As well as writing, Ngaire runs an awesome blog and is always around to dole out advice and beautiful smiles. Please give her a huge, warm welcome!
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Hi Ngaire! Thank you for stopping
by! Firstly, can you please tell us a little about yourself?
I am a married mother of four
magnificent children, originally from Scotland and now settled in
Southern Spain, in a small farmhouse, surrounded by lovely plants and
animals of all types. I have written three well received children's
books as part of a series called The Adventures of Cecilia Spark and
look forward to carrying on with that. I am a voracious reader and am
rarely without an on-going book and as part of my work as a
children's author, I visit schools in Spain and the UK and read to
young children, with the express purpose of encouraging literacy, a
love of animals and the great outdoors.
You write the awesome Cecilia Spark
series. What inspired you to write them? Was there anyone in
particular you wanted to write them for?
Having 4 children I was a major part of
their ‘reading-with-mum-to-reading-on-their-own’ transition. The
books we read were amazing and I think I was captured by the juvenile
fiction category. Furthermore, this age group (roughly 5-8/9 years)
is at such a magical stage in their life for discovering books and
defining their reading habits and genre that it seemed a natural
place to start my writing.
My aim is to encourage children to read
and motivate them to explore the great outdoors. I do this by
creating a magical world of rivers and forests and mountains,
populated with animals big and small. The adventures are bursting
with thrills and spills, with a humorous streak running through each
chapter. I hope to inspire their imagination and encourage them to
get outside and learn more for themselves, or at least, to pick up a
book about the natural world in which they live.
They've had an amazing response from
pretty much every corner of the globe and I admit that I'm hooked now
as well! Your writing is beautiful and flows so easily. How long have
you been writing for? When did you decide it was time to publish a
book?
Thank you, Rae, for those lovely words
of encouragement for my writing. I have been writing since I was a
child; I wrote plays! But it wasn’t until about 7 or 8 years ago I
managed to find the time to put pen to paper. I wish I had kept those
plays, I am sure I would have had a chuckle reading them again.
You're a big advocate for indie
authors and we love you for it! What made you decide to go it alone
rather than approach a big publisher? If you went to a big publisher,
what kind of reactions did you receive?
My time schedule and the fact I cannot
work under pressure. I do set myself deadlines, but if I don’t make
it I don’t panic because I am not letting anyone down. Compared
with, if I was with a BIG publishing house, I dare say if you miss a
deadline they wouldn’t be too happy.
I don’t think I could work under that
sort of pressure.
And yes, at the start of my writing
career I approached a handful of publishers. I received a couple of
positive replies but nothing definite, but it didn’t put me off
publishing on my own. In fact it made me more determined to succeed!
For you, what are the advantages and
disadvantages of being an indie author?
Advantages and disadvantages … let me
see. For me the main advantage of being indie is being in control of
my work, and keeping all rights to my writing. I have also met some
great folks whom I am not afraid to approach and ask for their advice
on matters.
The main disadvantage, in my opinion is
distribution and not getting the exposure that a traditionally
published author does. Some people still stigmatise Indie authors.
You have to handle all, or almost all, your own marketing and that
can be pretty time consuming.
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| The lovely Ngaire! |
We've seen a huge shift in the
publishing industry in the past decade. Where do you see it going in
the next 10 years?
I think a gatekeeper to check on
quality is inevitable. I also think Amazon, with their purchases of
small publishing houses, will grow increasingly into a publisher and
not just a broker/intermediary. Lots more little publishing houses
will sprout up and audio books - an area I am involved in - will
become more and more prevalent in the area. Writers who don't create
audiobooks may struggle to sell their work. I think it is going to be
a battle, Rae, and more and more authors will struggle to sell books.
However, I don't think people will stop writing, but the expectations
of earning money for the vast majority of authors will have to be
lessened.
The children's market is obviously
huge so how do you find being a part of it? What kinds of things do
you have to do differently as opposed to someone who writes adult
books?
Coming up with an original idea and
theme for your stories. Not to be afraid of exploring other avenues,
say for example audio books, an area I have ventured into and I am
pleased with the result. Children’s authors have to be prepared to
interact with kids. So school and library visits should be at the
top of the list. Having fun things to do on your website is a must.
And being a big kid helps!
A lot of people want to write
children's books. What would your advice be to anyone who's starting
out in the industry? Are there any pitfalls that you'd advise them to
keep an eye out for?
Don’t try and do things yourself you
cannot carry off. See your vision clearly in your mind’s eye. If
you have a vision, the story will flow naturally and you should have
no problems. If you are just joining in a trend, this will show in
your work and you will struggle. Invest in a decent illustrator.
Make lots of friends on the social networks and never, ever put a
sock in the toaster!
Pitfalls, if I have come across any
they have not impacted upon me greatly …
Finally, tell us about your books
and let us know where to find you online!
My children’s series is an action and
adventure series called The Adventures of Cecilia Spark. To date
there are 3 books in the series: Brimstone Forest, the Mystical
Mountains of Terra, and Dragon’s Star.
All books are available as an ebook,
paperback and audio book. The series is suitable for boys and girls
aged 5-10 years old. The younger children will enjoy hearing the
stories being read to them whilst looking at the fabulous
illustrations (Peter Maddocks).
Another recent publication is My Nature
Friends which is an A-Z picture book and was wonderfully illustrated
by my daughter, Fearn. I am so proud of her.
I love the research stage for Cecilia
Spark’s adventures and I endeavour to base parts of the story on
real places; magical and unique locations in our world. In book 2 –
The Adventures of Cecilia Spark: the Mystical Mountains of Terra –
one place I was drawn to whilst researching for this adventure was
the mangroves in Brazil, in particular the Bahia region, and the lake
scene at the Mystical Mountains, was inspired by Lake Baikal in
Russia.
Given this I believe every child that
reads a Cecilia Spark adventure will not only enjoy the thrills and
spills but will also learn about the world we live in and the
importance of friendship.
All books are available from Amazon
and other online book shops.
Amazon US -
http://www.amazon.com/Ngaire-Elder/e/B006VXOUN8
For the audio books in the series:
My website is a great place to
explore - http://www.ceciliaspark.com/
My blog where you’ll read the
latest news and indie writer/artist spotlights -
http://adventuresofceciliaspark.blogspot.co.uk/
Rae, you make me sound like an angel! hahahhahaha, I love it. Thank you for the natter, the next time we have to meet on that carousel! hugs for you n x
ReplyDeleteLove the collage; best of luck with sales, Ngaire and Rae.
ReplyDeleteMary Ann, I was quite impressed with my collage efforts. Thanks for the kinds words and for swinging by n x
ReplyDelete