Our interview with Lindsay Sabbarton!

Bio

Hi, I’m Lindsay and I live just outside of Chelmsford, Essex, in the lovely village of Great Baddow and it’s bliss. With me, in my bliss filled haven, is James, my wonderful husband, friend, major supporter and Harry, my fabulous son. Along with us humans is Tigerlilly, or Lills as we tend to call her, my beautiful Airedale Terrier, who makes us all laugh with her antics and adds an air of normality to our very hectic home life. Hectic because James is an IT Consultant/Pro photographer, Harry is an actor and well, I write...a lot and sometimes we all vie for conversation space. We have fun!

I have always adored writing. I don’t really understand why, but I do. It’s a solitary sport, and maybe that is the key? I’m not too sure how many books I have half written, lurking in dusty cubby holes or drawers, but quite a few and TWISTED my recently published novel on Amazon Kindle ebooks was one of those. A lurker! And it probably would have stayed lurking had it not been for a very dear friend who basically told me to ‘follow my dreams’, and then inspired me further by producing a novel that had been written and published by a family member. It had taken him ten years. My book had been stuffed into a drawer for nearly that amount of time too. I bit that delightful bullet and here I am...

So for now, I guess that is it. TWISTED is up and doing very nicely and I’m busy now on Vera Bentley - The Promise. Although it is a ‘stand alone’ novel, its main character, Vera, has been taken from TWISTED. Everybody liked her so much (she’s a diamond in the rough and has been known to pack a punch or two!) I decided that her story simply had to be told. Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading about her as much as I’ve loved writing about her.

                                               Bio provided by author's site.

I was very honored and pleased when Lindsay asked to be interviewed! I will say when I did my research about her and her book on her site I started reading her excerpt she had on there and became totally engrossed with what I was reading! When I came to the end of it I was looking for more. Unfurtunately I forgot what I was doing in the first place. Her book is very engrossing and a real page turner. It has you from the very beginning and doesn't let you go until the story is done with you. So without further delay, please give a warm welcome to Lindsay!

1.  Who is your favorite author and how did they inspire you to write?

 Hmmm, difficult question.  I don’t have lofty reading abilities or interests, so I would have to say my most favorite author was the wonderful Sidney Sheldon.  Yes, I know I’m probably a light weight, but do you know, I’ve enjoyed every one of his books and so looked forward to April each year, when his books were released.  He didn’t actually inspire me to write, but I adored his very economical style.The person who inspired me to write and to keep on writing was my wonderful English teacher.  He was simply the best and I’m so grateful that I was lucky to have had him in my life.

2.  It’s easy to see that you have a passion for writing but is there any part of it you don’t like?

 Yes, I don’t like the writers’ bottom that comes with sitting for too long.  I hate it when I hit a brick wall and wonder what to do next. Is that age? I suspect it might be.  And I loath nasty 1* reviews!  An unpleasant reality that all writers seem to have to deal with - a sort of rite of passage, I guess.

 3.  Do you make time to read and if you do what are you reading right now?

 I love reading, but I have to moderate the pleasure of reading with the nagging urge to write. At the moment I am reading a David Baldacci novel, First Family and The Way I see it by Lord Alan Sugar, but I’m only reading the latter because both my husband and I used to work for him...a long time ago.

4.  How did you get started in writing in this style of mystery/Thriller fiction? Is there personal life experience in the writing?

 I’ve always love a good yarn, especially thrillers and wanted to be able to emulate some of the greats.  There is also a lot of personal experience in Twisted, although I hasten to add, not murders, thank goodness!

5.  Your books have been published with Amazon.com, Does this mean you see the publishing industry headed this way?

 Yes, for the wise author, it is.  With a publisher you are constrained, and usually have to write ‘in the style’ that your first novel was written in.  Being an Indie give us more freedom to explore other genre’s and also the ability to develop our skills - there are no restrictions as to what we write, or when we choose to write.  Also, mainstream publishers rely heavily on the talents of Agents to introduce them to the tomes they want for their houses.  My personal opinion of agents is that you need to catch them on a good day!  So much can depend on whether the Agent has had a row with the other half, missed a bus, laddered her stockings, spilled coffee on her keyboard etc.  They are only human but if they are in the wrong mood to plough thought the ‘slush pile’ then I feel that the odds are stacked against new authors.  WE have no such worries being independent authors and self-publishers.

6.  Do you have any online sites where others can read more of your writings?

 Yes, I can be found here, www.lindsayvsabbarton.com It’s my personal website and all are welcome.  I do try to keep my blog updated and news of my writing, of course, but there are only so many hours in a day.  When I become rich and famous, the first thing I will do is to hire a housekeeper!

7.  Do you have any more stories in the works? What kinds of stories do you plan to write next?

 Yes, my WIP is a novel based on one of my characters from Twisted, Vera Bentley.  She actually had a huge voice in Twisted and managed to garner her own fan club.  She’s a bit of a rough diamond, with a heart of gold, but unfortunately finds herself in a situation that she really does not want to be in - life’s never been easy for her...But I really like Vera and so may just give her a small series of more adventures, which is a shame really, and she won’t like because all she wants is a quiet life.

8.  Who would be your first choice to play Pippa in your book "Twisted"?

 The stunning Keira Knightly.  Apart from being beautiful, she has such a delicate stature.  Yes, she could play Pippa very well.

9.  If you could meet anyone from any time who would it be and what would be your first question?

 Goodness, this question has rumbled around in my head for a long time.  I think it would have to be my maternal Grandfather who died in the February before I was born in the April.  He fought in World War 1 and, I believe was just a little bit of a hero.  But my intrigue lies with the fact that everyone who knew him, recalls his wonderful sense of humor and his love of the stage. Apparently, my son not only looks like him, but also has a wonderful humor about him and is an actor.

I don’t know what I would ask him.  I think I’d be so surprised that I may well be rendered speechless.