Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
The first stories I remember were the 'Famous Five' books by Enid Blyton. I would re-read them repeatedly and re-live the adventure. I wanted to tell stories and make people 'feel'. I found the experience very powerful. I was about six when I started and continued over a number of years.
How do you approach cover design?
I am not an artist, I can barely draw a straight line! So, I am grateful to have an artist friend, Paul who can interpret my story and project it onto the cover. Both of my books have his art on the back. When I first launched 'Echoes' I had it on the front with a plain white background, to see if people could judge a book on it's content alone, but be drawn enough by the artwork - it seems not! So, I changed it, added colour, a few clues as to what lay within the pages and hey ho, it sold more - I find that a bittersweet thing.
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