Interview with Barbara Boot

Hi, Booknet fans!!! Today, in the Authors Spotlight, our guest is Barbara Boot.

Hello Barbara. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed and to share your world with all Booknet writers and readers. 

Could you introduce yourself, please tell us about your roots, upbringing, and education. Who are you?

I am Barbara Boot, I am British author, who has lived in Nottingham all my life. I never did well in school mainly because back then Dyslexia was not recognised as a learning difficulty. But I did not allow this to stop me achieving my dream of becoming a writer.

 Are you using a pen name? Is there a specific reason behind it?

I have never used a pen name because my own name sounds too much like one.

Do you have a full-time job? If so, how do you juggle it with writing?

Being a writer is my full time job.

I know you have dyslexia. Can you please explain to us what that is?

Dyslexia is a recognised learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. I mainly get the same spelling of words mixed up and my sentence structure is not great, I primarily have trouble with numbers, I cannot do even a simple math equation. With spelling the ways I have overcome it is to write a book that is simple, no complex or theorises words. Theses days it is even easier when there is a spell checker built in to the word document and being able to speak the word in to my mobile really helps. Also I use word lists like other ways to say said and no and yes, which helps me to remember there other words I can use instead of says and replies.

Do you have other hobbies besides writing? 

Building models, like Gundum to ones of model bookshops to bedrooms and I enjoy gaming mainly RPG’s.

Do you plan out your novels or you just sit down and discover them as you write? 
With me being a series writer I mainly plan out the plot for each book and most of the time I plan it in my head as I write. The only thing I write down is the ending/climax, this helps me to build and develop an interesting story.

What is your favourite genre to read and write? 

I mainly read classic Dark fantasy/Fantasy and I write what is classed as unconventional fantasy.

Do you research world-building and layered character development?

I think reading Elric, Forgotten Realms and playing Fighting Fantasy game books have helped me to create a fascinating world and come up with diverse characters. Also being into Chinese and Japanese culture has also helped to give them interesting backstories.

What are the 3 things you love and 3 things you hate writing about? 

What I love about writing is creating my own world, coming up with interesting and diverse characters. 

The only thing I hate about writing is being dyslexic.

Can you, please, share with us at least 3 books that left a mark on you/influenced you in any way? 

Elric, Forgotten Realms and Vampire Hunter D. They are written in the same style as I like to write in, which makes them easy to read and very gripping. 

Elric is a series of seven books written by British author Michael Moorcock. It has influenced so many Dark Fantasy books and characters. It is a shame Elric is disappearing into history, when he started it all. Those books helped me to create the Dark Chapter which is mentioned throughout my series, because the Elric books are a masterpiece of what a true Dark Fantasy should be. Elric is a red-eyed, albino, the inheritor waning powers, his strength precarious, sustained by arcane drugs. A hero seemingly unfit for his role. He is a king and the commander of dragons fleets, he will stop at nothing to protect his kingdom. It is a tragic tale of man tormented by his own nightmares, who loses his own soul to the very sword he possesses. I will stress these books are not for young people or modern readers of fantasy, you will find them a chore to read. This is because like I said, “they classic fantasy” before it went all generic. These books are fast becoming super rare, if you are interested look for “An Elric Novel”, as these are the best ones to collect, warning they can be expensive.

Forgotten Realms is part of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) a huge series of fantasy adventure books by meltable authors. This gives you a good mix of really talented ones or some which are early generic fantasy. My favourite ones are the Drizzt Do’Urden series by American author R.A Salvatore. Drizzt as an atypical drow (Dark Elf) has forsaken both the evil ways of his people and their home in the Underdark in the drow city of Menzoberranzan the "City of Spiders", which lies underground. They are an awesome series of books which I am yet to finish.

Vampire Hunter D is a post-apocalyptic huge series of books by Japanese horror fiction master Hideyuki Kikuchi and Illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano. Two in the series have been made in to anime films and there is even a PS One game. It is a world that is set in the year 12,090 AD. The world has ended, ravaged in a firestorm of man’s wars and madness. Basically Vampires have taken over and because D is a Dhampir, half Vampire half human, he is hated by both sides. He has supernatural powers which make him one of the strongest beings in the world. Unlike most Dhampirs, D is able to live as a "normal" human; however, he is marked by his unearthly beauty and exceptionally powerful aura, and thus rarely accepted by human settlements. The one thing I love about D is he only speaks when he has to and is always straight to the point. D is the host for a sentient symbiote Left Hand, a wisecracking homunculus with a human face residing in his left palm, who can suck in massive amounts of matter through a wind void or vacuum tunnel. I would say he is sort of D’s conscience, he knows what his host is up to and is quite often getting him out of danger. He is very funny and has you laughing out loud. D has heavily influenced my characters especially my main character Shǒuwèi. 
 

Do you have any advice for beginner writers?

Going on a writing course, there are plenty of free ones online. This will help you discover what you are good at writing, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, horror or Romance. Once you have established your perfect genre, then stick to it. This is why I only write present tense unconventional fantasy. Reading also helps you to not only see how to lay out a book correctly, but they can also help inspire you. I would also say the same for games and films. 

What helps me to create is, music, I am always listening to my favourite Japanese musician KISAKI. Putting something on in the background can really keep the creative juices flowing. This is because I hate working in silence. 

One key thing find the perfect spot to work in and decorate it with things that inspire you. Make sure you have the correct posture, seated at a desk, the computer screen is at your eye level, so no looking down which can cause neck plain. A nice comfy chair, I sit in a gaming chair, because this gives all the correct support, for your head, back and hips. Make sure you have a comfy footrest as this helps to relief presser on your ankles and knees. Never use the builtin or normal keyboard for long term writing, because your hands are not in the correct positions, it can cause wrist and elbow pain. Always use a natural keyboard along with a good wrist rest. 

How did you come across Booknet?

A fellow writer told me about the site.

Do you have any future projects standing in line, waiting for you to finish your ongoing books? What are your plans for the rest of this year?

Getting the first in the Master Shǒuwèi series published and getting the side stories completed. Rewriting already published stories, to one make them better and two, to make sure they are in keeping with the new series. If the first book is a success I will start work on the second in the trilogy. Also hopefully make a decision on weather or not to write Dark Chapter, Battles of the Paranoid Pixies.

Thank you for sharing your time and talents with us. If you would like to learn more about Barbara Boots books please check out her profile at: 

https://booknet.com/en/babs-u1606950