions and conservation projects, trying to encourage people to see things differently. The reason for writing Stonechild was to reach out to more people. I would love to be able to really make an impact and see some change in us all.
It's that golden moment, and often the reason why someone reaches up to select that book from the shelf or to click on its cover in order to explore more. The cover of Stonechild is the statue of Achilles in Hyde Park, London. I spent two weeks in London doing researching my story and took over 500 photos, and this was one of them. As for the title, Stonechild, the main character, 15 year old Molly Hargreaves, has a connection with the statues from something in her past so I liked the sound of that. To add to that, and this may sound odd, but at the same time as choosing a title, I was reading about the tragic loss of life of Neil Stonechild, and maybe a little connection in his memory.
I think the old saying of it's a marathon and not a sprint rings true here. I find that in creating characters, they can become part of your daily life, and so you can experience what they go through. Similarly, when it's not quite coming together, this can be stressful as well. I write eco-fiction, which is a way of using my writing to convince people that our planet is important. There is much injustice in the world today and sometimes that can become too much, and I find the need to step away from time to time. Surround yourself with good support would be my advice. Fellow writers are always good to share feelings and thoughts, and support them too.
Firstly, I'd clarify by saying I think we all have our own likes and dislikes, and not all writing appeals to all people. For me, writing that creates an emotion, writing that moves me into exploring more, to doing some further research, reading the sequel, sharing with others, that's good writing. There is, of course, the art of writing in the actual style and presentation, but I think most people will relate to that piece of writing that couldn't be put down or you just didn't want it to end.
I wish! As I mentioned before, I am hoping that my writing will reach out to others with regards to how we life our lives, and Stonechild is not just about conservation. There is an enormous difference in the impact one can have between those authors, often self-published doing their own promotions, which is where I am now, and those that have broken out into mainstream. That's where I'm aiming to be, so that I can perhaps make a difference.
