Jane Finch is an author, proofreader, editor, children’s book reviewer, and administrator of Your Book – Your Choice, a free book promotion service for authors. Welcome, Jane!

 

Tell us a little about yourself.  I spent 25 years working in law and hated most of it.  All I have ever wanted to do is write.  Now I have
retired and am in the enviable position to be able to do so.  I cherish every day when I can sit and let my imagination take me to another world.

What is the title and genre of your book, and who published it?          I now have fourteen published books, including six children’s books.  My first children’s book was published in 1998 by a small press in Norfolk, England but it was a milestone for me.  Since then I have had two books published with Solstice Publishing, and the others I have decided to self-publish.

Tell us a little about your books.  I have recently teamed up with an illustrator and we have produced four children’s books together.  I have another children’s book with another illustrator, and have re-published by original book.  The other nine books are print and e-book and mostly mysteries and crime thrillers. 

What inspires you to write?  I get inspired by anything really.  If I see a dog playing or a squirrel hanging from a tree I go home and write about it.  In fact, my friends joke and say they never tell me anything anymore in case I might write a story about it!

When did you first start writing?  At school I used to take a notebook and find a quiet corner of the playing field and write anything and everything that came to mind.  I became runner-up in a national short story writing competition when I was sixteen, and that encouraged me to keep going.

What authors have most influenced you? How? Why?  Because of my career in law, I love crime thrillers and have to say John Grisham is one of my favourites because of his focus on courtroom dramas.  As for children’s literature, because I love to write anthropomorphic books, I love Watership Down and it’s author Richard Adams.

How and where have you marketed your work?  I rely on social networking and more recently have started a website, Your Book – Your Choice, to showcase books in a variety of genres for all authors who would like to be featured.

Do you have other publishing credits?  A couple of my children’s books have received five-star reviews and awards from Readers Favorite. 

What is your current writing project?  I have an idea for a Christmas classic.  My son and I mentioned over Christmas that it’s always the same films shown and we need something fresh.  So he said, “Why don’t you write one?”  It wasn’t long before I came up with an idea.  Top secret, of course.

Do you have a website and/or blog?  I have a personal website, Finchlark; the showcase website, Your Book – Your Choice; and the Crazy Zoo website, which features myself and illustrator Aysha Samrin.

Where can your books be purchased?  All my books are on Amazon.

What advice would you give to a new writer?  Just believe in your ability, read lots of books in the genre you write in, and find a beta reader.

What do you wish to say to your readers?  When I write I become the characters.  Some are likeable, some are questionable.  But I write from the heart.

Learn more about Jane:  Website     Blog     Amazon Author Page     LinkedIn        Your Book – Your Choice         Crazy Zoo Website        Crazy Zoo FB Page