Interview with Leigh Fallon

Welcome to Jagged Edge!

Would you like to tell us a little about yourself?

I was born in South Africa, raised in Dublin, Ireland and moved to Cork in my 20’s. While living in beautiful Kinsale, Co Cork I discovered a love of writing. I write mainly for the young adult market. My current book, The Carrier of the Mark, prompted me to abandon my ‘riveting’ career in corporate treasury and have been writing ever since. I have another three books in the Carrier series and a few other projects I'm working on. My family and I now share our time between Ireland and the US.

What inspired you to write?

I was living in Ireland at the time, and spending quite a bit of my life in the town of Kinsale. My twins were babies and I was looking for an escape from reality… just for a few brief moments, while sitting in my jeep outside my girl’s ballet school and ‘poof’ the idea just exploded in my head. I started writing on scraps of paper, this developed into obsessive long hand into journals, and eventually the book you see today.

What authors influenced you as a writer?

Jane Austen, Jilly Cooper, Stephanie Meyer, JK Rowling, Virginia Andrews, Judy Blume and Aprilynne Pike to name a few. It’s a bit of weird mix. LOL.

What is your favorite Quote? Why is it your favorite?

Honestly, I don’t have a favorite quote. There are some amazing lines that leave me breathless, petrified, or giggling, but take them out of context they lose their appeal and magical quality. So I don’t take them from the book, they stay there to be enjoyed the next time I read it.

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world, which would it be?

Oh my gosh, it doesn’t get much better than Harry Potter and Hogwarts. Who wouldn’t want to step into that world?

What is at least one thing that every writer needs to have or do?

Thick skin and unrelenting drive to succeed.

Are your books different to your personal favorite books by other authors?

Different but with similar elements. I LOVE steamy romance, laugh out loud comedy, with a twist of the paranormal. I also love a little a little bit of spookiness. I think all of my favorite authors have influenced certain elements of my writing and made me he writer I am today.

What lead you to writing in this genre?

I wasn’t really lead into YA. I didn’t actually pick a genre, and say ‘I’m going to write YA’. When the Carrier series developed in my mind the MC was a seventeen year old girl. It just happened that way. And I have to say, I wouldn’t rule out writing books for the adult market in the future.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Writing a care free first draft is always fun. Letting your mind run riot, not restricting yourself to word count, ignoring rules, and not getting bogged down in technicalities.

Least favorite part of the writing process?

Weirdly, copy edits. They’re the simplest and least time consuming part of the editing process, but their nitty gritty nature grates on my nerves.

What are you currently working on?

I’m doing revisions on yet to be named sequel to Carrier of the Mark. I’m having so much fun with it.

Where readers can find you?

They can find me at my website http://www.leighfallon.com/ on my blog http://www.leighfallon.blogspot.com/ on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/Leigh_Fallon and facebook http://www.facebook.com/leigh.fallon#!/Thecarrierofthemark

LAST QUESTION:

Was there a question you wish I would have asked but didn't?

Umm, not really, but if I was going to say something, I’d say: What is your greatest inspiration when writing?

And I would answer…

Music. Whenever I’m stuck, I whack on my iPod and turn the music up really high and lose myself in it until scenes pop into my head.