Reading by Deb: INTERVIEW with POPPY FLYNN

I want to thank Poppy Flynn for taking the time for this interview!

BIO:

Poppy Flynn was born in Buckinghamshire, UK, and moved to Wales at eight years old with parents who wanted to live the 'self-sufficiency' lifestyle.

Today she still lives in rural Wales and is married with six children.

Poppy's love of reading and writing stemmed from her parents’ encouragement and the fact that they didn't have a television in the house.

"When you're surrounded by fields, cows and sheep, no neighbours, no TV and the closest tiny village is four miles away, there's a certain limit to your options, but with books your adventures and your horizons are endless."

When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I started writing poetry when I was about ten years old. That evolved into angsty teenage stuff until I decided I really wanted to write something more substantial.

So, I did. I wrote five romances in my very early twenties but being before the existence of the modern PC and the internet, I had no idea what to do with them which became a little demoralizing.

At 23, with 3 young children, I hung up my pen and didn’t start writing for another 25 years. That is probably my greatest regret.

Did you have any influencing writers growing up?

Before I moved to rural Wales, I went to a huge school about 25 miles outside London. With classes of 45 children, I was one of those quiet kids who slipped through the cracks. After starting at a tiny village school where there were only 30 kids in the entire school, my parents were told that I could neither read, nor write. I was 8 years old, and I honestly think if we hadn’t moved, I would have grown up illiterate.

Instead, I was determined to catch up. We had no TV, so books became a beloved pastime. I was given a book by Malcolm Saville. It was part of his Lone Pine series, and I fell in love. The books were teen mysteries with a tiny spattering of age-appropriate romance, and I was hooked.

Are any of your characters based on people in real life?

Not really, although I do have one specific character – Andy Storer – a secondary character in my Club Risqué series who is. Andy is exactly as described in Captive Heart. He’s severely disabled and can’t have children, so he asked if he could be in my books as his legacy.

Where do you draw your book inspirations from?

All kinds of places. Sometimes I listen to songs and think, ‘I wonder what the deeper story is?’ Sometimes I read and wonder, ‘but what if this happened instead.’ But my own idiosyncrasy is that I actually dream a lot of my storylines.

On His World is a specific case in point. I dreamed the entire plotline right down to the names of the people and places. It’s a sci-fi, and I didn’t even write sci-fi lol.

Do you have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?

I’m not a plotter at all. Usually, I have a vague idea in my head of how things will start and end, but the rest is like magic. It just appears on the page, and sometimes my characters surprise me by taking a direction I never imagined.

That’s one of the things I love most about writing. Even I don’t know what’s going to happen.

When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?

I never used to, but in the early days when I was writing for a publisher, I found I hated the covers they made because they didn’t reflect how I saw my characters.

Now I’m writing as an indie, I often get covers made an advance, so I can tailor the descriptions to the model on the cover.

Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?

Reading! I read every single day. It’s one of the reasons I started writing again.

Firstly, to avoid breaking the bank with my reading habit (which even now is 2-3 books a week) and second because the more I read, the more I thought, ‘I could do that.’

Who are your favorite current authors to read?

I love EJ Frost and Catharina Maura. Their books are always a one-click for me. But I read a lot of books by author friends.

What are your favorite books by others?

My favourite ongoing series is the In Death series by JD Robb (Nora Roberts) I have every single book – over 70 when you count the novellas which aren’t counted in the official reading order – and I’ve read all of them maybe three times now.

Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?

No, not at all. Living in the UK, I tend to be vague about locations as I often feel I don’t know enough about them to do them justice. That’s not always possible, of course.

My newest series is dark mafia, which of course needs to be set in New York… but I have been there, at least.

Do you write in single or multiple POV?

I love multiple POV. In fact, when I read, I find it frustrating if a book is single POV – I always want to know what the other person is thinking and how that colours their reactions. I feel robbed if I don’t get that, so I write accordingly.

What do you find to be your best research tool?

I guess it’s got to be Google. Not much you can’t find with that. Although I do have a close author friend – Kessily Lewel – who has helped me considerably with the real-life intricacies of BDSM, since she actively lives that lifestyle.

Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?

I do. That wasn’t initially my intention, but when I got my first publishing contract it was something they insisted on.

I only use one pen name. The idea of trying to keep up with more than one terrifies me lol.

What genre do you write and why is this your preference?

I write romance in the broadest sense, although I’ve dabbled in fantasy, paranormal, and sci-fi. My preference is contemporary though. Specifically kink and more recently some darker stuff.

I’ve always wanted to write romantic suspense – I guess influenced by those early Malcolm Saville books - and I’m heading in that direction finally. Until now, I didn’t feel I was ready for that challenge.

Tell me something about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky trait... what led to you being you?

I’m a complete homebody. I have six children ranging from 37 to 16, and I am lucky to be a full-time author.

Between myself and my husband we run five businesses.

If you are a duo writing team, how do you share the writing process?

I’m not, but I have done some co-writing in the past, and I’m about to start a new 4 book reverse harem series with Chloe Kent. (If you like cowboy books, watch this space lol)

I seem to have slipped into the role of writing the male POV, and although I’m usually a complete pantser, I’ve realised the necessity of having a written, chapter by chapter plot outline in those circumstances.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Never give up. Hone your craft, take advice from seasoned authors, and always remember that you never stop learning.

Also, marketing is a necessity, whether you like it or not 😂

How do you deal and process negative book reviews?

I used to take them personally in the early days. Now I’ve learned to avoid reading them. It’s not always possible, but I can accept that my books aren’t for everyone. But if some have constructive criticism, I like to think I’m open minded enough to learn from that.

What is the most difficult part of your writing process?

Procrastination. I write every day, but there are times when it’s impossible to keep up the momentum. Usually because of holidays etc. Then I find it hard to get back into the swing of things again.

What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you focused?

Silence. I have a dedicated office, but it’s off the laundry room, and sometimes even the sound of the washing machine is off-putting. I have no idea how some authors write with music.

What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?

I must be very boring because I don’t think I have one 😂

If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose? And why?

I would love to spend a day with Kessily Lewel and Chloe Kent. I talk to those ladies every day, but we are all continents apart. I’d love to meet them in real life.

What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or drink?

I’ve promised myself (and my husband) that this year I’ll try not to have ridiculous deadlines. Otherwise, I tend to hole myself up day and night and just write. I do procrastinate then, when I finally decide to write (instead of scrolling through social media)

I’ve gotten into a bad of grabbing a snack before I start. I’ve been trying to curb that to just a cup of tea to save my waistline.

Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of music is your favorite?

No, I have to have complete silence. Any other words, like song lyrics, while I’m writing, just distract me. Sometimes I can cope with a little bit of classical music, but mostly I don’t.

Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?

Oh yes! I have a cat – Cheddar – who insists on sitting on my keyboard. I often have to check she hasn’t left a string of gobbledygook in the middle of a sentence.

What is your kryptonite as a writer? What totally puts you off your game?

Interruptions. I like to get into the zone, so even little things like unexpected noise, or people walking in and out of my office puts me off.

Have you ever killed off a character that your readers loved?

I’ve killed characters off, but only bad guys. I hate reading about the death of characters I’ve become invested in, so I don’t think I could ever write that myself.

How do you celebrate after typing THE END?