I’m pleased to welcome Wendy Steele to my blog today. We are both contributing authors in Plaisted Publishing House’s Ghostly Rites Anthology 2019.
So first of all I am curious to know…
- Why did you decide to write?
I’ve been a lover of words since I could read. During the power cuts in the 1970s, we played word games on scraps of paper by candle light and I’ve loved solving anagrams and crosswords ever since.
After visiting the Tutankhamen exhibition in London when I was ten years old, I came home and wrote a poem, and ever since, I’ve come home from new adventures and committed my thoughts and experiences to paper.
I write fiction when the stories in my head demand to be committed to paper. If I’ve a story to tell, I feel compelled to write it.
- What do your family and friends think of your writing life?
My partner is the best! I like to read first draft pieces out loud, and he suffers them, bless him. He’s incredibly supportive, helping me lug boxes around to book fairs and encouraging me to keep writing and publishing. I don’t know what my friends think; you’ll have to ask them!
- Tell us a bit about your current writing projects
Having written and published the first three books in the Lizzie Martin Wendy Woo Witch Lit Series, I’m writing the next three to complete the series. Book four, The Eloquent Witch is written, awaiting editing, while book five, The Able Witch is more than half way through. I’ve a secret project I’m working on, plus I’m writing short stories, including ghost stories, which is how we met, on the Ghostly Writes group.
- Do you have a muse?
Not as such, but being outside in nature is where I feel supported and inspired. We have a shelter on the riverbank, recently updated, where I like to sit and write if the weather allows.
- What do you think of collaborations? Are you a member of any groups for authors that you would recommend?
I’ve never worked on a book with another writer, but I think it would be really exciting. I’ve worked with the fabulous Claire Plaisted on two previous Ghostly Writes anthologies, and recently had the privilege to work with other magical writers on the Witch Lit group, where we produced our Witch Lit Anthology: Words from the Cauldron, with all profits going to Books for Africa.
I love anthologies! I think they’re a brilliant vehicle for showcasing the writing style of authors, allowing the reader a taster of what an author can do, and if they like a writer’s style, they can read more by that author. My story for this year’s anthology ‘Charlotte’s Ghost’ is set in 1850, as I researched this era for a steampunk story for Zimbell House Publishing earlier in the year, and wanted to explore further.
- Have you any unusual hobbies? Please tell us about them…
I don’t think I do anything I’d particularly call a hobby. I write, I dance, I renovate my home, I cook, I read, I knit and I’ve recently learned to crochet.
- Do you have a favourite word, phrase or quote?
I’m running with this one at the moment…’Let the beauty you love be what you do’ –Rumi.
- Finish this sentence: For me writing is…
My window on the world, allowing me to share my stories.
- Where do you live and with whom if you don’t mind saying…
I live in mid Wales with my partner, my daughter, six cats and a rabbit called Ula.
- Do you believe in ghosts? Do you have a favourite supernatural being?
I believe there is something in our being that allows us to interact with other energies operating on a different plane of existence.
Website: www.wendysteele.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WendyWooauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/destinyofangelsnovel
https://www.facebook.com/WendyWooBooks
https://www.facebook.com/TheStandingStone
Amazon author: http://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-steele-91257660/
Goodreads author:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6548666.Wendy_Steele
All Author: https://allauthor.com/profile/wendywoo/
YouTube: Phoenix and the Dragon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw3ee9CuNdek9ZC1Im8I_iA?view_as=subscriber
The Witch Lit Podcast – Witches Who Write
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZdKsXSo074&t=652s
Book Gorilla
https://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B007VZ1P06/wendy-steele/kcc
Wendy’s Teaser for her story – Charlotte’s Ghost in Ghostly Rites 2019:
It’s been lovely having Wendy round. In case yo missed it I interviewed Mary last time:
Bye for now Ghostly peeps. Next up for the Ghostly Writers interview hotspot it’s Mara Reitsma….
See you soon, Ghostly Peeps!
Buy Book: http://mybook.to/TheCurseofTime
Unique Selling Point: Unique, Imaginative, ‘Charming, enchanting and richly layered this is purely delightful.’
“This delightful book will appeal to teens and young adults who love stories filled with magical crystals, dark family curses, and mysteries waiting to be solved around every corner. Each chapter leads you on a journey of discovery where Amelina earns the right to use three wizard stones to reset the balance of time and finally break the curse that holds her family hostage. A captivating tale!” – Colleen M. Chesebro (Editor)
Social Media Links
Authors Website: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook #ABRSC: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1829166787333493/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
Picture courtesy of: 
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 