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What inspired the story?
My best friend has a son called Yuin, and one evening I decided I wanted to write a book about magic for him where he would be one of the main characters. So I started jotting down some ideas like character names, and I researched different kinds of woods, for example, and started constructing wands for each character. What started as an idea for a children’s book very, very quickly became something else. The Hunted is certainly not appropriate for children. Yuin won’t be old enough to read them for a few years yet, but he knows they exist and that he’s a part of that world.
How long did it take you to write the book?
Well, Yuie was about 1 when the idea came to me, and he’s now 8, so…. a long time.
Why did it take so long to write?
Lots of reasons. I thought about this story pretty much every day, and I soon realised I had to really go into detail and build this world. I wanted to know everything. I wanted to know who lives, who dies, who has kids, what struggles each character has, what their justice system is like, what newspapers they read etc. Constructing that world took time.
There were loads of times where I didn’t touch the story for long periods while I worked on the plot. I also moved from Sydney to London and back, set up and ran a charity for 2+ years, and opened a physio clinic in that time – so I have been pretty busy.
I’ve had to learn a lot of things along the way too.
One of the things I’ve discovered is that before I press publish on a book, I like to have the next book already in the editing phase and the following one in the skeleton draft phase so I can make sure I covered everything I needed to while making sure I’m not giving too much away.
The Hunted is the first book of the Phoenix Series. How many books are planned to be part of the series?
6.
When is the second book going to be published?
I’m aiming for midway through 2019.
What’s the second book about?
I can’t tell you. Well, I could, but I’m not going to. Not yet.
Who is your favourite character?
I have a lot of love for Miles. His sense of humour is closest to mine, and a lot of the things he says are things I would say. I also love that he’s a bit awkward and he makes loads of mistakes while also being cheeky and very loyal.
I also really like Morgan… but you haven’t met her yet in The Hunted.
Have you ever published anything before?
Nothing like this. I wrote some articles as part of my Masters degree and I think one got published – but it’s been so long I don’t remember. I’ve also written some articles – mostly about postnatal recovery and the importance of physiotherapy – that were published in magazines like the Sydney Observer or on community websites.
What was the biggest learning curve for you?
How involved editing is and how long it takes.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Yes. Mostly I’ve abandoned other stories within a chapter or two. This is the first story that really stuck with me.
Why magic?
My mum says I’ve always been fascinated with magic. I have always wished I could have magical powers. I still find myself wishing there was more magic in our world, so I guess I was looking for a way to create more magic in my life… so maybe my mum was right.
Why did you decide to self-publish?
Retaining creative control has always been really important to me. Dictating the speed of book release has been a consideration too. I didn’t want to find myself either under pressure to finish something and not being happy with the outcome, or being slowed down by a traditional publisher who wanted to stagger releases more.
What inspired you to take the leap of faith and publish The Hunted?
For starters, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head.
I also reached a crossroads in my life where I was starting to get really frustrated with everyday life. I began to have conversations with Yuin’s mum, my best friend, about why we don’t pursue our dreams. We’re lucky enough to be able to have access to the resources to do so, but so often we don’t. There was an element of self-doubt and social pressure that definitely impacted me and slowed me down too. People want you to have a standard 9-5 job. They scoff at you for pursuing your dreams, and I absolutely felt that pressure to pay my bills, use my degree and wander the standard life path, but I never felt particularly interested in that path.
A little over twelve months ago I watched a series on the American National Parks and the rock climbers that climb in Yosemite called Great Wide Open. The opening line is “Blessed are those who live out their dreams. That’s the difference between listening to the knock on the door and going and answering it.” I guess I just heard that quote at a time where I needed to and it prompted me to move.