Author Interview With Charlotte Stokes
Today’s interview is with one of my twitter friends, writer and reviewer, Charlotte Stokes.
How would you describe yourself in a short third person bio?
Charlotte is a 16 year old girl who attends full time education and is vertically challenged at a height of 5.1. She juggles her busy schedule of dance, music and college classes with a part-time job, reading, reviewing and plenty of writing.
Tell us an interesting fact about you.
An interesting fact about me?! Uhhh… My date of birth is the “devil’s date”. Y’know, three 6’s. Does that count as interesting? Probably not.
So, you review books. Which type of books are your favourite to review?
My favourite are YA fiction novels – mainly dystopian. 🙂 Does that make me slightly sadistic? I hope not!
Are there any particular books that you won’t review? (I understand that you don’t like vampires!)
Ahh, yes. Vampires. *Shudders* Delightful creatures, aren’t they? But yes, there are quite a few books I won’t review. They include vampire novels, religious novels, non-fiction novels, horros and crime novels. (Yu huh, I’m a picky bugger, tehe!) I love dystopian novels and zombie books but I can’t handle a book about a murderer… I’m not sure why.
When you review books, what do you look for?
Hmmmm, good question. One of the main things I look for is a good opening. There are too many books out there where people come away saying “It starts off slow but once you’re past the beginning it’s amazing!” For me the beginning is key. A slow start is off putting and I find it a chore to read the book until the pace picks up or the real plot begins.
Good characterisation is also important. Believable characters are easier to relate to and empathise with; they also make books more emotional. If someone dies in a book, you won’t care unless you’ve really connected with that character.
Good characterisation is also important. Believable characters are easier to relate to and empathise with; they also make books more emotional. If someone dies in a book, you won’t care unless you’ve really connected with that character.
How did you get into reviewing?
I actually watched a review for a book on youtube and when it finished I scanned through the “related videos” list to find a vlog from The Story Siren – she reviews novels and has a substantial amount of books! Seriously, it’s CRAZY! Anyway I got familiar with her videos and she inspired me to set up a blog (EponaReviews) to review books I’d bought.
It went from there really. A few authors found me and asked for reviews and then eventually a few publishers. 🙂 I set up a twitter and email account dedicated purely to my reviews and got talking to a few other bloggers/reviewers. It’s a cute community to be a part of. 🙂
But, you’re a writer too. So, what exactly do you write?
Yes! I love to write! 🙂 Have done so for many years. (Ok, so I’m only 16, but still, 8 years is a long time… right?) I write YA fiction – mainly dystopian-romance. J I’ve actually completed a co-written novel, with Natasha Leong, (she’ll be publishing in Honk Kong soon) called “Why?..” It’s a dystopian/sci/fi/romance with a 110,000 word count. It is currently unpublished and will most likely remain that way as, although we had readers, we only wrote the novel for fun and to help improve each other’s writing skills.
What made you initially want to write?
I’m not sure really. I was young and I used to just scribble stories down in notepads. I can’t recollect any memories of why I started writing but Toni Morrison once said “If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Perhaps that’s why? Or maybe I just couldn’t contain my imagination.
Which writing projects are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently working on an unnamed piece of work which is (also) a dystopian YA novel. 🙂 I love dystopian novels but there’s so many out there so I’m taking it slow to make sure mine is original while staying true to its genre.
Where do you get inspiration for writing from? Do you listen to music whilst writing or have a ‘writing cave’?
I do listen to music while I write. I have no idea why, but it helps me a lot. J I get inspiration from song lyrics, movies, other books and things I see in real life. Everything and anything really. I get inspiration at the most random of times in the most unexpected places so I tend to carry a notepad and pen wherever I go. J
Is there a particular form, style or genre that you’d like to have a go at writing? Why?
I’d love to write a romance novel in the future. I’ve just always wanted one under my belt but I’m only 16 so I don’t think a romance novel from me would be truly accurate or highly relatable as I’ve never been “in love”.
I’ve planned to write a novel in second person before but decided that IF I ever get published, I’d like my first novel to be in a more familiar/popular POV so I changed it to first person. So I’d like to write a novel in second person. J
I’d also like to write a novel with shifters/wolves in it. I adore Maggie Stiefvater’s “The wolves of mercy falls” trilogy.
Oh, and a novel based on my life but with different names and fictional events and characters added in to keep the book from being a total drag. 😉
I’ve planned to write a novel in second person before but decided that IF I ever get published, I’d like my first novel to be in a more familiar/popular POV so I changed it to first person. So I’d like to write a novel in second person. J
I’d also like to write a novel with shifters/wolves in it. I adore Maggie Stiefvater’s “The wolves of mercy falls” trilogy.
Oh, and a novel based on my life but with different names and fictional events and characters added in to keep the book from being a total drag. 😉
How important are books to you?
If I do something “wrong” my Mum doesn’t take my laptop off me as a punishment, she takes me books off me. Does that explain their importance? I can’t live without books! I enjoy reading, reviewing, discussing and writing novels. I think they’re a great form of escapism too.
Do you prefer ebooks or ‘physical’ books? Why?
Physical books hands down. I just like the feel of a real book and being able to turn the pages and add it to my bookshelf afterwards. I do own an ereader though. 🙂 And some ebooks are my FAV novels so I’ll never knock ebooks.
What are you reading at the moment?
I’m currently reading “Everneath” by Brodi Ashton and am very much so enjoying it. It has made me smile goodness knows how many times and I’m only on page 108! From what I’ve read so far, I’d definitely recommend it to others. J
And you have a very long TBR list?
Uhhh… *cough* yes… It’s rather embarrassing! :S I have a small (ok, a BIG) addiction to buying books even though I have 40+ unread ebooks and books awaiting me at home.
Favourite book and/or author(s)?
The Hunger Games trilogy (Suzanne Collins) has to be my all time favourite though “Amongst the ruins” (Saewod Tice) is a close second!
Do you think it’s necessary to have a degree or high-level qualification (of any sort) in order to be a successful author?
No, I don’t. Some people say that when you write, you’re emotionally bleeding onto the paper. Who needs a degree to do that? Imagination, emotion, passion. All of those things can help someone to create a novel yet none of those things can be learnt in a classroom. Anyone can write. That’s what I believe.
Thank you very much for your time.
Thank you for having me, Maddie. 🙂
