Hello!
It feels like one million years since I last did an interview on here. It is entirely possible I’ve never done an interview here. One of my lovely critique partners, Belinda Campbell, released her debut novel Something Wicked last autumn and, in case you’ve missed the unhinged levels of excitement I’ve been projecting at every corner of the internet I can find, my next book Rotting Trees is out this Friday. To celebrate, we’re interviewing each other! Bel’s questions for me will be on her Substack in early February so go check it out.
A Bit About Bel, in her own words
Belinda is a young adult author from Coventry, England. She currently lives in Leicestershire with her partner and her cat, Goose. She graduated in 2021 with a BA in Creative Writing, but previously studied Performing Arts for three years at college. For that reason, she likes to go around calling herself a retired actress.
When Belinda isn’t writing, she is hanging out with her cat, visiting the bookstore or thinking about her next project.
Interview with Bel
You joke in your bio that you’re a retired actress. What drew you to creative writing as a field of study and then a career?
It sounds super cliche, but I think writing was always my first love. I always enjoyed doing Creative Writing at school, and I’ve always really enjoyed writing stories. I’m not sure if she even remembers, but it was actually my mum who gave me the idea to study Creative Writing at university. I was stuck and didn’t know what I wanted to do once I finished my Performing Arts diploma at college. I had enjoyed acting, but it just didn’t really feel like me anymore. Once I realised a Creative Writing degree was an option, everything just kind of clicked from there. That was also when I decided that self-publishing was something I eventually wanted to do.
What’s the biggest misconception you face when marketing or discussing your work as a self-published author? Mine is the notion that if a person buys a book for £7.99, £7.99 immediately appears in the author’s bank account. That is not how royalties work, regardless of your route to publication!
Oh my goodness, I could think of about a hundred things. I think there’s a stereotype that self-published authors aren’t legit, or aren’t “good enough”, just because our books aren’t traditionally published. I can think of a million reasons as to why this is completely false. I think certain readers will never be able to understand just how much work actually goes into self-publishing. I feel like this isn’t as big of a thing as it maybe was a few years ago, but it’s definitely frustrating that some people still have those negative views. Both self-publishing and traditional publishing are valid, and I respect them both so much!
You’ve predominantly written YA novels and short stories. Do you have any plans to try other genres or formats?
Absolutely! Right now, YA is my favourite thing to write, because it’s also my favourite thing to read. But once my current book series is complete, I’ve got an adult fantasy idea waiting to be explored. It’s going to be a dark fairytale sort of thing, and it might also be my first attempt at enemies-to-lovers. It’s all nothing more than an idea right now, but it’s exciting to think about.
Do you have any go-to tricks for getting inspiration or working through a creative block?
Taking a break, to be honest. I’m big on self care, in whichever form I see fit at the time. It can be hard to recognise when your body (or brain) is telling you to take a step back from something, but it’s super rewarding. During those breaks I like to focus more on reading and getting inspired by other authors, especially if I’m reading a self-published book. I get that little flurry of excitement, because I’m excited for them, and all of a sudden I can’t wait to get back to whatever I’m working on.
What’s the most rewarding experience you’ve had as a published author so far?
I read a review in which the reader had said Something Wicked was their first 5-star read of 2024. It basically made my year and even now, thinking back on it, I can’t believe someone said that about my book! It was so nice! I also recently dropped a copy of Something Wicked off at my local little library, and the next day I had received a really lovely message from the person who had found it. It was so kind, and it reminded me of why I have worked so hard to become a published author!
Finally, what are you looking forward to reading in 2025?
A few authors I’ve been following for a long time have books releasing later this year and I cannot wait to get my hands on them!
- Hollow by Taylor Grothe
- Spit Back The Bones by Teagan Olivia King
- This Raging Sea by De Elizabeth
- Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie
Go and add those books – and Something Wicked – to your to read list, lads. Spit Back the Bones is quite the title. You can find Bel’s info here, and add Something Wicked to your GoodReads and StoryGraph. If you’re not in a position to buy either Rotting Trees or Something Wicked, may I suggest… requesting them to your local library. We sometimes get royalties from library loans! It’s a complex system, but it’s way more helpful for you to borrow a book from a library than it is to buy it second hand.
If you need me, I’ll be trying not to overthink Friday’s release. Don’t forget you can still sign up to my newsletter for the chance to win a signed paperback (ends 31st Jan, new sign ups only).
Look after yourselves,
Francesca
Thanks for reading. If you’d like to read my short stories and see behind-the-scenes work, you can sample? the No. 1 Reader’s Club on Patreon for a month with this link. No pressure to stick around! Think of it as trying a miniature dessert with no requirement to eat the whole menu. You can also find me on Ko-fi. Thank you for your support – you’re helping to fund this space and pay for other costs of running a creative business, like paying editors.
Here are the books I’ve published so far and where you can find them. If you enjoy my book recommendations, browse my Bookshop.org page here.
I’m on social media (reluctantly), via Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook. I prefer my montly-ish newsletter! You can find all my books and my unhinged reviews of books I love on GoodReads and StoryGraph.
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