What made you become a writer?
I've always loved writing. Even before I went to school and learned how to write, I sat at a desk and wrote line after squiggly line on blank sheets of paper. The first story I remember writing was a story about pots and pans and other kitchen appliances who were having a competition to see who could be the cleanest. I really enjoyed writing that story.
What genre do you write?
I write poetry for adults as well as picture books and early readers.
What's the hardest thing about writing poetry?
Revising it once you've written it! The initial writing is wonderful - I find it totally absorbing and very enjoyable. But the refining and polishing afterwards is hard work.
What inspired your first book 'It's a Teacher's Life...!'?
Well, I've been a teacher for 20 years and about three years ago, when I was having a lovely holiday at a beautiful place in the country, I was inspired to write some poetry, and when I came home, I then had the idea to write some more poems about my life as a teacher. Each poem would concentrate on a different aspect of school life, such as the lessons, what went on in the staffroom, school trips, exams, report writing, and so on. I also wanted to pay tribute to some of the support staff who do so much to keep a school running, but are often forgotten about e.g. the cook, the caretaker/janitor, the nurse, the school secretary – the unsung heroes of life is what I call them.
Your second book 'Family and More - Enemies or Friends?' was also released in 2008. What made you release both books so close together?
My second book was released as an ebook and I really just wanted to test the market to see how people would react to it. I've had a very positive response from everyone who's read it so far, so I'm now looking into the possibility of having it published as a paperback.
Who is your publisher and what made you choose them?
I decided to finance the publication of both books so that I could start to get my name out there as a writer. I chose Athena Press as the publisher of my first book "It's a Teacher's Life...!" because they seemed to have a very professional approach to the whole business of publishing. The manuscript underwent a very rigorous edit and they designed a wonderful front cover for the book and also, at my request, provided illustrations for the interior. I chose Eloquent Books as the publisher for my ebook as there was the possibility later of converting the ebook, which has an ISBN number, into a paperback.
Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
My author's website is http://www.helenaharper.com
My authorsden website is http://www.authorsden.com/helenaharper
My blog is http://helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com
You can follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/helenaharper
I'm also on Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn - here are the links:
http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Helena-Harper/1741078125
http://www.myspace.com/440181777
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/11/931/a36
Anything else you would like to add?
Yes - if you want to write, just give it a go! You have to be willing to step into the unknown, but if you don't try, you'll never know and you may end up regretting that. All you need is an idea. It doesn't have to be fully developed, just sit down and start writing something and it will develop as you go along. You never know, it may be the best thing you ever do!
I've always loved writing. Even before I went to school and learned how to write, I sat at a desk and wrote line after squiggly line on blank sheets of paper. The first story I remember writing was a story about pots and pans and other kitchen appliances who were having a competition to see who could be the cleanest. I really enjoyed writing that story.
What genre do you write?
I write poetry for adults as well as picture books and early readers.
What's the hardest thing about writing poetry?
Revising it once you've written it! The initial writing is wonderful - I find it totally absorbing and very enjoyable. But the refining and polishing afterwards is hard work.
What inspired your first book 'It's a Teacher's Life...!'?
Well, I've been a teacher for 20 years and about three years ago, when I was having a lovely holiday at a beautiful place in the country, I was inspired to write some poetry, and when I came home, I then had the idea to write some more poems about my life as a teacher. Each poem would concentrate on a different aspect of school life, such as the lessons, what went on in the staffroom, school trips, exams, report writing, and so on. I also wanted to pay tribute to some of the support staff who do so much to keep a school running, but are often forgotten about e.g. the cook, the caretaker/janitor, the nurse, the school secretary – the unsung heroes of life is what I call them.
Your second book 'Family and More - Enemies or Friends?' was also released in 2008. What made you release both books so close together?
My second book was released as an ebook and I really just wanted to test the market to see how people would react to it. I've had a very positive response from everyone who's read it so far, so I'm now looking into the possibility of having it published as a paperback.
Who is your publisher and what made you choose them?
I decided to finance the publication of both books so that I could start to get my name out there as a writer. I chose Athena Press as the publisher of my first book "It's a Teacher's Life...!" because they seemed to have a very professional approach to the whole business of publishing. The manuscript underwent a very rigorous edit and they designed a wonderful front cover for the book and also, at my request, provided illustrations for the interior. I chose Eloquent Books as the publisher for my ebook as there was the possibility later of converting the ebook, which has an ISBN number, into a paperback.
Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
My author's website is http://www.helenaharper.com
My authorsden website is http://www.authorsden.com/helenaharper
My blog is http://helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com
You can follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/helenaharper
I'm also on Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn - here are the links:
http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Helena-Harper/1741078125
http://www.myspace.com/440181777
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/11/931/a36
Anything else you would like to add?
Yes - if you want to write, just give it a go! You have to be willing to step into the unknown, but if you don't try, you'll never know and you may end up regretting that. All you need is an idea. It doesn't have to be fully developed, just sit down and start writing something and it will develop as you go along. You never know, it may be the best thing you ever do!
