Writers on Wednesday: H.M.C.

January 15, 2014

Welcome back to Writers On Wednesday. This week, I put my usual questions the very talented H.M.C. author of White Walls ...

Tell us a bit about yourself …

I’m an author, teacher, artist, and mum who lives on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. I adore teaching, it’s such a rewarding job, and I get to hang out with funny people all day.

Dancing, drumming, and vegetable patches are some of my other hobbies.

My favourite thing to do, however, is to create stories.

Tell us about your most recently published, or about to be published, book?

My most recent novel is a psychological thriller called, White Walls.

It’s a conspiracy novel set in Australia that follows several quirky characters that all end up in the same mental institution.

Here’s the blurb:

Psychiatrist Jade Thatcher thinks that returning to her small, Australian hometown to start again, will be a healing experience – until her new job proves to be just the opposite. Her patients are linked in ways that she can’t explain, and the hospital has seen too many doctors come and go. It’s not long before she is lured by a well-guarded secret; one that sends her to a dark and dangerous place, with little hope of returning.

Tell us about the first time you were published?

It was an interesting experience, that’s for sure! I wrote an entire blog on it if you’d like to take a look.

It’s called, ‘Why I Left my Publisher.’ http://hmcwriter.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/why-i-left-my-publisher/

As a writer, what has been your proudest achievement so far?

Most definitely the night of my book launch in July this year.

Having people buy and read my book, then give me such positive feedback, has made me realise I’m not only following a dream, I’m entertaining people, just as I’d set out to do.

What books or writing projects are you currently working on, if anything?

This time I’m writing for the children!

My next novel is an fantasy/adventure called Robert Mumpkin Myer and the Wish Makers.

Here’s part of the synopsis:

Robert Mumpkin Myer has no one to talk to but the staff of the Myer Manor. When a Willie Wagtail lures him up a tree, Robert discovers something he wasn’t meant to see, and his world is changed forever. With a keen eye, Robert tries to understand the secrets of the Manor, which are many—like the strange ingredients in Mrs Mac’s kitchen drawer!

Thrust into a magical realm called Upworld, via the Orb Bringers in his back garden, Robert finds himself in a world where wishes come true in an instant. People and animals he knows are ‘down the rabbit hole’ different in this alternate world. Miss Henry, his usually shy and light-hearted home-school teacher, has become a fairy who is adept in martial arts. The gardener, Mr Bretticus, is now a wizard who can turn things big and small. Mrs Mac, the Manor cook, is a potions expert here. In Upworld, Robert’s pet rabbit, Mike, is a seven-foot tall, talking Roobihare who wears a blazer and prefers to be called Michael! And here even Robert is different. He is a powerful wish-maker. And he is Upworld’s last hope.

Do you have a favourite place to write?

When writing stories, I like to sit at my writing desk.

However, it’s more like wherever I can. I’m the mother of a 15-month-old and right now I’m typing on the floor next to her as she builds a tower.

Which do you prefer? eBooks or Paper Books? Why?

The conclusion I’ve come to is that both are a good thing, but I’ll always prefer a paperback over an Ebook. It’s the book smell!

Aside from your own books, of course, what is one book that you feel everybody should read?

This is a great question.

Angela’s Ashes by Frank Mcourt.

It’s a tragedy, so beautifully written, and of course, there’s triumph.

Finally … is there anything you would like to say to your readers in Adelaide, Australia?

Hello! Lovely to meet you. Please leave a comment and have a chat.

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