It’s my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to Jo Fenton.
What genre would you
say your novels fall into, or do they defy classification?
My novels all fit into the Psychological Thriller genre. The first two in The Abbey Series have been published: The Brotherhood and The Refuge.
What made you choose
that genre?
I think it chose me. When I first decided to write a novel,
I was originally going to go down the fantasy route, but decided to start with
something a bit less daunting. When the idea of a religious sect popped into my
head, with all its potential for fear and manipulation, it just felt right.
I’ve discovered that when I write, all the darkness comes
out! I’m a very sunny person in reality!
How long does it take
you to write a book?
For the latest 2, it’s taken me around a year, including
drafts and pre-submission edits. My first novel took 6 years and 10 drafts, but
I was learning on the job.
What is your work
schedule like when you're writing?
I have a full time job in Clinical Research, so writing fits
around work. I try to do an hour a day, but it doesn’t always work out like
that. Some days it’s half an hour in the morning before work; other days it can
be an hour or two in the evening. Football season is great, because I get the
house to myself for home matches – lots of time and peace and quiet to focus on
writing.
Tell me something
about yourself your readers might not know.
I love running (although I’m very slow), and I ran a half
marathon on the day I finished my last draft of The Brotherhood (it was a great
day to write – my fingers were about the only bit of me that could still move!)
When did you write
your first book and how old were you?
I started my first book at the tender age of 41. It wasn’t
so much that I was a late developer; more that the kids were finally old enough
for me to have a bit of time spare in the evenings. When I was younger, I had a
lot of stories going round in my head, but I was such a slow writer and typist,
that it never occurred to me to actually introduce the stories to paper (or
laptop).
The other trigger for me to start my novel, was completing a
touch typing course. I wrote a few short stories, then NaNoWriMo was introduced
on breakfast TV, and my husband suggested it would be a good opportunity for me
to begin a novel.
For those of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel
Writing Month. The idea is that 50000 words get written in a month. I think I
managed about 20000, but it gave me the impetus to continue.
What do you like to
do when you're not writing?
As mentioned above, I love running. I’ve also recently
got
into mountain hiking, although I am guilty of looking for suitable places to
throw my victims over a cliff. Funnily enough, my hiking companions are always
very nice to me…
What was one of the
most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I think I was most surprised about the way characters have a
life of their own. I might have certain plans for them, but if they disagree…
well, suffice to say, they always get their own way.
I’ve also been surprised by how hard it is to predict what
sort of a writing experience I’ll have when I sit down. I might think one day
that I’m brimming with ideas, but when I start it’s like running through
treacle. Then another day, I might eventually get started after a lot of
procrastination, but the words will flow really well. There doesn’t appear to
be any rhyme or reason to it.
How many books have
you written?
My third book is now with my publisher…
The fourth one is simmering in my brain, waiting for me to
decide it’s ready to start prepping. When it’s ready, I’ll sit down and start
the first chapter. I like to do this before I write the plan, as I then have a
better idea of how it will evolve, and who the key characters will be.
Do you Google yourself?
What did you find that affected you most (good or bad)?
Yes. I mostly just find stuff about my writing – mostly blog
posts that I’ve written or that I already knew about, or details on my
publishers’ websites (I have separate publishers for ebooks and audiobooks, so
I appear on both sets of websites).
As a child, what did
you want to do when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a scientist or a doctor. I managed the
scientist bit, although my early ambitions of becoming an astronaut disappeared
when I realised I don’t like fairground rides.
How many unpublished
and half-finished books do you have on your computer?
Currently just the one unpublished novel that’s with my
publisher. I’m hoping it won’t remain unpublished for long.
I had been tempted to give up on my first novel after
everyone told me ‘first novels never get published’, but fortunately some very
good friends dissuaded me!
However, I should state that the final novel bore only
minimal resemblance to the original version.
Bio: Jo Fenton grew up in
Hertfordshire. She devoured books from an early age, particularly enjoying
adventure books, school stories and fantasy. She wanted to be a scientist from
aged six after being given a wonderful book titled “Science Can Be Fun”. At eleven,
she discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer, and now has an eclectic and
much loved book collection cluttering her home office.
Jo combines an
exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very
different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.
When not working,
she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester
with her husband, two sons, a Corgi and a tankful of tropical fish. She is an
active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and a reading group.
Website www.jofenton137.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jofentonauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jl_fenton
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