…how can an Authoress miss with a name like hers?… Guest Blogger, Wendy Anne Darling…

‘I was born in Somerset, England and lived in the south of England until my dad left the navy and got a job with South African Airways when I was 12. We lived in Kempton Park, which is where Jan Smuts Airport actually is, right near the end of the runway. 747s taking off filled the sky overhead quite often, forcing all conversation to a halt! One of the best things about where I lived was that there was a public library about a two-minute walk away – I got some good exercise carrying large piles of books back and forth!  I lived out most of my high school days there, returning to England when I was 17. My family moved to California when I was 31 and have lived in the States ever since.

I was one of the ‘quiet ones’ growing up. I had a couple of friends, but most of my friends were characters from books who I had long conversations with in my head. Loopy, I know, but I think that’s just the way it is with shy kids! When I wasn’t reading, I was writing poems or stories, and drawing pictures to illustrate them. I don’t think it’s very surprising that I’m a sci-fi geek… I was reading Asimov by the time I was 13 and am now addicted to Doctor Who! My long-term goal is to invent a whole new world and write books about it. Something like my all-time favourite, The Lord of the Rings.

I read aloud from an early age too; reading the entire Lord of the Rings to my sisters when I was 14, so it’s not surprising either that I have recently started narrating audio books for Audible.  That’s another thing I should have started a long time ago, but there’s no time like the present, right? Quite honestly, there really isn’t ANY time BUT the present – not without a TARDIS anyway! You can listen to my narration if you click the link at the bottom for ‘The Big Blind’, authored by Nicolette Pierce.

It’s amazing the things that can put you off of publishing your first book. My parents both wrote but their ‘voices’ were eventually muffled under piles of rejection letters. Right now, I’m encouraging my dad to finish a novel he’s been writing for years by promising to help him get it out there when he’s done. He can type 130 WPM so it shouldn’t take too long! My mum wrote most of an excellent sci-fi fantasy book that I will be finishing for her posthumously and publishing as a tribute to her immense creativity. I am so glad that the publishing landscape is changing and so many people are taking advantage of publishing themselves! Go, Indies, GO!

My debut book, SILVER LIGHTNING, is mid-grade fiction with some magic at its heart. It is based on a dream that I had some years ago – a dream that was so vivid that it has stuck with me ever since, demanding loudly in my head to be my first. The cover artwork is my own – Lightning flatly refused that I let anyone else draw him, and he’s a wizard so I do what he says! It’s about a boy who finds a motorcycle that changes his life, and the lives of everyone he meets. OR… it’s about a motorcycle that finds a boy. A boy it has been searching for for a very long time. I hope you enjoy it!

LINKS:

SILVER LIGHTNING: http://amzn.to/1D5BUqc

Blog: http://wendyannedarling.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WendyAnneDarlingAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorWDarling
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AuthorWDarling/
Amazon.com Author’s Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00O3DJTQ6

Amazon.co.uk Author’s Page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wendy-Darling/e/B00O3DJTQ6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Narration: ‘The Big Blind’ by Nicolette Pierce (1^st in a series of 4): http://amzn.to/1yKczDl