Author Bio:
I have always loved writing, whether in a day to day diary or short stories that come into my head. I am dyslexic so it has always proved difficult, but with the coming of a word processor and then a computer, life has become so much easier.
I came late to writing a novel as I have four sons, eight grand children and I helped my husband in his business.
Now I have a bit more time.
I live in Suffolk and share my life with an extremely patience man, two Ridgebacks and seven geese, having lost my horses last year. At nearly 80 I am lucky to enjoy good health, great friends and a wonderful family.
What inspires you to write?
As I said I love writing, but after visiting the island of Sardinia in 1972 I felt compelled to put the scenery and the people of this amazing island on paper. My first book The Whispering Wind was inspired by a small cottage near the beach and hidden by reeds. It was said that one of the men had fallen in love with a foreigner, but she had rejected him. Needless to say my imagination went into over drive and the story was born.
The second book Children of the Mists came to me after driving through Sardinia and seeing two houses opposite one another with a ravine between them. I wondered who lived there, and what were their lives as shepherds or farmers. So the story was born.
With my latest book Love in Another Time, I was fascinated by the idea of love through the generations, and while sitting in a cafe in Cagliari, in Sardinia, the story came to me. It is still at the editing stage at the moment.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am an outliner. I love the process of family trees. Thinking about the settings. The idea sits in my head for a while, then put it on paper; a rough sketch to outline the story, then chart the chapters. I always carry a note book with me so I can jot down odd scenes, snipits of conversation, a description of a place. You have this wonderful idea, and at my age if I don't put it down I forget it! Characters history has to be worked out, so I get to know them well.
Next comes the first draft, always in longhand in a number of moleskin books. I write on the right hand side only, so that when I go through it again I can add notes on the left. I leave it for a week and come back and then write the whole thing out again in longhand. Only after this does it go on the computer. Being dyslexic this is the time to run the spell check. The next job is to load it up on to a software, like TextAloud, so it will be read back to me and you can see if it sounds right.
When I am finally happy with the MS I send it off to a professional editor. Then correct everything. Put it up on TextAloud again to make sure it sounds all right and then off to the publisher.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Oh yes I talk to all of them, and strangely they talk to me. There are times when I want a character to do something, but they make it clear it is not in their nature to do it. They are funny things characters, they do have a mind of their own, which can be frustrating at times, but mostly wonderful.
Who are your favorite authors?
I love Daphhe du Maurier, The Brontes for older books, but Karem Swan, Lesley Pearce. I tend to listen to books on tape while doing the washing and ironing on Mondays as I find reading difficult.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I had an offer from a publishing house for the first book, but they wanted to change the ending. I rewrote it, but it never sat right. I knew the ending of the book from the first moment I started to write it. I talked to my husband about it and he said 'We have always done everything ourselves, we were self employed, so we'll publish it. I found a very good publisher and haven't looked back.
I won two finalist prizes in the US for romance and Literary Fiction with The Whispering Wind and winner of the Book Excellence Awards in Canada, of which I am very proud. I was 73 when I published my first book, so all I can say to any aspiring author is, hang on in there and don't give up.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think the future of publishing is exciting. People don't have time to sit and read. The ebook is great for holidays especially if you read a lot and don't want to have the weight. But there is nothing quite like the feel of a book in your hands. I am a great lover and collector of books, some of which I have signed by the author and that I find very special. Audio books are wonderful when driving, or as I do with boring jobs like ironing etc.
What genres do you write?
Literary fiction, Romance, General fiction
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Lexa Dudley Home Page Link
Follow Lexa Dudley On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
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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.
