Joan Fallon
The Scottish author, Joan Fallon, began her career as a writer after moving to Spain at the start of the new millennium; her first published work was a social history, 'Daughters of Spain', inspired by the women she met in her new home. The research for this book in turn encouraged her to write the following two novels: 'Spanish Lavender', which is set in Malaga during the early years of the Civil War and 'The House on the Beach', the story of two young women growing up in Franco's Spain. Her subsequent novels have grown out of her experiences living and working in Spain.
A natural storyteller, her novels, almost invariably, centre on a strong female character and explore the emotions and relationships of her protagonist. Many of her books are also historical, set in the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War, or, as with one of her her latest novels, "The Shining City" set in 10th century Spain; they are all meticulously researched.
She is a member of the Society of Authors and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
You can find out more about Joan and her books by going to her website www.joanfallon.co.uk or following her on Twitter @joan_fallon
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I can't remember if it was the first one; I doubt it was because I have always loved making up stories. It was about a girl living in a yellow tent on the beach and it was inspired because I woke up one morning and on the beach in front of our house was a yellow tent. I never saw anyone come out of it or go into it. When I walked past with my dogs it was closed up and there was no sign of anybody. The tent was there for over a week and then it was gone. A mystery. So I wrote a story about a young boy who discovered the tent one day and he watched and waited until he saw a young woman go into it. It wasn't very good but I still like the idea and may use it in a novel one day.
What is your writing process?
My writing process has changed over the years. At the moment I prefer to write for about 4 hours in the morning and sometimes an hour in the evening. I am not one of those people who write it all down in a burst of creativity and then edits it into shape. I write, editing as I go along. I go back and re-read what I did the day before and then write something new. I constantly change and improve what I am writing. Most of my books have some kind of historical background so I do a lot of research before I begin and fill an A4 notebook with notes. I prepare a structure and a list of characters but I don't always keep to them; very often the book will take off in its own direction. When I am satisfied with the manuscript I give it to friends and family to read for their comments. If they like it I send a copy to a professional editor. Then I usually have more editing to do and sometimes even some structural changes to make. It is a long process but at the end I feel that I have written the best book I can.
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This member has not published any books.