Friday 2 August 2013

Author Interview: Nadine Ducca

Nadine Ducca has written Serving Time.


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:




Twitter: @NadineDucca

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/nadineducca/



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

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