Author Interview: Erin Searles

Erin Searles has written Heartweed.


1. What is your name and where do you call home?
Erin Searles (it rhymes with curls). I'm currently living in Surrey, UK, but my heart belongs to North Yorkshire.

2. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
Heartweed is my debut YA novel. 
When a faerie lord kills Artie's brother, she pays a high price to get her vengeance.

3. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Heartweed is the first book in what I plan to be quite a long series. It is Artie's origin story. In future books she joins up with more magical folks and together they keep York safe from rogue fae.
Silted, the second book in the Heartweed series, will be available later in the year.

4. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
I don't remember a time when I didn't write. I've always wanted to be a writer and I spend almost every spare moment dreaming up stories. 

5. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
Yes, I do. Contact me at erin (at) erinsearles.co.uk for an electronic copy or Smashwords coupon.

6. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
The concept for the cover image was mine. The image is the heartweed itself- a creature that becomes integral to the development of Artie's powers, both in this novel and over the course of the series.
The image itself was created by talented illustrator Paula Bambrick.

7. Is there anything you would change about your book? And why?
Nothing. And a hundred things. I think if I didn't stop myself, I'd go on tweaking my novels until the world ends. The trick is to say when enough is enough.

8. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
As much as I love my Kindle, I prefer paperbacks. The look, the feel, the smell. The fact that you can read them in the bath and not worry about dropping them.
I consume books in all formats. I like audiobooks for the gym, e-books for when I travel, and printed books the rest of the time. E-books will never replace paperbacks, there's room for all formats in the future.

9. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
Yes. Though I've also been published in an anthology and I'm pursuing traditional publication.

10. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
Any book I really like I keep and re-read. Most recently I re-read the first two books in the Curse Workers series by Holly Black.

11. Have you ever read a book just based on its cover?
Yes. Now that e-books are so easy to get hold of, when I buy a physical copy I pay a lot of attention to the cover and design. I like when paperbacks or hardbacks go the extra mile to differentiate themselves.

12. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you off of reading it?
Yes. I know it's superficial, but if a cover is sloppy or low quality, it makes me believe that the contents will be.

13. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
Be passionate about it. That's the best advice I have received about anything in life. If you can be passionate about and involved in what you're doing then it will always be a joy and never a chore.

14. Where can your readers follow you?

Blog: http://erinsearles.co.uk

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5396796.Erin_Searles

Twitter: http://twitter.com/erinsearles

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/erinsearles 


Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!