What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?
I write contemporary romances. I
do like the odd shape shifter story and maybe I’ll write one of those some day.
But I prefer to write about the present and colour reality with a little bit of
fairy dust.
Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you go from idea to outline?
It varies. I’ll hear or see
something that triggers the famous ‘what if’ question. For instance, I read an
article about a horse whisperer a while ago. The idea fascinated me so I spent
hours on the internet, found someone weird and wonderful to talk to and the
story was born. I then decide on characters (or
they decide to be in the story) and I start writing.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?
Probably more of a pantser, I’d
say. I mainly start with an idea, then decide on the characters and maybe write
down one or two things. But I mostly make up the story as I go along. And it
mostly tells me how it should be written.
What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?
I edit as I write. And when I’m
finished with the first draft, I edit the whole thing again. Normally I’d start
each day reading what I’ve written the day before and edit it as I go along.
This helps me to remember what I’ve written and also gives me a chance to do
the first round of editing.
If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?
I’d say character. Characters
take the reader on the journey, so you should make sure the readers care about
them.
If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?
If you’re a writer, write.
Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.
Love, in writing (Escape Publishing) 2013
A hardcore Science Fiction writer and a soft-hearted romance novelist
clash on the sunny South African coast...
Margaret Parker is a hopeless romantic whose fantasies fuel her
writing. For Graham Connelly, science fiction is the perfect genre to express
his cynical world view. A chance meeting in a lift leaves them both interested
and aroused — with no clue as to the other's identity.
Margaret has been looking for a face to match her new fictional hero —
and Graham's is it. Graham has been looking for proof that innocence and
optimism still exist — and he's found it in Margaret. But fantasy isn't
reality, and both Margaret and Graham are used to controlling their fictional
worlds. Can they step off the pages long enough to find their own
happy-ever-after?
Touched to the heart (Escape Publishing) July 2014
Discover beautiful South Africa in
this sweet, heart-warming Cinderella story about a blogger, a billionaire, and
one chance meeting. When it comes to men, if physiotherapist Caitlin Sutherland
didn't have bad luck, she would have no luck at all. To help cope, Caitlin
starts blogging in her spare time, about the types of men she meets and the bad
dates she goes on. While on duty during the annual Wines to Whales bicycle
race, a gorgeous, sweaty cyclist walks in and sets her hormones dancing. But he
is Don Cavallo; one of the four Cavallo brothers — hotel tycoons, famous as
much for their business skills as for the number of beauties regularly seen on
their arms. Don Cavallo has his own issues with the other sex. He has yet to
find one who is interested in him and not in his money or hotels. But when this
sexy physio puts her hands on his back she not only touches his body, but also
his heart. They've both been burned before, but neither of them can stop themselves
from playing with fire. Where can we find you on social media?
Elsa has been reading love stories for as long as she
can remember and when she ‘met’ the classic authors like Jane Austen, Elizabeth
Gaskell, Henry James The Brontë sisters, etc. during my studies, she was hooked
for life.
She married her college boyfriend and soul mate and
after 38 years, 3 beautiful children and three grandchildren, he still makes her
weak in the knees. They are fortunate to live in the picturesque little seaside
village of Betty’s Bay, South Africa with the ocean a block away and a
beautiful mountain right behind them. And although life so far has not always
been an easy ride, it has always been an exciting and interesting one!
She likes the heroines in her stories to be
beautiful, feisty, independent and headstrong.
And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of
sensitivity. They are of course, also gorgeous!
Her stories typically incorporate the family background of the
characters to better understand where they come from and who they are when we
meet them in the story.
