October

Author Interview: Marie Anne Cope

Do you outline your books in advance, or do you prefer to let the story unfold as you write?

I’m definitely a planner. I like to get the story out of my head and onto the paper in some sort of order before I start writing. I have a system, although I am trying to streamline it as I prefer to write long hand which is time consuming. In short:

• I do a brain dump of the story in any order.

• I then plot the story onto a timeline.

• Next, I write a detailed storyline.

• Only then do I add dialogue and sparkle.

• Last, I type it up, which serves as my first edit.

On my current WIP (which may be published by the time this goes to print)—The Three Little Pigs—, which is the second volume in the Ellie Lawrence supernatural crime thriller series, I’m condensing the last two points and typing straight into Scrivener! It feels weird as I create through a pen, not a keyboard.

Do you ever find yourself putting pieces of your own personality or life into your antagonists or heroes?

Every character I write has a little piece of me in them, some more than others. I think every writer will say this. Baddies tend to be one or more of my bad points taken to extremes. Heroes tend to take the good points, add a few more and sprinkle in some foibles to keep it real.

After reading my first novel, Bonds, my mum was convinced it was about me and her, with me being Isabella—the most selfish character I’ve ever written! With Chasing Rainbows—volume one in the Potters Hole series—, both my mum and my aunt said Jessie was me. So much so that when I asked them where they were up to, they both said, “I’m at the part where you…”.

What can your readers expect from you in the near future?

My current WIP (which may be published by the time this goes to print), as mentioned earlier, is The Three Little Pigs. This is the second volume in the Ellie Lawrence supernatural crime thriller series and sees Ellie chasing down a child murderer as well as wrestling with her own demons. Readers first see Ellie in the Bonds series as I introduce her in Broken Bonds.

Do you have any exciting projects on the horizon?

I’m not short of ideas and have notebooks with them sketched out to one extent or another. The ones that are forefront in my mind are:

• The Big Bad Wolf – volume three in the Ellie Lawrence supernatural crime thriller series.

• The Soul Collector – volume four in the Ellie Lawrence crime thriller series.

• Follow the Rainbow – volume two in the Potters Hole series.

• The Secret of September Cottage – a standalone based on a short story I wrote many years ago.

All of these are at various stages of my writing process.

If you could collaborate with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?

As to who I would like to collaborate with, well that’s easy: Bram Stoker because Dracula is one of my favourite books and the greatest love story ever written, or Jeffrey Archer, as Kane and Abel is also a favourite of mine and Jeffrey is the best storyteller and my favourite author. He’s also a very charming man.

Are there any unresolved storylines or characters from your books that you’re tempted to revisit?

I finished the Bonds series a few years ago, with Eternal Bonds being the last volume. However, I left the storylines of the main characters open-ended, allowing the reader to decide their fate.

Recently, I have been pondering picking one or more of these back up again and bringing out another volume in the series, but nothing is for definite.

Where can readers connect with you online or follow your journey? Are there any upcoming events or projects you'd like to highlight?

Readers can stalk me on:

• Facebook – @MarieAnneCopeAuthor

• Instagram – @marieannecopeauthor

• Tiktok - @theselfconsciousauthor

• Youtube - @marieannecopeauthor

• Website – www.marieannecope.com

My latest series is the Ellie Lawrence supernatural crime thriller series, and the first volume, The Headhunter, is available on Amazon on this link: https://geni.us/TheHeadhunter

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