Author Interview: Chantelle Atkins

Author Interview: Chantelle Atkins

Today I am pleased to welcome Chantelle Atkins on to the blog with a quick interview! She’s come up with some fantastic answers!

Q&A

What is your favourite thing about writing books?
I think it’s the feeling that I am living more than one life. I am living and experiencing and feeling all these other lives too. It’s never boring for that reason. It is always exciting. Writing excites me and makes me feel incredibly alive.

Who is your favourite character in your book and why?
It’s hard to choose a favourite from my books, but I would have to go with Danny from my second novel The Boy With The Thorn In His Side, because he’s been with me the longest and has the most to say, the longest story, I suppose. I first wrote the book when I was 12, rewriting it again and again over the years until I finally got to grips with it in my 30’s. I know him so well.

What is your favourite drink to consume while writing?
Tea. Closely followed by cider.

Do you have any bad habits while you’re writing?
Yes, checking emails, checking Facebook, going on YouTube!

How do you research your books?
I research as I go along. Whenever I reach a part in the story that requires research, I stop writing and do it then. Usually online, although sometimes I email my brother who is in the police force, or a friend if they have experience with the subject or conflict etc.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
A bit of both. I always have a loose plot in mind, but it is the character who comes to me first. They would have been in my head for some time, growing and developing and telling me all their problems! Once I have a general plot I will usually note it down and try to form a loose structure, but this does change a lot once I start writing the book, and the characters do their own thing and surprise me. Quite often I don’t know the ending until I am about half way through the book, so there is a lot of making it up as I go along!

If you could live in any fictional world, which would you choose and why?
I would probably like to live in one of the fictional worlds I have created, because I know them so well, so would feel quite at home there. Any of them would do. I would make friends with my characters and become part of their lives!

If you could befriend any fictional character, who would you choose and why?
I always say either Holden Caulfield or Pony-boy Curtis, as I think we would get on well and enjoy a lot of conversation! I have always felt an affinity for both those characters.

About the Author

Chantelle Atkins was born and raised in Dorset, England and still resides there now with her husband, four children and multiple pets. She is addicted to both reading and music, and is on a mission to become as self-sufficient as possible. She writes for both the young adult and adult genres. Her fiction is described as gritty, edgy and compelling. Her debut Young Adult novel The Mess Of Me deals with eating disorders, self-harm, fractured families and first love. Her second novel, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side follows the musical journey of a young boy attempting to escape his brutal home life. She is also the author of This Is Nowhere, This Is The Day and has recently released a collection of short stories related to her novels called Bird People and Other Stories. Chantelle has had mulitiple articles about writing published by Author’s Publish magazine, and is also a reviewer with Underground Book Reviews. Her latest novel, a YA dystopian was released August 2017.

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Would you want to like to be friends with Holden Caulfield?