As we gear up for this amazing event, I’ll be bringing you author interviews so you can get to know the attending authors in more detail! There are lots and lots of authors for you to discover, not to mention, hundreds if not thousands of books! Why not grab a cuppa and sit back and relax! All while hearing more about our writers and their writing lives, inspirations – and maybe even a secret or two!
What is the first thing people should know about you?
I am a creative with ADHD which means I use all sorts of media to get my ideas out. From designing sex toys, to editing to film making, sometimes writing is the best fit for a story, sometimes it might be a sculpture. I’m bringing my BRAND NEW range of grinders, Ruby Glow Rides to AATA!
Tell me which genre or trope you are most well-known for writing.
Erotic romance from pure filth to sweet love and philosophical musings.
What is one thing people don’t know about you?
I make films about mental health in my ‘spare’ time 😀
Name a book you’ve written that you wish more people had read, and why.
The Clockwork Butterfly Trilogy – I wish more folk would read it as it has the best ending to a story ever in the world 😀 not joking! I always want to blurt out what happens – but you’ve got three books to get through before you find out – it’s sooooo tantalising for me! And my very first book called The Device, the Devil and Me which isn’t erotic but explores mental health and I think it will make you feel less alone if you experience the things the lead character does…
What is your favourite book (not your own), and why?
Beloved by Toni Morrison was the first book I read where I was completely transported by the lyricism of the words. It was more like a dance than a read, sometimes I couldn’t decipher what was going on but the way it wound and moved in my brain made me feel secure that it didn’t matter, just go with it and feel the story. I hope that makes sense. I’ve just read Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase which really drew me in and fully absorbed me.
Was there a book you wrote that broke you and made you feel like you’d never write again?
Ha! Reading Toni Morrison books make me feel like I have no right to pick up a pen at all! But of my own books, I have an unpublished one called Spheres which is breaking me as we speak!
Are you one of those authors for whom music is EVERYTHING and without it you’d never write?
I need ABSOLUTE SILENCE when I write – however, I like and make a lot of musical noise otherwise – I recently found out that verbal stimming is a thing for ADHD’ers so this makes a lot of sense and it definitely makes you look less bonkers if you have a dog to make noises at/with.
Is your desk/writing space tidy or messy?
Absolute CHAOS.
Are you an introvert or extrovert? Or something else…?
Extrinvert? My happy place is among lots of people, even to the point of being in a mosh pit squashed up amongst hundreds of strangers – but equally and oppositely, I love my own space and silence.
The literary world moves fast, but what’s the one thing that never changes?
My procrastination.
What is your advice to authors just starting out?
Don’t listen to advice 😀 haha – I always felt like a failure because the biggest ‘advice’ I kept being given was, READ READ READ! When reading for me is quite a painfully slow process. I read at night for pleasure and it takes me months to finish a book unless I’m editing or proofreading. I very recently learned that this is very common among the neurodivergent crew – especially people who want to be writers but then feel ‘unqualified’ because they think they ‘haven’t read enough’ – if you write – you are a writer!
Oh, and ALWAYS pay attention to the corrections an editor gives you – look and digest the tracked changes and see every single red line as an opportunity to learn and improve. I can’t love my editors hard enough – a free education! And take out all the feels and felts. Don’t tell me you felt something – tell me how it felt!
Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Oh anywhere there is sea to swim among the fish.
What did you always want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be a special effects make-up person, or a fashion designer, but writing was up there too – I think I’d be pleased if I went back and told myself.
Who is your biggest cheerleader?
I dedicate all my books to My A – who never actually reads them but we’ve been lovers for 30 years 😀
BONUS Q. Tell me a secret about one of your books that nobody else knows yet!
I have recently made my first novel into a short film and am currently secretly submitting it to all the short film festivals I can find…
Thank you so much for your time, Tabitha! To keep in touch with her, click here
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Authors at the Armouries 