Author Interview: Grace Lambert

Thank you for joining me for the seventh installment of Authoring Arrowheads’s 2020 Author Interview series. For July, I’ll be interviewing an Instagram friend and fellow Publish and Thrive alumni, Grace Lambert. Grace published her first novel, a crime thriller entitled Winter’s Consort, last month.

On the last Wednesday of each month in 2020, I will be hosting an author for an interview! These authors will range from indie friends I’ve made online to authors in my local area. Be sure to subscribe to never miss an interview!

Meet Grace Lambert!

Grace is a British Author from Yorkshire who knows how to make a good cup of tea and has a penchant for buying excessive amounts of notebooks and candles.

Interview with Grace Lambert, author of Winter’s Consort

Q1: When did you first realize you love writing?

One of the earliest stories I remember writing was about a lioness, another about a unicorn but it was a story about a tree in which lived the fairy realm that alerted me to the fact that I liked writing, or actually my high school English teacher. The fairy realm story was one I created in the middle of a test, after my English teacher marked the test she asked me to stay behind after class. Being the goody-two-shoes that I was (who I am kidding, I still am) I was so nervous thinking I was in trouble, I sat there in a cold sweat trying to figure out what I’d done wrong. You can imagine my surprise when she said that she was impressed how good my creative writing piece had been, and that I had a flair for writing. She then told me she was starting a creative writing group and would like me to be in it. What I didn’t realise was that she would then make everyone else who wanted to be in the group submit an ‘audition’ piece of writing, I was the only one in the entire school she asked to be in it and didn’t need to submit anything. I am still flattered to this day. In this group she taught me the basics of being a writer and I began to enjoy writing, I remember hearing her telling my parents I could be a author one day. Unfortunately she ended up leaving to work in another school and the writing group was no more. I will never forget what she did for me and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without her, it saddens me that she will never know how much of an impact she had on my life.

Once she left I stopped writing and it wasn’t until years later, in 2014 I started writing again and it was Game of Thrones fanfiction. Fanfiction has stigmas attached to it, but it was that made me fall in love with writing, not merely enjoy but love. That is why the leading lady and OC of my fanfic, Dove will always be one of my favourite characters I ever created.

Q2: What inspired you to write Winter’s Consort?

Everyone who knows me was very surprised when I announced I was writing a Thriller book; I think they expected Romance or Fantasy due to my previous work. Honestly, I’ve always been drawn to villains whether it be in books or films. In the past few years I found myself becoming frustrated when villains were given a tragic backstory, I wondered what happened to the good old fashioned villains who were simply evil because they wanted to be?

Mr Winter, Winter’s Consort’s villain and whom the Trilogy is named after was the first character I created. He is greatly inspired by Sir Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Hannibal Lecter, but without the cannibal element! I wanted that charismatic, charming but evil villain, someone you couldn’t help but love despite his villainous behaviour (he’s also been described as being like a crime lord version of Christian Grey).

I’ve always liked the idea of these powerful, evil villains having one particular weakness; the person they loved. Therefore, I set out to create an unconventional romance with forbidden fruit elements in Winter’s Consort, which led to Elise Redfern being created. She is the person Mr Winter would go to any lengths to in order to have her for himself.

Every story also needs a hero and this led to Mae Wilson, originally a side character, being crafted into the heroine. I was inspired to write a hero that wasn’t perfect, a little bit older and in fact had real problems which you discover throughout the book.

Q3: What writing project(s) are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on book two in Winter’s Trilogy (you learn the name of book two at the end of Winter’s Consort) and I am really enjoying it. I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo in order to push me to write more than a few hundred words every few days as I plan to hopefully publish book two later in 2020.

I am also working on a separate writing project which I’m very excited about, and all being well I’m hoping to release later in 2020 too.

Q4: Which authors (inside or outside your genre) have inspired your writing?

Thomas Harris of course for creating the amazing Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling. E.L.James who has definitely helped ease the stigma that is attached to fanfic writers. A recent inspiration is Sarah. J. Mass, I started reading ACOTAR around the start of lockdown and I’m in love. I can’t escape the world or characters she created and it’s a wish of mine that one day someone will feel like that about my book.

Q5: What are your go-to writing snacks?

I have a very sweet tooth so I love sweets, chocolate or practically any form of cake. These snacks of course have to be accompanied by a cup of tea.

Q6: What is your favorite part about indie (self) publishing? What is your least favorite part?

Okay let me start with the negatives and get them out of the way. My least favourite part about self publishing is that you’re doing it all on your own, you’re self funded and you don’t have a team of people behind you to ask for help or fall back on, so at times it’s very daunting. For me it also increased my self doubt about whether my work was actually good enough to publish, this isn’t a good combination with the stigma that is attached to indie authors; that they must not be good enough for traditional publishing. I can’t explain how much the amazing feedback I’ve received upon publishing means to me, honestly I’ve shed plenty of tears when reading reviews or when a reader has been so, so kind enough to reach out to tell me they loved my book. This has helped ease the doubts that come with self publishing so on that note I’ll move onto the positives.

Most indie authors will start out with saying one of the best things about self publishing is having complete control of their own work, and yes that’s fantastic don’t get me wrong, but for me that’s not my favourite thing. For me it’s that you can write something that doesn’t fit the cookie cutter mould of what some people would consider makes a ‘good book’ and still be able to publish it. Everyone’s imagination is different, it would be a very boring world if everyone’s was the same. We all have unique stories and characters that the world needs to know and self publishing gives you the freedom to put that in the world.

I have absolutely no problem with traditional publishing and I might consider trying to become a hybrid author in the future, however I’ll never forget that self publishing allowed me to achieve my dream of being an author and I’m very proud to call myself an indie author.

Q7: What advice would you like to share with first-time writers?

Be you. I’m sure you’ve heard that plenty of times and regarding a multitude of things, but it’s so important to be yourself. I’ve had to tell myself this on more than one occasion. Now I try to remember that we all create differently and that’s one of the reasons why the creative community so special.

Another piece of advice I’d like to give first-time writers is that not everyone is going support your writing or take it seriously, and that’s okay. Just focus on your dreams and what you want to achieve, please keep believing in yourself because your story needs telling.

Thanks for stopping by, Grace!

Connect with Author Grace Lambert at:

Website:

https://www.authorgracelambert.com/

Check out her debut novel,
Winter’s Consort

Death. Desire. Deception.

Recently divorced ex-police officer Mae Wilson’s private investigator company is enlisted to help hunt down Sebastian Winter, the terrifying crime lord who just escaped serving a life sentence for the murder of his daughter Meredith Winter and the attempted murder of her friend Elise Redfern. But as the man hunt begins and Wilson delves into Winter’s past, nothing is as it seems.

Nearly 10 years ago, a traumatic event thrusts Elise into Winter’s orbit. As her best friend’s father, she tries to quell her immediate attraction to him, but their undeniable desire for one another leads to a sizzling tension which threatens to consume them both and destroy her friendship with Meredith forever. However, Elise is now the object of Winter’s desire and he will stop at nothing to have her.

Past and present collide, and Wilson begins to wonder who is hunting whom in this terrifying race to put Winter behind bars once more. As the truth unravels, she also begins to question if everyone is as innocent as they seem? Or is there something darker lurking beneath the surface?