Today, we’re speaking with Inkubator Books’ author Lorna Dounaeva. Lorna is the author of The Wrong Twin and the upcoming release, The Perfect Family.
Inkubator Books: When did you start writing?
Lorna Dounaeva: I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was five. I dabbled with writing for most of my life but didn’t complete my first novel until I was on maternity leave with my eldest son.
IB: What does a typical day of writing look like for you?
LD: Ideally, I like to get up at the crack of dawn and get in a writing session before the world wakes up. I have three children, so the rest of my day is divided between writing and school runs, etc.
IB: Do you base your characters off people you know or are they all the product of your imagination?
LD: I take little quirks from real people but I would never borrow someone’s entire personality.
IB: What’s the most difficult part of your writing process?
LD: Narrowing down what to write about next. I have lots of ideas and usually come up with my next book whilst I’m in the middle of the previous one. It can be hard to put that to one side and persist with the one I’m on.
IB: What comes first for you – plot or characters?
LD: Much as I love creating characters, the plot is really important to me. I want to write about ideas that excite me.
IB: Which of your books is your favorite? Why?
LD: Always the latest one. My new book, The Perfect Family is about a woman other people envy. I really enjoyed delving into her murky secrets.
IB: How would you describe your ideal reader?
LD: I once had a review where I felt like that particular reader really understood what I was trying to do with the book. I felt like we had a real connection.
IB: What are you doing when you aren’t writing?
LD: I spend a lot of time watching trains with my youngest son. I also enjoy reading, drawing and watching films.
IB: What does your writing space look like?
LD: I don’t have one! I live in a busy, crowded house so I have to work wherever I can find space. We’re hoping to move to Scotland soon and I’ll finally have a little office. Can’t wait!
IB: What genres do you like to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?
LD: I mainly read psychological thrillers, a bit of detective crime and romantic suspense. I love Marian Keyes, Liane Moriarty and Lisa Jewell.
IB: How do you come up with names for your characters?
LD: I’m always on the alert for interesting names. I used to find toddler and baby groups very useful for this!
IB: What was your favorite childhood book?
LD: I was fascinated by old boarding school books, like the Chalet School series. I also loved anything by Enid Blyton, especially The Faraway Tree, which all my children love too.
IB: Have you ever abandoned a book you were writing? How did you know it was the right thing to do?
LD: I have but writing time is never wasted. You can always go back to it or recycle the ideas.
IB: Do you have any tips for first-time authors?
LD: They say write every day but I don’t think that’s realistic if you’re a parent with young children. I do think you have to carve out time to write though, like my early mornings, or for some people, late at night.
IB: If you could eliminate one thing from your daily life, what would it be?
LD: Driving. I eagerly await the roll out of self-driving cars.
IB: Do you have any pets?
LD: My black cat, Audrey is sitting on my feet.
IB: How do you manage the “whodunit” aspects of your story as far as clues and revelations? Do you outline?
LD: I always used to wing it, but my process has changed since writing for Inkubator. Now I have a much clearer idea of how the book is going to go before I write.
IB: How do you relax?
LD: I like reading by the fire.
IB: Which do you enjoy writing more: dialogue or internal thoughts?
LD: Dialogue. I love listening to conversations in my head.
Thanks to Lorna Dounaeva for sitting down with us today.
Want to read Lorna’s books? Check out her titles on Amazon.
You can find her at the following places:
Website: www.lornadounaeva.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LornaDounaevaAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LornaDounaeva
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorna_dounaeva/
