In 2012, 20,000 copies of her book A Ripple in Time were downloaded on Kindle devices in just five days. UK author, Julia Hughes, tells ABBW about shaping griffins, marketing e-books, finding inspiration in her village that has strong ANZAC connections, enjoying Aussie band, The Go-Betweens … and offering you two of her books free …

Within just five days more than 20,000 copies of your paranormal romance A Ripple in Time were downloaded on Kindles as a result of Amazon’s self-publishing and select programs. When was this? What’s the back-story? How has it altered your approach to marketing your fiction?

This happened in 2012. Two of the larger websites that exist to alert readers of freebies and special offers picked up the freebie and, once it began to enter the charts, it snowballed. It was like being on an unexpected roller-coaster ride, when you thought you’d chosen a roundabout. It scared me. Because the story contained amateur mistakes, it attracted some scathing reviews. Fortunately, there were also readers who enjoyed the concept and liked the characters enough to ask for more Celtic Cousins’ Adventures. Strangers took pity on me and offered to beta read. Even better, I acquired Stephen Spencer as a critique partner.

Because e-books have an unlimited shelf life, I decided that the best marketing policy was to keep writing, keep publishing, and allow my reader base to grow organically. With The Griffin Cryer and now The Griffin’s Boy professionally edited, I feel confident enough to come out of my comfort zone and actively reach out to a new audience.

Authors want readers but some draw the line at giving their work away for free. Have you found the sweet spot between free promotional give-aways and earning enough from your writing to feed your family? What wisdom can you share with other writers?

I don’t think of readers as an exotic tribe who exist to purchase and read random books. Readers are you and me. People who want to lose themselves in a good book. So what would tempt you to entrust your precious spare time to a new author? The media guys and girls working on commission for traditional publishers will do their best to sell you a book. I’m saying try one of my books, for free. It’s that simple.

Regarding wisdom, I have no media savvy, but I know a couple of blokes who have it in spades: Sean and Dan Campbell. In addition to writing a couple of best sellers, they’ve written a marketing guide called Cant’ Sell, Won’t Sell, and guess what? It’s free! I’d urge anyone thinking of going down the indie route to grab a copy.

You currently have a free promotion of the first book in The Celtic Cousins’ Adventures on Amazon’s Australian site. The Griffin’s Boy, a companion piece to your fantasy title, The Griffin Cryer, will also be on free promotion from March 1 to March 5. What are you hoping these promotions will achieve?

Greater visibility for my books and an increased readership, which, in turn, will justify more writing (and reading) for me! Because I’m not a natural salesperson, I find it easier to ask people to take a chance on my style by offering a title for free. Of course some people will just grab the freebie and rush off to download the next free read. But hopefully enough will stick around or even go in search of back titles.

Initially, as a self-published author, you identified as an indie writer. What’s your definition of indie? How important have indie publishing networks been in helping to promote your work?

Indie is going it alone. In the past, this has been called vanity publishing. The implication being that the writing isn’t good enough for a traditional publisher to invest in and therefore the author has put their hand in their pocket and paid for their work to appear in print to satisfy their own vanity.

With the event of e-books, the industry has changed. Any would-be indie-author would be advised to pay for professional proofreaders and editors, and get the best artwork they can for their book image. But in theory, it costs nothing to self-publish as an independent author. The internet is bursting with writers’ forums. Posters’ advice is invaluable. No matter what the problem, someone usually has the answer. There is a strong, vibrant indie community, the majority of whom are incredibly supportive. Although this is the internet, so, as always, be cautious when making new best friends. Before handing over any money to anyone, seek testimonials. Do your own research.

Your young adult fantasy The Griffin Cryer is set in Harefield in the UK, where you live and write and which you speak of as “the last of London’s villages”. What are Harefield’s links with Australia?

Without Australia, Harefield Hospital wouldn’t exist. During the First World War, wounded Australian service men and women were brought here, to Harefield, for medical treatment and convalescence. Harefield Hospital was born. Tragically, some Australians never made it home. Harefield has the largest ANZAC graveyard outside of Australia and New Zealand; it’s a daily reminder of our entwined histories. Every year, primary school children lay flowers on the gravestones. The graveyard itself is next to a mediaeval church, surrounded by meadows. Without the sacrifice made by Australian service men and women, our village would be a very different place.

Harefieldians feel an affinity with Australia and, at the millennium, commissioned a wrought-iron, hollow globe with Britain and Australia linked by a bronze hare and a heart — because Harefield Hospital, originally created to care for Australians, went on to pioneer heart transplant surgery.

Walking in the hills surrounding Harefield you once saw rising from the lakes a mist that completely blotted out your village. This sight inspired The Griffin Cryer. What more can you tell ABBW readers about inspiration — and about the link for you between walking and writing?

It may be a fancy, but I feel a natural energy when walking in the countryside. There are no distractions; just trees growing and I allow my thoughts to wander in any direction they please. If there’s a story on the table, I’ll be a little stricter with my imagination. I try to walk in that characters shoes, and see their problems from their perspective. It’s like dreaming with your eyes open.

The Griffin Cryer’s protagonist, Frankie Shaunessy, has a unique talent for summoning griffins. She’s a great character, fiery and smart (for example, I love how she tells Miss Gerraty that Romeo and Juliet’s deaths were “unnecessary”). Where did Frankie come from and what do you most love about her? Are you done with her yet?

Thank you! Everything about Frankie, including her name, sprung ready-formed onto the page, so I must always have known her. I hope your readers don’t mind a little background information: A freak accident has left her twin brother Michael in a coma, reliant on medical intervention. Frankie’s estranged father gives his permission for Michael to die, while her mother is fighting for her son to be allowed to live. Knowing she is pitied by her peers, Frankie builds emotional walls around herself and dislikes taking centre stage. The catalyst is the arrival of a griffin and his rider from another dimension. They’ve been accidentally summoned into this world by Frankie, who was unaware that she had this very unusual talent. Frankie’s astonished to discover that there are other worlds and, even more astounding, that we do have some choice in the world we inhabit. Trust in her friends and, in turn, knowing that her friends trust in her, gives Frankie the courage to change her world.

This is what I love about Frankie. From the outset, I wanted to embrace her and tell her that even the darkest night is followed by day. I love the way she allows herself to grow and the courage she shows and, eventually, the risk she takes.

I think there’s a little of Frankie inside all of us. We all need a prod, someone to believe in us, before we believe in ourselves. We all have a talent. The key is discovering what that talent is and believing that you can use it as a gift to make life better for yourself and others.

What are beta readers? How did they help you to make Balkind the griffin in The Griffin Cryer so believable?

“Beta reader” is the term for “second reader”. They are incredibly important and read through the story with a critical eye. Ideally, they should all love the story and heap praise on your prose. In practice they tend to write little notes in red ink and pretend they don’t understand the character, or the story, and object to every other word as being too arcane. Only joking! I remember they were intrigued and a little bemused when they learned a griffin would feature in the next story. Stephen Spencer was particularly annoying and wanted to know what a griffin smelled like (as if he didn’t know!) and why a blast of wind knocked Frankie from her feet before the griffin took flight. It’s simple Stephen — griffins have to flap their wings a few times before they can get airborne. Beta readers provide the equivalent of a magic mirror, in which an author glimpses a reflection of how their story really appears. Without beta readers, an author’s story is sent out into the world naked. I welcome their criticism. It hurts to learn that a passage or description that thrilled me doesn’t please the beta readers. But they’re usually right — unless they’re wrong! I’ve been on the other side of the fence, beta reading for another author, and it’s an experience. There’s nothing like picking out the plank of wood in your neighbour’s eye to help you notice the splinter in yours. Or maybe the other way around!

You also held a readers’ choice contest to decide on The Griffin Cryer as the book’s title. Where and how do you draw the line in terms of reader influence on your work?

Beta readers warned that, used in this context, the word “cryer” wouldn’t resonate with my intended audience. I disagreed. So we ran a contest and my preferred title won. It’s great to really connect with readers — and I do think that traditionally published authors are now realising this. Regarding influence, I envisaged The Griffin Cryer as a stand-alone title. But readers wanted to know more about the mysterious griffin rider. The Griffin’s Boy is his story, so I certainly listened to readers there. Although, to be truthful, I wanted to know more about him too!

You’ve said inspiration can strike you anywhere, anytime — and that your world is full of “what ifs”. For example, in A Ripple in Time, you ask, What if the Titanic did not sink and this prevented America from entering WWI — what then? What is your latest, most pressing “what if” that’s likely to lead to a novel?

I could talk forever about future projects. There are so many “what ifs”. After reading about a father who forgave and then befriended his son’s killer, a Detective Crombie story is in the pipeline. But there’s also a “what if” the griffin’s boy, who is now Balkind’s Rider, discovers his true heritage? “What if” the old stories that we now regard as myths (and for centuries, Troy was thought to be mythical) were true?  What if Frankie’s journey to another dimension opens the portal for other travellers?

You use a wide, and occasionally arcane, vocabulary in your work. What’s the feedback on this? Do people struggle with words like Telluric or phrases like “frowsty malodours”? What makes you trust that these words and phrases can find a foothold in a reader’s — and especially a younger reader’s — consciousness?

Tough questions, and I wonder if I have the right answers. If a word fits the sentence, and conjures up the right image in my mind, it stays in. Unless of course my lovely beta readers howl too loudly. I’m actually cringing at the phrase you picked out “frowsty malodours”. I don’t deliberately search for obscure terms. However, at the time, it flowed onto the page and seemed to convey “stale smells”.  Telluric is another word beta readers advised against. It sounds Teutonic and means “unseen force”. I was also advised to omit the reference to Ray Bradbury and his gruesome short story. Maybe I’m being selfish and unrealistic and totally annoying my readers. I hope not. I hope unfamiliar words are self-explanatory by their context. A cushion is provided by e-reading devices, as most of them have built in dictionaries and allow inquiring minds access to the internet. All any writer can hope is that they’ve aroused curiosity, rather than created an annoying hiccup in their stories.

An aside, but true: When beta reading for another author, I suggested he might gain a wider audience if he simplified his writing. I’m still reeling from his outburst of scorn.

You’re a Narnia (C. S. Lewis) fan. Which of your own characters would you want to sail with on the Dawn Treader and why?

What a marvellous question; it’s had me pondering the answer all day and my mind keeps changing. Frankie and Carrie would be great company but also competition for the dashing Prince Caspian. Wren and ships aren’t a good combination. DI Crombie and Balkind’s Rider would be forever trying to take charge and keep every one safe (boring!) I think it would have to be the hedonistic Rhyllann. He makes friends easily and isn’t afraid of anything.

You acquired an editor only as your fifth manuscript was drafted. What are the benefits of having a professional editor scouring your work?

A major mistake not to have done so sooner. There are some excellent freelance editors; and, before anyone even thinks of self-publishing, find an editor you can work with. Please. Because, first and most importantly, I’ve got someone else to blame for mistakes. Second, as you’ve probably noticed, I have a nasty habit of run on sentences. This has been severely curbed. Third, he often picks up on a flimsy description or warns when too much information is given. The shorthand elaborate or condense comes back.

What is your next young adult fiction or general fiction project about? Can you give ABBW a taste?

Samara from The Griffin’s Boy has emerged as an interesting character. The alternative Britain I envisage is a land still filled with myths, mists and magic. I want to use it to explore some old legends and the next title in the Griffin Riders will almost certainly bring Samara and Frankie face to face. I’m pretty certain sparks will fly. I don’t want to tell just another young adult love triangle though. There’s also a DI Crombie story on the back boiler. Apologies if this sounds a little coy, but until the story’s firmer there’s nothing really to tell.

A Bigger Brighter World recently introduced you to The Go-Betweens. What’s your favourite song?

I have to say “Cattle and Cane” is way up there; else there’d be no “Bigger Brighter World!” There’s a haunting melancholy in the lyrics. But favourite song (at the moment) is “The Boundary Rider” — who could resist “to know yourself is to be yourself”? It’s like discovering an alternative REM; only The Go-Betweens’ lyrics actually make sense. There’s a simple purity that charms. I’m annoyed at having been ignorant for so long — and truly thankful for the introduction. The Go-Betweens are a very special gift and thank you!

See www.juliahughes.co.uk