Author Interview with Helen Aitchison
I recently had the pleasure of conducting an interview with Writer Helen Aitchison, Author of The Dinner Club.
Tell me a bit about yourself….
I’m Helen Aitchison and live in North East England, a place called Newcastle. I’ve worked in social care for the last two decades and I’m currently an Area Manager for a national charity supporting vulnerable children and adults.
Alongside this and my novel writing, I am a journalist at Radio Gateshead.
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What genre/s do you write in?
My debut, The Dinner Club is contemporary fiction. Other manuscripts I am working on are a thriller and a rom-com.
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How long have you been writing?
Not very long at all, 2.5 years.
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Did you use an editor? If so who?
I am signed with an excellent UK publishing house, Cahill Davis Publishing who have a brilliant team, including an in-house editor.
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Did you use a book formatter and cover designer?
Again, the Cahill Davis team provided this and with input from myself, designed the perfect cover for my novel.
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Did you self-publish or get traditionally published??How did this go for you?
I always wanted to trad publish. As a new writer I didn’t know enough about the world of self-publishing and given my day job and lack of experience, I wanted to be part of a team and a supportive partnership. I found the perfect fit with Cahill Davis, who have helped make the manuscript that meant to much to me, into a reality.
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Do you have any published books or articles??Tell me a bit about these and what publishing route you took. How do you market your work and promote your brand?
Prior to the release of The Dinner Club (11th March 2022) I have been lucky enough to have around 20 pieces published. These include poems, flash fiction and short stories across a number of anthologies and online mediums.
The partnership with Cahill Davis commence a year before the release of The Dinner Club and we worked as a team to prepare for the release, including marketing, PR and comms.
Alongside this, I have invested the time to market myself as a writer including through social media, my own website and continuing to submit small pieces. The aim was to always focus on writing more than one book and not just stop at The Dinner Club.
Social media has proven a perfect platform to connect, network and make friends. It has allowed us to build up anticipation for The Dinner Club, showcase it and keep momentum in the first month of release. Feedback has been wonderful and I’m overjoyed people are enjoying the book that holds a piece of my heart.
The Dinner Club is available from various stockists: www.books2read.com/tdc
My social media and more links for The Dinner Club are available through www.linktr.ee/helenaitchisonwrites
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What social media and writing platforms would you recommend?
I would recommend Instagram and Twitter in particular for connecting with the writing community and fellow creatives.
I also have a Facebook writing page which is more for friends and family to follow, as well as some writers.
Additionally, I would recommend your own website as a writer. My website is the place where I feature published work and update subscribers on events. It the more professional forum that is dedicated to my writing only, as opposed to bits of meme’s, inspiring quotes and competition opportunities that I share alongside my own work on the other networks.
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Do you use an agent?
No, I never used an agent.
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Do you have a blog or website?
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What inspires you most to write?
My life experience and that of the thousands of people I have worked with in my 20 year career. Some monumental, life changing events that I have seen in my career, the knowledge I have gained from working with such diverse people with different needs and trauma. But also the simplicity of life, the things we all experience, the things we all want and need.
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What do you do to help with writers block?
I’m lucky in that I haven’t yet really suffered from writers block. I tend to suffer with having too many ideas, not enough time and placing sometimes unrealistic goals and pressure on myself!
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How do you plan your writing?
I do a rough outline. It normally always includes the name of the book and the characters first alongside a brief plot outline. I then make notes – post it notes, in a notepad and on my iphone as ideas come into my head for a particular story. Sometimes this is in the middle of the night, sometimes whilst doing the weekly food shop! Once I begin writing, I’m flexible and let it go in another direction if I think it will work.
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Is writing your full time job??If not what else do you do?
Writing isn’t my full time job, although I am currently on a three month sabbatical from my day job. This was to coincide with the launch of The Dinner Club and also to allow me to write more manuscripts.
In my day job I oversee a large number of services across the North East of England for people in need. These include young people leaving care who are homeless, homeless adults with additional needs, people fleeing domestic abuse and those who have survived modern day slavery and exploitation.
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What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve just finished editing two manuscripts – a rom-com loosely based on some of my dating experiences and a thriller based on murders of the homeless population in a rural countryside.
I’m currently working on a manuscript about spiritual messages and have ideas around a miscarriage of justice, as well as a possible sequel to my thriller manuscript. Too many ideas, not enough time!
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What is your target audience?
Everyone! My aim is to have my writing as inclusive as possible. I want readers to relate to issues I write in my work and also the characters.
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How long does it take you to write a book?
When I am working full time and writing as a part time addition, it has taken me between 3-9 months. I am hoping to write a book in a month now I can dedicate full time to writing in the short term.
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When did you first discover you enjoyed writing?
Not that long ago! I entered a competition with a local theatre company after writing a blog for my day job. I won a place on the course and that was one of the main catalysts.
Then I couldn’t stop writing!
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What does your family think about you writing?
I’m very lucky and extremely grateful that my family have never been anything but supportive. My partner is my number one fan. He reads everything, supports me unconditionally and never complains when my writing eats into our free time.
My family always offer to read my drafts and have championed me from the start. I’m eternally appreciative that I have such a caring and nurturing support network.
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Where do you get ideas for your writing?
Mostly from my own experiences and those of people in my life. Sometimes it could be a dream or an idea that grows from a conversation. Sometimes it’s a little spark that won’t go out and keeps growing until I know it could be something.
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What do you think makes a good story?
Relatability: It can be a fantasy book but characters, relationships, emotions need to be relatable if the plot isn’t as such.
Plot: Has to be engaging, original and memorable.
A decent ending: It doesn’t always have to be happy and what readers necessarily want, but a poor ending ruins a book in my opinion.
I also think a brilliant story is when you get a sense of the personality and values of the author. This isn’t always obvious and easy to pick up on, but when you read a book that gives you that snapshot into an author’s personality, I think it’s magical. Even in fiction, some words, lines, paragraphs and chapters shout out that they are from the heart of the author. That, for me personally gives an unforgettable impact.
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