Author Bio:
Having followed a career in Project and Business Change Management, I now work as an Actor and Director at a local theatre. I’ve been writing, in a serious way, since 2010. My work in project management has always involved drafting, so writing, in its various forms, has been a significant feature throughout my adult life.
I particularly enjoy the challenge of plotting and planning different genres of work. My short stories vary between contemporary romance, memoir, mystery and historical. I also write comic flash-fiction and have drafted two one-act plays that have been recorded for local radio. The majority of my stories are set in France where I like to spend as much time as possible each year.
What inspires you to write?
Anything and everything around me. A single word or phrase in something I'm reading, a snippet of overheard conversation, a picture in an art gallery, anything at all, can spark an idea. It was a change in the weather that sparked the idea for my Jacques Forêt mystery series. But, I've always loved stories from being a very small child. So, being taken to Foyles bookstore on Charing Cross Road in London by my Dad when I was about 4 is an enduring memory for me. That visit to Foyles, got me hooked on books, set me on the path of becoming a collector of books – my house has books in just about every room, and I can happily spend hour after hour in bookstores – and now a writer of books.
Tell us about your writing process.
I'm a plotter and I'm quite scientific in my prep for my books. Because I write crime I need to know who the killer and the victim are from the outset. I always start with my victim. Who are they? Why are they in the place where the body is found? By asking myself questions I gradually build a complete character profile for my victim. Then I work out the linkages between my victim and the other characters involved. Once I've got that, I build a timeline for the story and, to supplement that, I draw up a chapter/scene plan on a spreadsheet. On the spreadsheet I note down, characters involved, point of view, location and questions I want to be raised in a reader's mind for each scene. At the completion of this I usually have all the key scenes for the principle plotline. Then I make some notes about the sub-plots and they usually remain in that form. Then I think on it for a bit and then, having got my opening paragraph clear in my head, I start writing. I kind of keep on going after that as I write through my characters.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Hmm, not sure I want to admit this pubicly! I write through my characters, so I'm in daily contact with them throughout the writing process. So, yep, I talk to them and they talk back! On the first book I remember typing something and, suddenly I heard Jacques' voice in my head saying 'I wouldn't say that.' It stopped me dead, for a moment. But then I deleted the sentence without a second thought. Of course, sometimes my characters take me off plan and then I need to decide whether I will stick with that or not. Those debates can be quite scary, too. The character Tomek in my latest book – Marseille – I never knew what he was going to do next and, despite my carefully worked out plan for him as a character, he turned out very different from the person I thought he was going to be. That book was bit of a roller-coaster to write.
Who are your favorite authors?
Wow! That's a really big question and who do I choose? I guess I have to start with the brothers Grimm, Perrault and Anderson. I loved fairy tales as a child, and I still do. I even write some of them. Shakespeare has to be on my list too. I've been reading, learning and, reciting him since I was six years old. I discovered Agatha Christie when I was about 12/13, and then I read everything she had written including her short stories. I still re-read her books from time to time. I must also include Dickens, Wilkie Collins, D H Lawrence, Thomas Hardy, Nathaniel Hawthorne and of course, Austin and the Brontes. More modern writers that I love are Minette Walters, James Patterson, Peter James, John Grisham. Oh, I almost forgot, I'm an absolute Robert Louis Stevenson groupie. As for staying up all night to read – if the book has my complete attention, I can do that anyway, no matter who the author is.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I heard another author speak about his journey to publication. When I thought about it later, I decided his strategy was a good one so I pinched it! I did some reasearch to find small independant publishers, created a list of the ones that I thought would be the best for me and my book and submitted. Luckily, Crooked Cat Publishing was first on my list and they took my book.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The book will never die! Well, not in my house at least. Publishing has seen massive changes over the last few years and I think it will continue to change. That's good as it means the work area is healthy and surviving. What I think will coninue to change is how readers interact with the industry. Book groupies, like myself will continue. But I think books on an electronic platform – and I'm not just talking about books for Kindle – will continue to evolve.
What genres do you write?
Cosy Crime, Mystery, Romance, Fable
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Angela Wren Home Page Link
Follow Angela Wren On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
