You have been a writer since you were a child but your first full length novel, Jason's Crystal, only came to you in adult life. What inspired you to write Jason's Crystal?
We were on holiday in Spain and some very strange things started happening .... it rained in August and it never rains in August there. There were funny explosions on the hills. The sea started sliding sideways. - And the kids ran out of things to read... so I started writing a chapter a day so they had something for every evening.
Was Jason's Crystal your first published book? How did you make the journey from a book written on holiday to having your first published book?
It took ten years to write. Yes! Then I entered it for a competition and it won a short print run.
Have you gone down the traditional publishing route or have you ever tackled self publishing?
I've over 30 books in print now with big and small publishers, but in a sense Jason's Crystal was self-published. I just didn't have to pay.
What has your experience been of self publishing? Is it something you would recommend to fellow writers?
Well, I do work in schools where we build a book in a day and then I publish it for them. It's great seeing a book coming together.
What is your favourite genre to write in? Is this also the genre you read the most?
Young Adult Science fantasy. I also like anything well written and evocative.
Ok this one is usually an impossible question for writers but what is your favourite book of all time and who is your favourite author?
Tabitha Suzuma's A Voice in the Distance - which is not Science Fantasy.
You based your PhD in Creative and Critical Writing on your book The Prophecy. Which was the most challenging, publishing your first novel or completing your PhD?
I think they were equally challenging, actually. The PhD was a step up from ordinary writing and it's for a slightly different readership with a different sort of rigour. Getting the first book out there was hard. But then, producing something with academic rigour is also hard.
You have a great love of languages and have even written books in this area. What started your love of language?
The bubble gum packets. You used to buy these flat packets and the flat bit was a piece of card with a flag on it from a different country and a few words from its language. I really loved learning all of those.
For my Ph D I read Young Adult literature in lots of different languages.
Just under half of my books are on language learning. I've just finished one for Continuum called Creative Language Learning. It's partly about creative writing in other languages.
You have taken a step to promote your book The Lombardy Grotto which many authors dread. You have toured schools! Have you enjoyed this experience and was it worthwhile?
It was great fun. I used to be a school teacher so classrooms are very familiar to me. The children are always great. Sometimes, though, the teachers can be a bit odd.
Which of your works are you most proud of and which do you have a soft spot for?
I think it has to be Nick's Gallery, though of course The Prophecy and its two sequels are important. I've almost finished the first draft of the second.
The Nick in Nick's Gallery dies part of the way through the novel and then it is about how his best friend copes. You get to love Barney. Everything that can go wrong does. But he gets through.
Finally, do you have any advice for unpublished authors?
Don't give up. Write and write and write and submit and take advice and write some more. You will get published if your really want to be. It is, however, a big if.
To read more about the books of Gill James or buy any of her works you can visit her author profile website.
Dulcinea Norton-Smith - Dulcinea is a writer, an avid reader, a loving wife, a terrible housewife, a mother of two, a Civil Servant and of course a freelance ...
Join the Conversation