Interview with Tracie Podger

I am delighted to be welcoming Tracie Podger back to my blog for an interview. I met Tracie at #Darker2017 as she was also one of the attending authors and loved getting to know her. Here's a little about her.

Tracie Podger currently lives in Kent, UK with her husband and a rather obnoxious cat called George. She’s a Padi Scuba Diving Instructor with a passion for writing. Tracie has been fortunate to have dived some of the wonderful oceans of the world where she can indulge in another hobby, underwater photography. She likes getting up close and personal with sharks.

And onto the interview!

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing for about eight or nine years now. I’ve been published since 2012.

Do you write in the genre you love to read?
I do, I think it’s important to read the genre you write in. It’s a way to follow trends, see what works and what you feel doesn’t. I’m fortunate that I read many genres and, consequently, write many genres!

Do you have any favourite authors to read?
My tastes change from month to month, and since I don’t get as much time to read as I’d like, I tend to favour indie authors over traditional at the moment. I can’t say that I have a favourite author although I very much admire Colleen Hoover simply for her fun, crazy mind and her ability to stay humble.

Are you an organised writer or not?
Very. I don’t plot my romances; I do with my thrillers because they can be a little more complicated. However, I’m disciplined and structured. I set myself time limits or word counts to meet with each writing session.

What's your idea of a perfect writing day?
No interruptions and Earl Grey Tea on tap!

Do you like editing or is it something you loathe?
I love editing. I’m fortunate to have a wonderful team supporting me and we work very much together to perfect each book. I read my work in as many different formats as possible, printed on paper, ebook, on the laptop, and I think just that keeps the story fresh.

What's your favourite social media? And why?
Oh, I’m on Facebook way more than I should be but I really do like Instagram.

Do you do character profiles? If so, why/why not?
Not necessarily. If I have multiple characters, I might do a family tree to see how they are connected/related. I see each character in my head and I write what I see. That image will stay consistent throughout my writing process. There are times when I wish I did, though. If there has been a little time between books that are in a series or connected, it would save me a lot of time when I need to remember hair colour!

How would you describe your writing process?
As I said, I see my stories in my mind, they play out like a movie. I start to write and then I really just let the story go where the story wants to go. Free styling, I call it! It’s not that I’m a ‘pantsa’ because I know the end way before I’ve got there, but I like the story to organically develop instead of following a structure.

Do you prefer ebooks or paperbacks? Why?
I prefer the convenience of ebooks and as I’ve got a little older, I prefer the fact I have multiple books on a single device that is easier to hold. But nothing can beat a shelf full of paperbacks.

How do you plan a book launch?
I start to plan months in advance. I line up the team in the first instance so we all know what deadlines we have to meet. We start with a release date after I’ve written the first draft, and work backwards from that. I’ll plan a cover reveal, organise a tour, prep the review team. Promotion will start pretty much as soon as we have teasers made and a pre-order link.

Do you have a favourite writing food? Drink?
Anything chocolate! I drink way too much tea and I like to celebrate a release with a large bag of Maltesers!

What's your favourite idea of a cozy afternoon?
Either writing or reading, no TV or noise, just curled up on the sofa.

How often do you write? Do you have a schedule?
It used to be every day but I probably spend three to four days a week writing, the rest is admin. 

You can follow Tracie on Facebook, Twitter and check out her website.

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here