Hello, Mathilde, thank you for being with us today. Lets get right to the questions shall we? How long did it take you to get published? How many books have you written thus far?
Getting my first contract happened really quickly. I submitted my first book- PLAY ALONG – to Silver Publishing and received a contract two weeks later. I have since written eight more books and three of those have been published, the rest are in the editing process.
*Do you write full time?
I wish! I am a full-time, live-in governess for a family with eight children- seven of them boys! We live on a small farm where there is always work to do—and the kids are home schooled, which adds to the fun! I write whenever I can find a spare minute, usually in the dead of night.
Do you write right through or do you revise as you go along? When it comes to plotting, do you write freely or plan everything in advance?
Honestly, it is different for each piece. I wrote my first book straight through without an outline or a plan—I just let the story take me where it wanted to go. I wrote both of my short stories backwards- creating a happy ending and then going back to add the angst that led up to the joyful conclusion… And the shape-shifter series I am working on now is outlined in detail—my wall is papered with index cards full of notes and time-lines, character profiles… you name it!
What kind of research do you do before and during a new book?
I read. I find popular books in the genre I am writing and I read them- lots and lots of them. It is a terrible hardship, too…
Writers often go on about writer’s block. Do you ever suffer from it, and what measures do you take to get past it?
Writer’s block SUCKS! Yes, I definitely suffer from it. I cannot even begin to tell you how many unfinished manuscripts I have saved and waiting…
When I hit a brick wall I usually shelf the project and save it for another time. When I find myself in a slump where nothing is working popcorn and a can of Rockstar usually helps…
What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on two big projects—the AT PLAY series I began last year with PLAY ALONG and a shape shifter series called BARKING ORDERS. Keeping the timelines straight is the biggest challenge I have ever faced!
What was the best piece of advice you’ve received with respect to the art of writing? How did you implement it into your work?
READ. I do it every day!
What kind of books do you like to read?
I love thrillers and mysteries and adventures. Edgar Rice Burroughs and Jane Austen. Sci-Fi, fantasy and satire… A little bit of everything really.
If you weren’t a writer what would you be?
Bored.
Where did you get the idea for the stories you write?
All over the place! The spark that led to POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT came from watching the cartoon MEGAMIND… Right now I am working on a Christmas story inspired by reading WINNIE THE POOH and a western based on a bad experience I had here on the farm last year…
Aside from writing, what else do you enjoy doing?
I read, I watch and I listen. I tend to be VERY shy in social situation but I love to watch the interactions between other people… Ultimately everything I do ties back into writing…
*Any special projects coming out soon we should watch for?
Absolutely! The first book of my new shifter series BARKING ORDERS: PLAY DEAD is tentative scheduled for release in August! I am very excited about this series!
*Can you please tell us where we can find you on the Internet?
https://www.facebook.com/mathilde.watson.author
http://www.mathildewatson.com
https://spsilverpublishing.com/index/book_authors_id/103/typefilter/book_authors/?zenid=daffd9aaa8cc393f4ba1019ea6908a80
