In Conversation with author Natasha Murray

Hello everyone!

I have the pleasure of hosting author Natasha Murray on my blog. Her latest book, 58 Farm End was released in Dec 2020 and has been getting some pretty good reviews!

In this blog post, we talk about her latest book, the inspiration behind it and also get to know her a little better! I love how interactive and enthusiastic Natasha is and this inspired me to spice up this blog post and convert it into a conversation instead of an interview.

Thank you Natasha for reaching out to me and for connecting with me! I look forward to reading more of your books in future!

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Connect with Natasha:

Author website

https://cutt.ly/5fR483w

Book marketing journey and guest author website: www.nmurray.moonfruit.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NatashaMurray3004 or

Twitter https://twitter.com/UKBookShow_2018

Instagram @natashamurray1426

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Namrata: Thanks for joining us! Tell us a little about yourself.

Natasha: I grew up in North London in Crouch End which has in recent years become a trendy place to live. My best subjects at school were art and English. These subjects I excelled in and I wanted to become an animation artist for Disney. This was not to be. Home life was turbulent so at the age of eighteen, I moved out into a mansion house flat and took on various administrative jobs to pay my rent and survive. My dreams of becoming an artist slowly faded as children came along and the desire to write took over. As the years went by, I drifted south and I now live by the sea in Little hampton with my husband and soul mate, Martin. I work at night picking shopping at a supermarket and after a morning snooze, I write, publish, market my books and read and review. My dream is to sell enough books so that I can write full time.

Namrata: So, what inspired you to start writing books?

Natasha: I have always loved writing stories, plays and poetry. Writing is both a compulsion and a pleasure. I decided to write my first book when my son was about ten and was having difficulty moving on from reading the Captain Underpants series. He wanted to read a book that didn’t have wizards or magic in it. He wanted to read a story that was believable and could actually happen. His need to read a book like this inspired me to write 3004 a dystopian adventure story. It took me six years to write this book as I had two children to look after and an alcoholic partner (not Martin) The Book Guild published my book 3004 in April 2011. My son didn’t actually read it until he was eighteen. He said he liked it but preferred to read autobiographies! 3004 is permanently free on Amazon and thousands of copies have been downloaded.

Namrata: Oh my! That’s quite a journey! Let’s talk about genres! How or why did you choose to write in the Mystery and Thriller genre with a dash of Romance?

Natasha: Last year I decided to experiment and write in a new genre. I chose Romantic suspense and hoped that my book would appeal to more people. I got carried away and wrote two books during lockdown, 58 Farm End and Julia’s Baby. The third book Waterfall Way is being written at a slower pace as I really don’t like saying goodbye to my characters. These three books form the Waterfall Way series. I really enjoyed writing these books and crafting thrilling twists and turns. 58 Farm End was published on 18 December 2020 and is getting some really great reviews. Thank you Namrata for your wonderful review!

Namrata: You are quite welcome! I did enjoy the way the story was written! Let’s continue to talk about 58 Farm End, where did you get the inspiration for the plot from?

Natasha: 58 Farm End came to me in an early morning dream. In my dream, I actually watched the two main characters play out chapter two. I could hear Julia Bridgewater and Seth Hearn talking to each other. There is a road near to me called Long Furlong and there are farms along this road. In my dream, Julia and Seth live on similar farms next to each other and in this chapter they meet in the lane for the first time and Seth helps Julia stop his brother and Ivy Brown from riding Julia’s old pony. I woke up and wrote everything down. The rest of the book just unfolded. This may sound crazy but sometimes Julia and Seth tell me what is going to happen or if I think of a twist and they don’t like it then they will suggest another path. I really am quite sane.

Namrata: Wow! That must have been quite some dream! It’s interesting how you remembered it. One point that intrigued me is the title of the book. Without giving away too much, could you tell us why you decided to specify the number ‘58’ in the title?

Natasha: Oh dear, 58! This number has haunted me since I was a child for the same reason Julia’s Dad had trouble with it. I will say no more!

Namrata: That’s a good one! So, moving to the people in the story, let’s talk about the inspiration behind the lead characters. How did they happen?

Natasha: As I said Julia and Seth appeared in my dream. Jules is petite with wild curly blonde hair and Seth is tall, dark and handsome.

Namrata: Ah yes! I am quite a fan of Seth!

Do you base any of your characters on people you know? If yes, would you share an example?

Natasha: Seth’s family remind me of a distant Irish connection I had many moons ago. This large Irish family were the kindest people you would ever wish to meet but many of them were quite crazy. Perhaps they influenced my writing.

Namrata: When you started this book, did you plan out the entire series at the beginning or did it evolve as the story evolved?

Natasha: I never plan my storyline and yes my books do evolve organically. I do however think about the next chapter and what I am going to write. This usually happens when I am picking shopping for customers. I see what is going to happen and then play out the scene like a movie in my mind. I get home and write an email to myself and type out the chapter on my phone. I then send it to myself copy and paste it into my book and edit it at my desk. That way I can write anywhere I want to. On the bed or by the sea are good places to write. I usually write half a chapter a day.

Namrata: I find the way you approach writing to be quite unique! So, what is an average writing day like for you?

Natasha: Being an administrator for so long, I like to be organised and I have a daily planner to keep to. This way I don’t forget to do the dreaded marketing side of things. Here is my weekly plan.

85 MONDAY

WRITE

TUESDAY

WRITE

WEDNESDAY

WRITE

THURSDAY

FULL WRITING OR EDITING DAY – GET LOST IN YOUR PARALLEL UNIVERSE

WRITE AN ARTICLE OR BLOG POST AND PUBLISH IT ON YOUR BLOG AND LINKEDIN. SHARE WITH FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

FRIDAY

WRITE

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

EVERY WEEK AFTER

THANK EVERYONE FOR REVIEWS AND SHARING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

CREATE A VIDEO AND THREE STILL FACEBOOK & TWITTER POSTS AND SCHEDULE THEM FOR THE WEEK & LINK THEM TO LINKEDIN

PUBLISH ANY REVIEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

FIND REVIEWERS ONLINE WILLING TO REVIEW YOUR BOOK

PROMOTE YOUTUBE TRAILERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA (MONTHLY)

COMMENT ON FACEBOOK GROUPS

GO OUT SEE PEOPLE, EXPLORE AND GET INSPIRED TO WRITE.

TAKE PHOTOS TO

POST BOOKS, TRAILERS & ART PHOTOS ON INSTAGRAM USING 30 HASHTAGS LINK TO FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

MONITOR YOUR ADS, CREATE OR REPLACE

EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS WITH NEWS AND OR OFFER BOOKS FOR FREE. CALL TO ASSIST YOU TO PROMOTE & REVEIW YOUR BOOKS.

GROW YOUR SUBSCRIBER LIST ON SOCIAL MEDIA OFFERING FREE GIFTS FOR EMAIL ADDRESS

LIVE EVENT

BOOK

SIGNINGS

FAIRS

MARKETS

BOOK SHOWS

READINGS & CHATS

IF NOTHING IS BOOKED SHARE A SOMETHING PERSONAL ABOUT BEING AN AUTHOR WITH SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

DAY OFF

READ

Namrata: WOW! That is wonderfully informative and great of you to share some of your planning. I wish I could be as organized! Thank you for this glimpse!

Let’s move on to lighter topics! What are you currently reading?

Natasha: I read and review books too. I am currently reading Meat Ladder to Mars by San Jose satirist Eugenio Negro. It is about pigs being transported to Mars. My mission this year is to read and review my two hundred books in my ‘to be read’ pile. I have got so behind because the desire to write keeps taking over.

Namrata: I have a huge TBR too and I am trying to work my way through it. It is not such an easy task, but I wish you all the best! I do read a lot of different kinds of books and would love to know which is your favourite genre?

Natasha: I love a psychological thriller or a classic book like Wuthering Heights

Namrata: That’s amazing diversity. Who is your favourite author?

Natasha: I read a lot and I think my favourite author is D.E. White. She writes crime fiction and I really love her Dove Milson series and her descriptive writing.

Namrata: I am going to add the books to my ever-growing TBR! If you had to pick one book to take away with you on vacation, what would it be?

Natasha: This is hard. I find it very difficult to read a book a second time so I would probably write my own.

Namrata: I can very well imagine you sitting down to write and enjoying a beautiful view! To wrap up this conversation, what message would you like to share with your readers?

Natasha: I hope that you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them. If my writing makes you emotional then I have done my job. A good book feeds the soul. Happy reading.

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