I first met Elizabeth at the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School in August 2013. After chatting with her on several occasions, I was struck by her story and her methodical, business-led approach to writing.
I am thrilled that she has agreed to be interviewed for my blog, and I wish her all the best for her new novel, Counterfeit!
1. Hi Elizabeth, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a late starter in terms of writing fiction. I spent more than thirty years as a scientist in an industrial setting; and although I wrote many thousands (possible millions) of words during that time, they all had to be factual. Then, one day I woke up and thought “I want to do something different; something creative”. So I started writing short stories and at the same time, began mapping out ideas for Gorgito’s Ice Rink. I am a Brummie who moved to London, then Kent, but now resides very happily in a semi-rural setting in Devon.
2. I love your blog. Did you set it all up yourself? If so, what tool do you recommend for other aspiring bloggers?
I have set up a number of different blogs and websites over the years. I set originally set Elizabeth Ducie up myself using the free platform Blogger. I also had a separate website which I wrote using SiteBuilder. These days, I tend to use WordPress, which can be used both for dynamic blogs and static pages. If it’s a fairly simple application, I use the free version, wordpress.org, although it’s always worth spending a small amount on a proper domain name, which is more professional-looking.
Recently I decided it was time for a complete upgrade of my online presence, and engaged Natalie Harris of Mebmelon to run the project to integrate my blog and my website. We used the paid-for software, wordpress.com, which has more functionality; I am delighted with the results and now that it’s up and running, I’m back to managing it myself.
3. Can you describe a typical day for you?
I’m very much of a lark, rather than an owl, so I am usually up before 6am. I’ve been working hard on my fitness levels over the past year, so on weekdays, I will head either for the swimming pool or the gym for an exercise class. Then after breakfast and a catch-up with my husband, Michael, I fire up the laptop. I try to concentrate on my writing during the morning, and if I can get a solid 4 hours in, then I judge it as a successful session. Then I do all the administration and marketing in the afternoon. We live in a small town, where there’s always something going on, so I’m often out in the evenings, but if not, I chat to Michael while he cooks supper. We tend to read and listen to music rather than watching television, but will usually end the evening with one or two episodes from our latest Box Set.
4. How much of yourself have you included in your stories?
Well, they do say you should writer about what you know. My novels are set in the pharmaceutical industry; both they and some of my stories are set in locations in which I’ve worked; and many of the minor incidents I describe come from real life. However, I try hard NOT to write too much of myself into my characters, because if I do, it inhibits what I can let them do. When I first wrote Gorgito’s Ice Rink, I wouldn’t let Emma have a boyfriend, or any fun, because I was scared people would think it was autobiographical. In the end, it was Michael who said: “for goodness sake, it’s called fiction for a reason!” But when I write my character studies, I make a point of giving them characteristics that make them different from me.
5. What gave you the idea to write Counterfeit?
I worked in Southern Africa in the early 2000s, on a project for the Commonwealth Secretariat, although we were trying to regularise pharmaceutical manufacturing regulations across the region, rather than concentrating specifically on counterfeits. I saw many shocking things while I was there, but came to realise that a straight-forward Western European right and wrong was not always correct or practical. I developed the theme initially as a 6K words story but quickly realised there was much more to it than that.
6. Do you keep a journal? What kind of things do you write in it?
I don’t keep a daily journal usually. However, when I am away from home, I often do a hand-written account of my travels and things that go wrong, or amuse me. Then when I’m back home, I convert these into a series of daily blog posts.
7. Could you tell us your favourite book that you have read recently?
I’m glad you specified ‘recently’. I find this such a difficult question to answer when it refers to everything I’ve ever read. I’ve just returned from a working holiday to Portugal and took the opportunity to catch up on my reading, which has sadly suffered in recent months while I’ve been concentrating on Counterfeit! I can’t pick out one single book, but Alison Morton’s Roma Nova series of historical novels was brilliant; and Annie Murray’s Meet Me Under The Clock introduced me to my home city but in an era before I was born. However, my absolute favourite at the moment is the Dark Tower books by Stephen King, especially book 7, which brought everything to a close. I am so in awe of that man and his writing.
8. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
The industry is evolving at such a speed; the opportunities for writers have never been as wide as they are now. There is the traditional route, with agent and publisher; there is the completely independent route where you do everything yourself. And there are many options in between. Consider all of them and decide which is right for you. Do NOT see self-publishing merely as a fall-back position if you can’t get an agent. I made a positive choice to go independent, due to issues of control and speed of publication, and have never regretted it. But, whichever route you take, make sure the final product is as good as it can be. You owe that to your readers and to your writing.
9. What can we expect from you in the future?
I will be writing book 2, Deception!, and book 3, Corruption!, in the Suzanne Jones series and hope to launch them in 2017 and 2018. I will also be re-launching all my other books on a wider distribution platform.
10. How can we get hold of you online?
My website is: www.elizabethducie.co.uk;
I am on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube;
I am always happy to chat to readers and can be reached at elizabeth@elizabethducie.co.uk;
Details of Counterfeit! and all my other books can be found here.
Thank you so much Elizabeth!
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