About Claire
Claire Farrell is an Irish author who spends her days separating warring toddlers. When all five children are in bed, she overdoses on caffeine in the hope she can stay awake long enough to write some more dark flash fiction, y/a paranormal romance and urban fantasy.
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Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I wrote my first (awful) song when I was three, so it’s always been the one big dream. I thought sound engineering would be the most realistic choice though.
Q: Was it your own choice to go indie and why did you go indie?
A: Nobody else can make that choice for you. J Writing has always been my first love, but the idea of the publishing industry put me off. I didn’t want to be tied into contracts or genres, and the thought of book tours and the like gave me hives. For my personality, that was never ideal for many reasons, so I haven’t pursued that route. I decided to self-publish four years ago because I put in some research and thought it was kind of perfect for me. I had to wait a while because, at first, there weren’t many avenues open to Irish writers – even the Google Playstore has just recently opened its doors to us.
Q: Where do you find the inspiration for your books?
A: Inspiration isn’t something I wait on. The more I write, the more ideas come to me. But anything can trigger a story – a song, a book title, etc. A six book series of mine came from an offhand comment my partner made.
Q: What do you think is the best thing about being an indie author and what is the worst?
A: The best and worst parts are complete control. I get to do my thing without restrictions, but I also have to keep on top of every aspect of the business. It’s a lot for one person, and sometimes, I feel like I spend more time chasing freelancers than actually writing. J But the freedom makes it worth it.
Q: What is the most important thing to keep in mind if you want to be an author?
It’s hard work. You have to really love writing, and you have to treat it as a job if you want it to be your job. If you’re self-publishing, you’re unlikely to be qualified enough to do every job yourself, so be prepared for expenses.
Q: Favorite book by a fellow indie author?
A: If I have to pick one writer than probably something by Thea Atkinson, but I’ve greatly enjoyed self-published books by writers like Scott Nicholson, RJ Keller, and Stacey Wallace Benefiel, to name a few. There are a lot of amazing writers out there.
Q: Any advice for aspiring writers?
A: Keep writing. Finish stories. It’s all about finding your style and what works – that can only happen with practice. And don’t forget to read. It’s important for a number of reasons, but it definitely helps you figure out what works and what doesn’t. Apply what you learn to your own manuscripts.
quick fire:
coffee or tea: Coffee unless we’re talking green tea.
physical books or digital books: Digital, purely for the space-saving.
indie or regular: All I want is a good story with characters I can care about. It doesn’t matter who writes it. J
I have a giveaway going on where you can win either a whole series by Claire or a single book (your choice). You can participate here. In that post you can also read an excerpt from Soul (by Claire obviously).
There's a bunch of free reads by Claire on amazon, just click on the titles: Verity (Cursed #1), Adversity (Cursed #2.5), Thirst (Ava Delaney #1), Stake You (Stake You #1) and One Night with The Fae (a Chaos series Prequel Companion)
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