Mid 2022, I was contacted by Dark Paradigm Publishing (now Bonafide Publishing) about beta reading an upcoming sci-fi/horror novel called First Alien. I was drawn in by the premise of the book, and happily agreed to give it a whirl. First Alien kept me hooked from start to finish, and I loved how engaging and relatable Maddie wrote her characters! Her characters were dynamite and grew so much over the book, and I was left with the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers!
I was so glad to be contacted again nine months or so later to ARC read First Alien, and I was so impressed by Maddie and her writing style! This blew me away, and it’s only her debut! Can you imagine where she’ll go if this is where she’s starting?
When I first began inviting women to celebrate Women’s History Month with me, I knew I had to ask Maddie to be part of this, and I’m so proud to present our interview to you!
Q: Who has been your biggest supporter(s) throughout your writing career?
A: My soul sister and bookish friend, Silvia. Ever since I met her, she has been the greatest source of inspiration and strength. She’s a formidable writer and editor, and I learnt from her more than any writing course could ever teach me. Second, only because they came later in life, there’s the Bristol Writers Meetup Group – they know who they are. They’re my writing family. I’m sure I’d never have published my first book if it wasn’t for their help and support.
Q: Where do you draw inspiration from in your work?
A: Inspiration comes unexpectedly from all sorts of places. it could be a phrase, an image, a piece of news. Sometimes the idea pops into my mind and then just as quickly disappears. Other times I start wondering “How would it feel to…?” or “What would I do, or anyone do, if…?” and that’s where the story takes form.
Q: What does it mean to you to be an author?
A: I published my first book last year and I still can’t believe I can call myself an author, to be honest. It’s not just about having my name on the cover, but about the responsibility for the words that I’ve written, and the influence it will have on the reader. It’s a privilege for me to be called an author – and I know that sounds dramatic, but I’m the author, what else would you have me say?
Q: What is your writing process like? Do you listen to certain music, snack, make loads of phone notes when inspiration randomly strikes?
A: A lot of coffee and Maltesers are involved in my writing process. I’m not big on post-it notes. Oftentimes, when I have a random idea for a great plot twist, it’s better to let it rest and sleep on it. If it’s a good idea, it’ll still be there the next day when I sit at the keyboard.
Q: Is there a genre or subgenre that you want to explore that you haven’t yet? Conversely, are there any that you’ll never write?
A: I’m a huge fan of Shirley Jackson and I love The Haunting of Hill House. I would love one day to write a fright piece about a haunted house. As for a genre I’d never write, well, never say never, even if I can’t see myself being any good at historical fiction.
Q: What has been the hardest part of your career as an author so far?
A: Becoming an author is a very long process. It takes a lot of work and a lot of conviction. The hardest part is to keep going, sit down at the laptop every day and get words on the page. It was hard to tune out the noise from the outside telling me that it wasn’t worth it, and it would never add up to anything. I’m glad to say I proved them wrong in the end.
Q: What do you consider to be your greatest strength and weakness as an author?
A: Resilience has to be my greatest strength. Any writer would know how many times we get knocked down by a negative critic, and its hurts every time. Yet every time I get back up, open a new notebook (or Word document) and start writing again.
In terms of weaknesses, I don’t think of them that way. If something is a weakness, that only gives me an opportunity to learn and explore a part of the world, or myself, or my writing that will make me a better author. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a long list of weaknesses, but I’d rather call them that, “opportunities.”
Q: Who is on your radar as someone you’d love to work with?
A: That’s a tough question. It’s hard to say. I love sharing the writing space with my fellow writers, and I love hearing and cooperating with book reviewers and bloggers.
Q: At some point in our lives, we’ve all heard the negative comments: “You’re not good enough.” “You’ll never make it.” “This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen.” “You don’t belong.” How do you move forward when faced with negativity?
A: Having a support network is the most important tool to wash away the negativity that the world throws upon us. I was lucky to be surrounded by like-minded writers who reminded me what was important and to keep writing.
Q: What advice would you give to women who are wanting to write, especially if it’s something others might perceive as “outside of the norm”?
A: There is nothing a woman can’t do or can’t write. Fifty years ago, women were outsiders in the science-fiction world, yet Olivia Butler and Ursula LeGuin, amongst many others, proved all the nay-sayers wrong. If it’s outside the norm, then it’s up to you to make it the new norm, be the explorer, the trailblazers. You might have to carve the path yourselves but be sure you won’t be alone walking it.
Despite some setbacks with a broken wrist, Maddie is working on the second book of the Skaara series! First Alien is the first book in that series, and it shows the consequences of naive first contact with an alien intent on taking over the planet, with or without human cooperation.
I have a lot of fondness for Maddie and First Alien, and the second book is my most anticipated upcoming release! I need to know what happens after the cliffhanger from book 1…I’m fairly certain my scream from the ending is still echoing somewhere!
Give Maddie’s website a visit and be sure to follow her on Facebook and Instagram so you don’t miss out on Maddie’s book news and the next book in the Skaara series!
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