Q&A interview with Angela Marsons

I am very excited to welcome the one and only Angela Marsons to my blog page after reading all 3 of Angela's Kim Stone series which have been published in  just one year. Angela has kindly offered to take part in my Q&A Interview.... So without further ado here is Angela  Marsons

Good morning and welcome to my blog Angela

Good morning and thank you for having me.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and background?

I am 48 years of age and was born and raised in the Black Country.  My long-term partner, Julie and I have a bouncy, diva Labrador and a parrot that likes to swear. I have no idea where he gets it from, Ahem......  I didn't go to college choosing to go straight to work and I worked at Merry Hill shopping centre for 19 years. 

When did you know that you wanted to become a writer? and how did you go about it?

I always enjoyed exploring my emotions by writing things down and analysing them.  I loved the process of putting one word in front of the other to paint a picture.  I was around twelve when my English teacher gave me a couple of Andrea Newman books to read and that was when I knew I wanted to write books.  I never imagined that it was a possibility so I wrote many years for myself simply for the enjoyment and only started submitting short stories when I was in my twenties 

Can you tell us what genre your books are and the audience you write for? 

I write crime/thriller books based in the Black Country.  The books follow the same lead character of DI Kim Stone but are all stand alone stories.  I am slowly learning that my audience has no boundaries as just yesterday I received a message from an 87 year old man who felt compelled to write his first ever email after reading Silent Scream.  And today I received a message from a lovely lady who, together with her 15 year old daughter have been listening to the audio book of Lost Girls together in the car. 

What is your writing process? and how long does it take?

I start with a rough idea of where I want the story to go. I don't plan too much as I like to leave room for the story to grow organically which has given me more than one surprise, especially when characters start to act up.  In Silent Scream Kim was never going to climb that fence of the old Children's home but once I was writing the chapter I knew that's what she would do.  I write the first draft by hand with pencils and A4 notepads.  This is where I can write whatever I like without the critic on my shoulder.  It's my sandpit.  Draft two goes on to the computer and is the most brutal part.  Entire plot lines and characters are discarded.  Draft three is tidying it all up before sending off for the first edit.  That part of the process takes 3 to 4 months. 

Are your characters based on anyone you know or are they just fictional?

My characters are definitely fictional but I like to think that all the people I've met over the years are in there somewhere like a giant mixing bowl - a look from this person, a gesture from this person, a funny line from another person.  So I think bits of people are scattered throughout the books.

Have you wrote about a personal experience in your novels?
I've not really written about a personal experience but I do tend to cover subjects that are important to me.  I feel very strongly about bullying which tends to come up often and I am passionate about people with physical and psychological challenges not being underestimated and discounted.

What research do you do?
I read lots and lots of factual books.  My Christmas list is always factual books.  The 'orders placed' section of my partner's Amazon account must be on some kind of government watch list by now.  I use the internet frequently and am a big user of Wikipedia.  In recent months I've had experts in various fields contact me and offer their 'unofficial' services too which has been very helpful.

Who would you like to co-write with and why?
I would like to co-write with Aaron Sorkin who wrote the screenplay of my favourite film and is also responsible for the first four series of The West Wing.  His writing is so tight.  There is not one sentence that is wasted and every word serves to move the story forward or add characterisation.  His skill in combining drama, emotion, action and humour is incredible.

What's your favorite book?
Disclosure by Michael Crichton 

What's your favorite food?
Pizza

 What's your favorite film?
 A few Good Men - screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

What's your favorite song?
Tainted Love by Soft Cell

How can readers find out more information about yourself and your books?
http://angelamarsons-books.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AngelaMarsonsAuthor/?fref=ts

Thank you Angela so much for taking time out to do this interview 
Thank you for asking me.It was great fun and I really enjoyed it.