Featured Interview With Claire Plaisted
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Cheshire, England with two siblings and wonderful parents. I moved to Colwyn Bay, North Wales in about 1986/7. It was during my time here that I broadened my horizons and travelled to New Zealand on my own via Los Angeles to visit my Uncle, Aunt and cousins. It was during this holiday I met my husband to be.
My husband is a friend of my youngest cousin. We met, fell in love and married. At this stage we lived in Palmerston North, New Zealand, later moving to Rotorua. We have three out of four beautiful children, losing our youngest to complications. We have two cats, who don’t like each other, they they eat together without much fuss.
For the last 15 yrs I have been a stay at home mum, focusing on my children. I also do Family History Research and write novels.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I must have been about 12 yrs old when I discovered reading. After which I absorbed stories all weekend and most evenings, my favourites been Enid Blyton, C S Lewis, Captain W E Johns along with A A Milne and many more.
I never knew I could write fiction, it was an accident waiting to happen and didn’t actually happen until 2012. It was during a lapse in family research, waiting for information to put into a book when i opened a word document and started to write. Three chapters later I sent it to two good online friends who then demanded more. Though the novel is finished it is still waiting to be published. The story is based in late Regency England. Starting with a destitute widow and her first love. As they try and get each other to fall in love a mystery unfolds.
Since that time I have written and published six novels and two short stories.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite authors since I became an adult are :- Colin Forbes, Clive Cussler, Lee Child, J D Robb, Nora Roberts, Linda Fairstein. I could go one.
As you can see I like my thrillers and murder mysteries with a bit of adventure and historical content. I presume these are the genres i enjoy the most.
I am not sure what or who inspires me to write. I just let my fingers flow over the keyboard and say what they wish. My characters grow as the books do. I have no idea where the stories come from, though I do know for one.
I have started a draft thriller, it was the first thing my fingers decided to write after NaNoWriMo, I’d had a few ups and downs and this literally poured out. The novel is going nicely and after another unwanted negative encounter it is growing steadily. I love the idea though you can turn anyone into something in your books.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
I love my latest book. It is adorable and for young children of all ages. It was written for parents, grandparent or babysitters to read to little ones or for those who children who are good readers at an early age.
The book is called “Girlie and the War of the Wasps.” It is set in a garden with many different insects and animals working together to do good things.
The main character is Girlie, she is a bright blue ladybug who sees her best friend kidnapped, carried off by nasty wasps. She follows, and her adventure begins. First is the rescue, then there is the quest to stop the nasty wasps. It all falls down to diet and what they eat and what they should eat. Girlie meet many different characters along the way.
This draft novel has been read to a group of twelve 5yr olds. I have been told they listened to the whole story without a sound until the very end where they said “Awwww.” This story has also been read by two young brothers and a few parents to children. Everyone enjoying it.
The book cover which I did the concept drawing for is hopefully going to be displayed at our local library along with other copies coloured in by children from a local primary school. When the book is finally published we will have a book launch at the same library. I am greatly looking forward to this exciting time.
The book is just over 12,000 words and wraps up leading into another book which is part written. Each book will have a educational idea, be it diet, biting, kicking, bullying. Below is the prologue.
Girlie Ladybug was the youngest daughter of Ma and Pa Ladybug. Like the rest of the family she was a lush blue colour with black spots on her back. She was often teased by her siblings for having less spots and for been so small. She was always lagging behind when they went hunting for aphids.
Girlie was a lovely ladybug, happy and sunny in personality with never a bad thing to say about anyone, not even her siblings. She’d just smile and carry on with her chores.
One day Girlie got so far behind she lost track of her ma and pa. Not that she overly worried, everyone knew her, waving and saying hello as she continued with her walk. She enjoyed smelling the flowers and talking to the bees and ants the most, she was a very social ladybug. Everyone was so friendly though you had needed to beware of the nasty wasps which hunted daily for the helpless or injured. One sting and they’d be dead.
The war of the wasps had been going on for many years. They were all waiting for a hero to be born to help them rid their world of these nasty creatures.
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