Fiona Morgan
Jan 27th, 2018
Let's welcome Fiona Morgan today, as she discusses her latest release, "Free" (buy links below), her favourite books, and the things that inspire her to write.
Fiona lives in the small town of Airdrie near Glasgow with her husband, Liam, and their two daughters, Erin and Sian.She works as a deafblind guide/communicator and a British Sign Language facilitator, learning British Sign Language after the birth of her second daughter.
What was your favourite book as a child?
I didn't think I had read when I was young as I remembered big gaps in my reading, but then I sat and thought about it a bit more and remembered reading lots of Enid Blyton, Naughty Amelia Jane and The Far Away Tree. After that I moved onto Nancy Drew, Carolyn Keene and The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis. So for my favourite I'm picking The Far Away Tree because you never knew where you were going or what magical creatures you would find. The favourite book I had to read to my children was Monkey Puzzle by Julia Donaldson.
What inspired you to be a writer?
I wanted to push myself, give myself a challenge and a hobby. I always thought about writing a book, but never got around to it. I then came to the decision that if I didn't write my book, it would never be written, so I sat down and wrote. I would like to say the full book flowed from me, but it wasn't that easy.
What is your day job or are you a full time writer?
My dream is to be a full time author, and I will get there, but for just now I have two jobs. I am a British Sign Language Facilitator working in college interpreting for deaf students. I also work as a Deafblind Guide Communicator enabling deaf blind members to lead independent lives.
When do you write? Do you have a daily word count or quota?
As I work during the day, I write wherever and whenever I can. I try and get some done before I start work and on my breaks if I have the chance, but mostly I write at night, sitting on the couch as my husband watches something on the TV. Because of the limited time I have to write I don't put myself under pressure for a daily word count I just let the words flow if they are flowing and put it down for a bit when I'm stuck.
Do you write on a computer or longhand?
I chose to write longhand when I wrote my first novel, "Free," so I could say I had physically written a book. After that I tried to write straight onto the computer, but I found it stuttered and didn't flow the way I wanted it to, so I resumed to longhand and have never looked back. I do put my manuscript onto the computer as a way of my first edits.
Tell us about your current release and what inspired you to write it?
My new book to be released early 2018 is titled What's Mine. It is a thriller romance novel based in modern day Glasgow and deals with jealousy and abduction. The book explores if a relationship can survive these things. I missed the physical art of writing and telling a story, it actually felt like I had lost friends when I finished writing "Free," so I needed to start again. I wanted a strong female character, but also wanted to show that females can be the antagonist and that sometimes females are really not nice to each other.
What genre have you picked and why?
I write thriller romance books. I didn't set out to write any type of genre, I just wrote and between my publisher and myself we picked thriller romance.
What advice would you give to new writers starting out?
I would give them the same advice I gave myself, if you don't do it, it won't get done! No matter what your idea is, or how good you think you are or aren't, every word written down is a step forward. I started out writing as a hobby that no-one would see, and I am now a published author, something I never thought would happen. Dreams do come true, so go for it!
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