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I used to be an English teacher – and still sometimes do short courses in literacy, creative writing or English as a second language in community centres. My first love, language, led me into writing and I began having bags of fun writing fantasies and alternative histories for genre magazines. At the end of the 20th century, Elastic Press published a collection of my short stories and that caused a major change of direction. I became involved in the events, projects and communities of small press world and now run a career and skills development club for authors and illustrators at Earlyworks Press and my own small press imprint, Circaidy Gregory and THAT has led somewhere EVEN MORE unlikely. I'm currently trying to get my head round ebooks!
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What inspired you to write?
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It's quite hard to remember the beginning. Something about my teddy bears and an invasion of ants, I think…. but in more recent years, writing is one of the tools I use for thinking. I love creating characters and then, it all comes down to those moments where you say "What if…." And a whole new world blossoms onto the stage.
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What genre do you write in?
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My first stories were mostly fantasy and/or historical fiction. Nowadays, I am more likely to write in the real world.
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What books have you written?
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'Jung's People' ISBN 9780954374761Pub Elastic Press. New edition now available from Circaidy Gregory Press, ISBN 9781906451011.
'First Class FCE Teacher' Earlyworks Press Teachers' Guides ISBN 9780955342950. Currently working with artist Catherine Reekie and poet Joe Fearn on 'The Hastings Modern Art Beach Book', to be published this autumn.
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What is the address of your official web site?
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I suffer from website proliferation. Currently….
www.kaygreen.co.uk
www.earlyworkspress.co.uk
www.booksy.co.uk
www.circaidygregory.co.uk
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Who are your favourite authors?
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I'm in love with the books of Ali Sparkes because I used to be a kid but as an adult, bright passions come and go but long-term favourites are A S Byatt and Terry Pratchett.
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What are your top five writing and/or publishing tips for budding authors?
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- He who owns the ISBN controls the book – don't let anyone 'give you an ISBN' as in put one of THEIR ISBNs on YOUR book unless they're giving you something in return.
- A publishing contract is not a gift from God. Don't let someone publish your book unless you are getting something from them in return.
- Go looking for criticism of your work. Learn that it's not personal and it doesn't have to hurt. Finding out how people see your work is a huge part of learning to write well.
- Don't send work to publishers until it is finished. Don't laugh, think about it. When you get old, abandoned manuscripts out of the cupboard and look at them, you always find they need more work. That's what publishers' editors think of most of the manuscripts they reject.
- Don't feel bad when people accuse you of being obsessive. Of course you're obsessive. How could anyone spend enough time in a non-existent world to write a novel if they weren't obsessive? It's a basic qualification for the job.
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Any final words of wisdom?
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Write for the love of writing and for the love of the world. Read for the same reasons. You can be a reader without being a writer but you can't be a writer without being a reader. Once you've got the hang of that, there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in trying very hard to get paid well for your writing.
Don't be distracted by trying to save the world. The world's doing just fine. But by expanding their thinking and empathy, readers and writers can do a lot to help save people – mostly from themselves.
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