Author Crystal North #interview

Please give a warm welcome to

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hey, thanks for having me. My pen name is Crystal North and I’m 32, but I don’t feel a day older than 21 – well, until I have to exercise or bend or something and then it’s a whole other story!

I’m from the U.K. and I live in the Devonshire countryside but not too far from the sea, which I think is the best of both worlds. I absolutely love it and I wouldn’t swap it for anywhere else in the UK (although I would love to live abroad).

I have a BA Hons degree in English Language and English Literature, and I also have a PGCE in English alongside ten years secondary school teaching experience, which is what I’m currently doing. I’m married to my sister’s husband’s brother (it’s not as weird as it sounds, but I like messing with people!) We have a baby boy who is fifteen months old, and a furbaby puppy. Writing is very much a huge part of my life, but I have to squeeze it in around all of that other craziness!

Have you always wanted to become an author?

It sounds cliché but I have always written, so I consider myself a writer. When I was small I used to make up stories and as a teenager I wrote lyrics, stories, poetry and an entire book which I’m relieved to say will never see the light of day because it’s saved on a floppy disk somewhere, never to be recovered. I never planned to be an ‘author’ and I still consider myself to be a person who just happens to write. Maybe when I have more books out I’ll consider myself an actual author? Who knows!

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

Hehehe which one? I’ll tell you a little about the inspiration for my Goddess series that I’m working on. It’s set in the valley of a place in North Devon that I love to visit, and it’s completely inspired by nature, the elements, crystals and magic – all things that are dear to me. I’m so excited about this series but it’s a long way off being done because I want it to be perfect!

What are you working on now?

I have so many works on the go. I’m obviously working on the sequel to Vengeance, which is called Atonement. I’m finishing off my Christmas release. Then I have a massive calendar of releases for 2020 which includes two collaborative series / anthologies that I’m super excited about (something for Valentine’s Day and later in the year a time travel RH novel as part of a collaboration series). I’m going to be busy!

Do you have any quirks while writing?

Not really, but I do write entirely on my phone, so that’s pretty unusual. Vengeance was a big book too, so I feel like it was an additional achievement. I work best under pressure and working to a deadline and seem to do crazy things like wake up in the morning with an idea for a book, contact my cover designer and ask her to make me something, and then commit to writing and publishing in under 7 days. I’m crazy! I don’t know how my team put up with me to be honest!

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope that I can grow my following and continue to share my work with my fans. I would love to have more people read and review my works from around the globe, and the dream is to just keep being inspired enough to produce new works. At the moment, that’s not a problem, but I’d love to have the time to get every idea down on paper!

Do you have any advice for new authors in the publishing world?

Never read a negative review (says she!). You can’t be everything to everyone, but if you do you, and are your own unapologetic authentic self, you will find your tribe and your followers. What we do isn’t for everyone, but our fans love it, and that should be good enough for us!

Do you have anything to say to your readers?

So much! Where to start? Thank you so much for reading and loving my work. They’re truly labours of love for me, so the fact that you like them so much too means a lot to me! Thank you for taking the time to review, promote and recommend my work – that means more to authors than you’ll ever realise! And finally, thank you so much for your patience, support and encouragement while waiting for the next one!