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Tell us a bit about yourselfI’m Skye, I live in a cute little town in the West of Scotland, and I write books full of mythology, romance and unique characters. I published my first book in July 2017, when I was still working full-time in the media department of a university. I liked my job, but when my first few books were successful, I first halved my hours and then quit my job altogether about a year ago.I now work in my own home office (which I share with my two bunnies) with a view of the sea, and surrounded by hills, books and friendly people. Things couldn’t be better, really.°
°Have you always wanted to become an author?In theory, yes. I’ve always loved writing stories, even when I barely knew the alphabet. I got a few stories published in anthologies as a teenager, which encouraged me to write more, but I was always told though that ‘normal’ people don’t become authors, that you can’t make a living from writing books, so I became a journalist instead. I never quite stopped writing fiction though, and after a couple of years of working in various creative jobs, I decided to try publishing after all. I mostly got the confidence to do so by chatting to other indie authors on social media and realising that they were all just like me.°
°What was your inspiration for your current book/series? Catnip Assassins is a series about cats, but strangely enough, one of the inspirations for the personality of my main character is my bunny Emma. She’s a wee beastie, full of spirit and sass, always up to no good, and nobody can ever tell her what to do. I always say that she’s been a predator in another life – she definitely doesn’t behave like a prey animal.I’ve had cats in the past though, Muffin and her daughter Lily (also known as Crumbs), so all their little quirks and habits feed into the story too.°
°What are you working on now?Right now I’m writing Purrr, the third book in the Catnip Assassins series. It’s a hilarious book and I keep laughing at all the weird things Kat, the main character, thinks and does. The series was supposed to be a trilogy, but it’s been more successful than expected and people keep asking me if there will be more books about Kat, so I’m currently deciding whether to wrap up the story in Purrr or continue with one or more books.°
°Do you have any quirks while writing?I have a local café I like to go to a couple of time a week. The waitresses there know me well; one of them has even turned into a character (but I won’t tell you which one). There have been occasions when I started crying because the scene I was writing was so sad, and they usually bring me some free hot chocolate when that happens. I’ve told them never to give me the wifi code so that I don’t get distracted.If I need some motivation, I bribe myself with food. Write a thousand words, get a hot chocolate. Write another thousand words, get that piece of cake I’ve been staring at for an hour. And so on… not good for my waistline, very good for productivity.When I’m at home, I write in silence, music distracts me, but I don’t mind the sounds of a busy café for some reason. Sometimes I just sit there and secretly listen to the conversations around me – great inspiration.°
°What are your hopes for the future?I’d like to continue writing the stories I love, spending time with my characters and immersing myself in their world. I’m incredibly lucky to be able to do this full-time, so I hope it stays that way. I’m going on my first international signing next year (Ballgowns and Books in Sydney), and I hope this is only the beginning of regular trips abroad to meet fellow authors and of course readers.I’ve recently started writing children’s books (as Isla Wynter) and I love doing that, so I hope that in future I will be able to do things like giving writing workshops to children, visiting schools and libraries, encouraging young people to be creative.°
°Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?It might all seem scary at first, but don’t forget that all authors started where you are now (and they’re all human too). Don’t be scared to ask for advice, do a lot of research, read a lot of books in the genre you’re writing in, and never forget to have fun.One thing that’s important is to find your own style and writing technique. When I started, I was told that I should plot my books, so I tried that, and then kept getting frustrated when my characters didn’t do what they were supposed to. It made me feel like I was failing and almost made me stop writing. Then, at some point, I simply decided to screw the plot I’d come up with and let the story flow – and that worked, the book came alive, writing was fun again. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t listen to advice, but sometimes there are several opinions or ways of doing things, and you need to discover for yourself what works for you.°
°Do you have anything to say to your fans?Thank you for reading my books and supporting me with your friendship, reviews and messages, basically. An author wouldn’t be able to exist without readers, so I value every single person who reads my books. I love hearing from you and I try to respond to every message I receive (although admittedly that is getting harder the more books I write).Also: Never stop dreaming and never, ever stop believing in unicorns.
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Helle Gade 