Guest Author Interview - Sara Bain

In today's guest author interview I meet fantasy author Sara Bain, find out more about her and her writing below:

 



Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
I am both a writer and reader of fantasy fiction and have been for many years.
I am originally from London but moved to Scotland about 25 years ago where I now live.
I started off my career as a barrister, before joining the legal publishing industry as an editor. In Scotland, I was a regional newspaper journalist for 14 years before I retired last October to start my own publishing business and become a full-time author.

Although I mainly write at the ‘epic’ end of the fantasy genre, I have delved into the urban or contemporary spectrum for my debut novel.

The Sleeping Warrior, is just in the throes of being published, both in print, and just about every other format known to man. It has been a very long and eye-opening journey, but hopefully well worth the effort.
What first inspired you to start writing?
Writing has always been part of my day job and, through the years, I can write just about anything and to any format.

I’ve always enjoyed a new fantasy novel until one day I read a book and didn’t like any of the characters – not even the hero – and found myself wishing they would all be killed off in the end for crimes against personality. I, therefore, had the idea of writing one myself with characters I could sympathise with and feel good about. I started an epic fantasy and haven’t really stopped writing it.

And what attracted you to writing fantasy stories?
Tolkein and his creative world in Lord of the Rings got me hooked. I read The Hobbit at a very early age and was shocked when I thought I would be picking up what, in essence, was a children’s story. The sheer depth of his world and the plight of the characters inhabiting it have inspired most fantasy authors.

Which author do you most admire and why?
I love Anne Rice for her passionate, descriptive prose and Joe Hill for his ability to terrify his readers in the first few paragraphs. Thomas Hardy, Robin Jenkins, John Milton, John Keates and William Shakespeare are the wordsmiths I most admire.

What was the last book you read?
The Green Rider by Kristen Britain

Where do you most like to write?
I come from a big family, have a big family and am accustomed to working in noise and chaos, so I can just about write anywhere. I have that rare ability to tune out of my environment and am glad of that – otherwise, I would get nothing done at all.

What is your favourite word?
Starlight

What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on the promotion of The Sleeping Warrior, which is the equivalent of three full-time jobs! When the last tear of frustration has been squeezed out and, should I be able to open my eyes again, I’m going to finish the editing of the first book of my epic fantasy and have it ready for publication in December.

Tell us about your latest work and how we can find out more.
The Sleeping Warrior is my latest work and is published by Ivy Moon Press: another persona of mine.

 It is an urban fantasy or a more accurate description would be a crime thriller with a subtle fantasy element woven through the narrative.

 The heroin is an ambitious, cynical lawyer called Libby Butler who one night, during her spell as duty solicitor, meets an enigmatic stranger in the custody suite of a south east London police station. Compelled by him, she agrees to aid him and unwittingly plunges her life into danger. The book is set in London and Scotland, where the contrast of setting changes the way the characters act and feel.
The pivotal force of this change is Gabriel and the book contains some of the cliché heroes and villains of contemporary fiction who find their attitudes changing through association and self-realisation.

 This may all sound a bit deep, but it’s very light humoured and, curiously (since this is fantasy) quite down to Earth.

 It is available on Amazon, Smashwords and FeedARead. I am in the process of ordering a small print run from printers in Glasgow, so the paperback will also soon be available from my publisher’s website: www.ivymoon-press.co.uk

Anyone interested can find out more about my writing at www.sarabain.co.uk; or Goodreads.

The Sleeping Warrior is available from Amazon