CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS with the Naughty Ninjas: Sarah Belle

What is your background with regard to writing?
I started writing seriously three and a half years ago when the plot for ‘Hindsight’ popped into my head. Unfortunately I had no idea of the art/science of  writing, so my first draft tanked. So I joined the Queensland Writer’s Centre where I did numerous courses and worked on Hindsight at the same time. Two years later I subbed it to loads of publishers, all of whom rejected it!  Thankfully it was accepted by Escape Publishing and I’ve been on a learning-writing journey ever since. I had always been a big reader and was ashamed to say that until I started writing,  I never once gave any thought to how hard authors work.  Man, it’s a labour of love!

When did you first begin writing with a view of embarking on a career as a published author?
As soon as started plotting Hindsight. ‘Go hard or go home’ is my motto!

What is your writing routine?
I don’t have a routine as such, but write when my kids are at school and daycare, which gives me around 2 half days per week. I sneak in extra writing time on the weekend for a couple of hours, whenever possible.

Favourite snack whilst writing?
English Breakfast Tea, and maybe the odd Fantale!

If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing?
More Yoga and trying not to go insane. Like most other writers, writing is my release. I go a bit looney-tunes when I can’t do it.

What do you find easiest to write? And, the hardest?
The easiest for me is editing- the work is already there and just needs tweaking. There is already a strong point of reference to work from. I find the first draft really hard. I can procrastinate like a professional. Sometimes I find it difficult to ‘lock in’ to that focused writing mindset that’s needed to really power on. I also stall at blurbs and taglines!

Tell us about the first book you wrote
Hindsight was my first book and took two years to write. It’s about  modern day career maniac/mum, Juliette, who wakes to find herself and her family in the year 1961, where she is a housewife. Juliette is given a second chance to save her modern day marriage and family from falling apart by living a far simpler life in 1961, where she can rediscover herself and learn a few life lessons. It’s a romantic comedy with a dash of magic- Romagic!

One thing you’d like readers to know about the romance genre…
Romance can be whatever you want it to be – sweet, erotic, funny, suspenseful, historical, action packed, sci-fi, paranormal – the list goes on. It’s probably the most versatile genre in fiction and definitely worth investigating for newcomers.

Ten quickies:

Milk or dark chocolate? Dark, preferably with mint!

Red, white, bubbly? Bubbly.

Salty or sweet? Salty.

Beach or mountains? Beach.

Give or receive? Give.

Facebook or Twitter? Facebook, but I struggle with both!

Romance or erotica (for reading and/or writing)?  Romance. I haven’t given Erotica a fair go yet.

Dog or cat? Dog.

Summer or winter? Summer.

Star-gazing or storm-watching? Star-gazing.

Meet Sarah online:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
GoodReads
Escape Publishing