Interview with Pauline Griffin

Interview with Pauline Griffin

What genre do you write and why?
I usually write either science fiction or fantasy.  Both genres give me the freedom to explore the possibilities of other worlds and realities, their life forms, their ecosystems, and the way the characters respond to and meet the challenges presented to them in these environments.

Interview with Pauline Griffin
Tell us about your latest book.
Haunted World is a fantasy novel set on an earth struggling to rebuild itself centuries after an apocalyptic natural disaster.  Only two human populations survive.  Unfortunately, our species’ ancient penchant for war remains and has raised its vicious head.  When Ranger-Colonel Dermot O’Donnell’s Fourth Regiment sets out to prevent inevitable invasion by fortifying the one breach in the otherwise impervious barrier separating his people from their enemies, he expects to encounter trouble from the savage environment and is not disappointed.  What he does not realize is that the super volcanoes which ravaged the continent, taking out almost every living thing on it six centuries previously, did not erase every trace of its victims.  The spirits of a massive column of refugees remain, guarding the place to which the soldiers have come.  When the anticipated invasion begins early, long before effective defenses can be prepared, the Fourth’s only hope of survival lies in gaining the favor of the ghosts and their willingness to wield the terrible force that exterminated them.

What formats is the book available in?
Haunted World is available in a number of electronic formats: pdf, prc, epub, htm

Who are your favourite authors?
I read and have read many fine authors, but my favorites are J.R.R. Tolkien, Andre Norton, and C.S. Lewis.

What advice do you have for other writers?
I presume you mean individuals striving to write on a professional level.  My advice is simple:

Write.  Even if it’s just to keep a diary or journal at first.  It’s the only way to learn how to use words, how to get them to convey your ideas and emotions to others.  They are to us what notes are to musicians and paints are to artists.

Read.  See how other authors use words, images, emotions.

Research, whether you’re doing fiction or nonfiction.  It’s necessary, and it’s fun.  If you don’t like your subject, you shouldn’t be punishing yourself by immersing yourself in it for the length of time it takes to write a book. – I’m not referring to school assignments, of course.  Those, you must do, so strive to do them well.  It will add to your skills.

Remember, once you seriously begin to write, you may have to wait a while to be a published author, but you are an author.  Don’t lose that knowledge.

Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
On my website, www.pmgriffin.com  It contains descriptive material, cover artwork, and ordering information.  There is also a brief biography.

Who designed the cover?
Charlotte Volnek of MuseItUp Publishing.  Charlie does a marvelous job in fitting her covers to the books in question, and it’s a joy to work with her.

Where can a reader purchase your book?
A number of places:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo | Scribd | Inktera | 24Symbols | and from the publisher MuseItUp Publishing

How do you research your books?
Research is essential, especially in my fields.  One has to know this world to create others.  I use the internet to some extent, and DVDs and videos are a good source of information, but I prefer hard-copy books.  I simply find them easier to use for the kind of checking and cross-checking I like to do.  In fact, the bulk of my pleasure reading is nonfiction.  If well-written, such works are as gripping as any novel.

Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
The moment when I knew I must write is fixed in my memory.  I was in the second grade, seven years old, and I had borrowed Andre Norton’s Star Rangers on my first visit to the public library.  (I was reading well above my age norm.)  One scene so affected me that I knew I had to do the same thing, that I had to create on the same level, had to give on the same level.  I’m describing all this as an adult, naturally, but I’ve never seriously wanted anything else.  That does not meant I didn’t intend to support myself and live as a decent, functioning human being as well.  As a point of interest, Miss Norton once said the scene which so moved me was the only one she had ever written that fully expressed her own inner thoughts and feelings about it.


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