1. What is your name and where do you
call home?
I’m Nadine Ducca, and right now my home
is in Granollers, Spain. That’s near Barcelona. I’m American, though, so a
little piece of my heart will always reside in sunny southern California.
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?
My
debut novel will be released in May. It is a sci-fantasy chase across the solar
system called “Serving Time”.
3. Do you have plans for a new book? Is
this book part of a series?
“Serving
Time” is the first book in a series. Currently, I’m almost done drafting the
second book, titled “Making Time”. Apart from the novels, I completed a short
story (which takes place in the same setting) and plan to release it soon.
4. What or who inspired you to start
writing? And how long have you been writing?
I’ve
been writing stories ever since I learned to write! It’s difficult to pin down
an exact moment. I have fond memories of school projects: making a
mini-dictionary, writing a short story or memoir… The fun thing is that I still
have many of my projects, such as my dinosaur dictionary, my collection of
limericks, or my short story on how life and intelligence came to be (and I
tackled that topic when I was only 8!). Sometimes I like to take out my old
stories and look through them. You never know where you’ll get your next idea!
5. How did you come up with the cover?
Who designed the cover of your book?
To
be honest, once I had finished writing “Serving Time”, I still had no idea of
what I wanted on the cover. I did know what I didn’t want: the characters. I might sound very picky, but I simply
don’t like covers that show the whole cast, all lined up and ready to jump into
action. When I contacted Keith Draws, my cover artist, this was the only
condition I set him. The only character I was willing to accept on the cover
was the goddess Time (and she appears on it). In the end, I think Keith did an
excellent job representing the plot! He can be found on Facebook, Deviant Art,
and Kindle Boards.
6. Do you have a book trailer? And what
are your thoughts on book trailers?
I don’t have a book trailer right now,
but I would like to create one in the near future. My general opinion is that
trailers can be an effective way of getting people to know your book - when
done properly. If not, they can turn out looking like a parody of the book, and
we don’t want that!
7. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks,
hardcovers or audiobooks?
I
prefer paperbacks or hardcovers, although I’m well aware that ebooks are
becoming more and more popular nowadays. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer
flipping through the paper pages of a traditional book. There’s a special kind
of satisfaction in seeing all your novels lined up on the shelves.
8. Are you a self-published / Indie
author?
Yes! After giving it much thought, I
decided to self publish. It seemed like the logical route for a control freak
like me.
9. Have you ever read a book more than
once? And if so what was it?
I usually find it hard to read a book
more than once, unless many years have gone by, or the book is a comic book. I
don’t know why that is! My husband, on the other hand, can finish reading the
last page of a book, and immediately go back to page one and start over.
That being said, books I’ve read several
times are “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “The Pillars of the Earth”, though I
admit to having skipped several scenes in my later reads.
10. Have you ever read a book just based
on its cover?
No.
While I agree that a good cover is very important in order to make a good first
impression, it is not what I pay most attention to. When selecting a book, I
focus mainly on the blurb. If it hooks me, I then flip through the first few
pages. I’ll only buy the book if the first two or three pages grab my eye.
11. Has the quality of the cover of a
book ever put you off of reading it?
No,
never. I actually enjoy terrible covers! There’s a special of long-lost
artistic sense in horrible book covers that I find very alluring.
12. What is your favourite book genre at
the moment?
When
I was little, I loved paranormal books. Spookiness and thrills were what I
lived for. However, my tastes quickly shifted, and for many years I have been a
passionate fan of science fiction. In recent years, fantasy has also begun to
draw my attention, and that’s probably why all my short stories and novels
contain sci-fantasy elements.
13. What books have made it onto your
wishlist recently? And why?
My wishlist is complete right now! Right
around Christmas, I began to read “A Game of Thrones”. After hearing so much
about it, I decided to give it a chance—and got hooked. I admit the series has
its ups and downs, but I’ve invested so much time in it by now that I’m not
giving up. I’m currently reading “A Feast for Crows”, and have “A Dance with
Dragons” waiting for me on my bookshelf.
14. Do you have any advice for other
writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to
writing?
My
advice is to read a lot, to share your writing with a critique group, and to
study writing how-to books. Yes, learning any craft involves some studying! If
you visit my blog (link below), you’ll find several posts in January and
February 2013 containing book recommendations for authors.
The
best advice I ever received was to join a critique group. After trying out some
other groups, I chose the online group Critique Circle, and it’s made a world
of a difference. Not only do you learn from the critiques you receive, but also
from the critiques you give.
15. Where can your readers follow you?
My debut novel will be released in May
2013. Readers can follow updates on any of the following:
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6965381.Nadine_Ducca
Goodreads
book page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17446760-serving-time
Twitter: @NadineDucca
Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!
Book sounds awesome. Just picked up a copy. :)
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