Lisa Thomas interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

My name is Lisa Thomas, I am a debut novelist and proud author of Covid-fiction novel “Unprecedented Times”, book one in a trilogy. I live in Birmingham in the UK, with my three children and two cats. I am a self-employed content writer, providing content writing, digital marketing and social media marketing services through my business Lisa Thomas Writing Services. As a child, I had two goals, two write a book people around the world found enjoyable and relatable and to write a song that made people happy. Not being particularly confident and believing both of these were pipe dreams, I didn’t bother to try to achieve either goal, until recently. Having children has made me realise the importance of leading by example, I want my children to be confident enough to grasp opportunities and achieve their dreams and by shying away from the attention, I was teaching them to do the opposite. So I took a step outside of my comfort zone, I wrote my first novel and self-published it on Amazon at the end of 2020, donating 50%+ of the proceeds to charity. I have also started to enjoy my music again, I had singing, piano and drum lessons as a child and because of my confidence I stopped playing at 17/18, I always felt like I’d left a bit of myself behind. So I recently bought an electric drumkit and have started to teach myself to play guitar, I’ve also turned my hand to lyric writing. I have no talent and I’ve forgotten much of what I’ve learned, but I love reclaiming that part of myself back. Aside from mom duties, writing and music, I also love food, both baking and eating, two passions that go splendidly together. I’ve already checked off sky-diving, swimming with dolphins and both hand-feeding and stroking a tiger, off my bucket list. Oh, and I make my own gifs, which you can see on my GIPHY channel.

When did your love of books begin?

As a child I loved reading, particularly authors like Roald Dahl and Beatrix Potter, I even started reading classic novels at a young age, I loved escaping into these alternate realities. I’ve been reading for so long I genuinely can’t remember when my love for reading began or which author or book prompted it. I just remember devouring book after book, spending my free time at school and on the weekends in the library, and reading with a torch under the covers after my bedtime (my mom was not impressed).

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

Again, this was in childhood, getting lost in a good book was my favourite way to pass the time and I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to create a new world like this, that other people could get lost in. Believing it was a pipe dream, I never tried to actually become an author. I wrote for fun, but never completed an actual novel, most of what I did write was poetry or short prose, it was all handwritten and disposed of long ago. It was only recently that I decided to actually write a book to completion and this wasn’t with the view of becoming an author or getting my name known, it was more of a personal goal I felt like I needed to achieve for me. The fact that this book is being well received by the people who read it and I am gaining exposure such as this interview, is all a bonus I never expected and feel so appreciative of. Even now, its odd to think I am an author, by definition anyway, and I’ll admit when I do think that to myself I smile inwardly, all the time thinking how amazing it is.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

I’ve actually really enjoyed it, but I know that’s not true for a lot of authors and I think that’s because I’ve taken a different approach. Not actively trying to become an author, just wanting to write my book and hopefully reach my fundraising target for the Covid charity means I haven’t put as much pressure on myself. I’ve simply gone onto social media and started promoting my book and becoming a member of the writing and author communities and that’s been enjoyable for me. It also means I haven’t been disappointed when things haven’t moved in the right direction or as quickly as I’d like, because I never expected this much, anything more is a bonus. However, I do see the frustration of other authors and I completely understand it. As an author you put your heart into your writing and you want it to be well received, the dream is it will become a best-seller. But in reality there are so many authors with so many books it can feel like you’re drowning in the crowd and getting your book seen by the right person can feel like an impossibility. With so much competition its understandable to feel demoralised and wonder “what’s the point?”

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

The same thing I would say to anyone with a dream, do it. I’ve limited myself so much throughout life because I haven’t been confident, I haven’t wanted the attention nor felt like I was good enough to achieve my goals. But in reality, I don’t know that and you don’t know you can’t achieve your dream either, all you really know is that you won’t achieve it if you don’t try. I’ve genuinely surprised myself with the things I’ve achieved this last 18 months, I’ve done things like becoming an author, things I never believed were impossible. If you break down the word IMPOSSIBLE and add an apostrophe and you get I’M POSSIBLE. I believe that nothing is impossible. You will need to work hard, you’ll need to be resilient and you’ll need to be passionate, your dreams won’t be handed to you on a silver platter, but they ARE achievable.

Tell us about your book/books:

Unprecedented Times is a Covid-fiction novel fundraising for a Covid charity. The first in a trilogy, this is a sci-fi, dystopian novel that takes the direction of the Covid pandemic in a very different direction to reality, creating an alternative history.

In reality we can work together to limit our losses and overcome the challenges of the virus. But what if this wasn’t the case? Through this book we follow the pandemic across two timelines and through the eyes of four characters. Clara, a wannabe scientist and a secretary at the WHO. Her twin sister Rosa, an NHS nurse and new mother. Rosa’s fiance Ben, a fun-loving police officer. And Dr Vicente, the kind-hearted Director-General at the WHO.

How will the four characters cope as the path of the virus takes an unpredictable turn and just how far are we willing to go in unprecedented times? Do we risk losing our humanity for the sake of humanity?

Fact-meets-fiction, this novel includes real facts, data and statistics, all of which are referenced, however, the story and characters are all fictional.

Amazon Paperback and eBook link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unprecedented-Times-Book-One-Saga-ebook/dp/B08Q7LKBBH/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Unprecedented+Times&qid=1617563652&sr=8-2

Fundraising link: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/unprecedentedtimes

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

When I first joined social media I genuinely thought the term ‘community’ was being used loosely, but after spending time on these sites, I see now that’s not the case. There is so much support, encouragement and enthusiasm within this group of truly wonderful people that it does feel like a community. That’s what I love most about the writing and reading community, the love between people who have never met and are joined together by a common goal, to get their book seen. They have every reason to be competitive and/or difficult with each other, but instead they support and lift one another and that’s amazing. As well as this support, I also love learning from the community. I’ve had so many ideas and learned so much from speaking to the people within the community.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

The virus didn’t discriminate, it affected the entire global community, regardless of religion, ethnicity, social background and gender. When the virus struck, we all became equally vulnerable. During the pandemic we came together as a real global community, we cared about each other and we loved each other as equals. Coming together like this meant we were able to limit our losses and overcome the challenges of the virus. If nothing else, this virus has taught us that we are stronger together, we are better together and we have to keep looking after one another. We came together out of love and as human beings, our greatest strength is that ability to love. So please, keep looking after each other and always have a heart that is full of love and hope.