Space Dust #blogtour

I am delighted to kick off the blog tour of Space Dust for Eloise De Sousa.

1.    What genre would you say your novels fall into, or do they defy classification?

As a writer of different genres, my latest book, Space Dust, falls under children’s fiction.

2.     What made you choose that genre?

Even though we have different genres for children’s books, I chose this genre because it best fits the book’s style, letting the reader discover that there is more to the book than just an adventure into space.  

3.    How long does it take you to write a book?

From its conception at a meeting with the local librarians in my area, it took about three weeks to a month to have a completed copy of the book. There were nine different versions created before the right one evolved.

4.    What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Any schedule is hard to follow when trying to complete a book, especially with a day job and a family to juggle. I try my best to carve out more time for the book I’m writing, but if something urgent crops ups in other areas of my life, everything else must be put on hold, including the book. Towards the end of the book’s creation, I do tend to spend long hours trying to perfect the finishing touches, sometimes into the early hours of the morning when there is no demand on my time other than sleep.

5.    Tell me something about yourself your readers might not know.

Well, this is the first book I have written for the Library Service and the first time I have attended the Summer Reading Challenge as a guest author. I’m not an extrovert, so it was very challenging having to face a new set of faces in each of the nine libraries I visited over the summer holidays. At the end of the experience, I felt a sense of relief - and regret - that it was all over. Now that I have done it, I wouldn’t mind participating in future events where it requires me to do a bit of public speaking on behalf of my books. I know the audience won’t heckle me or eat me alive!

6.    When did you write your first book and how old were you?

The first book I wrote and published was Deception in 2012. I would have been 37 at the time.

7.    What do you like to do when you're not writing?

As mentioned before, I have a job, a part time job, as a school librarian. When I’m not working, I have four children, three cats and a dog to keep me occupied! Those meagre hours of free time between being a mum/worker and writer are spent studying for a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. I like to be kept busy.

8.    What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

One of the most surprising things I have learned through the process of creating books is the amount of effort it takes to produce the finished article. Some people may think that books are easy to write and publish. They would be wrong! Creating a children’s book requires a knowledge of key words suiting the target audience’s age group, choosing fonts that attract eager little eyes and knowing the balance of pictures versus words. That’s just the beginning! Coming up with a concept that encourages a young reader to pick up your book more than once means you have to think outside the box and become a 4-year-old or 8-year-old. It’s more than being a writer - it’s taking the place of your target reader and infusing all the marketing appeal and written word required to get your book seen by a very selective audience.

9.    How many books have you written?

So far, I have written over 23 books. Some of them were personalised books for children which were ordered by parents who wanted a special gift for Christmas or birthday present.

10. Do you Google yourself? What did you find that affected you most (good or bad)?

Yes, I do. I usually do it to see if my books and author sites are easy to find. The worst thing I found were websites listing my books without my permission.

11. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

There were so many ideas floating inside my little head when I was small. It alternated between becoming a famous dancer like Margot Fonteyn and being a vet. The idea of writer never occurred to me as it wasn’t a career that anyone focused on when I was small.

12. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have on your computer?

At the moment, I have two unfinished crime thrillers, about two or three children’s books and an idea for a new crime thriller that has been growing since the middle of August.

Bio:
Eloise lives in the sunny county of Berkshire with her beautiful family, cats and dog. When she’s not writing adventure stories for children or weaving webs of secrets for her crime thrillers, she can be found walking her dog or working in the school library where she strives to inspire the next generation of writers.

Find Eloise:
Author site: https://eloiseds.com
Amazon:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00JKTFVXI
Blog site:  https://eloisedesousa.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/eloisebookcorner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mello_elo


The next stage on the tour will be hosted by Cecily: https://cecilyswritings.wordpress.com/

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