What made
you decide to be an author?
I used to write stories at school for fun, but I
never thought anything would come of it. So, I did a degree that had nothing to
do with writing and started a full-time job in the finance industry. My mum
encouraged me to do a creative writing course at RMIT. It’s a short course that
runs for 8-10 weeks for three hours a week after work. I
loved every moment of the class and ended up doing three short courses. The
teachers were so inspiring, and it was great to speak to likeminded people. I
workshopped my stories in class and continued with them after the course
finished.
What do you
like best about being a writer? What do you like the least?
I love being able to surprise people and make
them laugh. Also creating scenarios that may not happen in everyday life. My least favourite would be my lack of time.
With a full time job as well, I’m exhausted permanently.
How do you
think your life experiences have prepared you for writing?
Writing is better than therapy! I have had
anxiety for as long as I can remember. I always picture the worse-case
scenarios, take hours to fall asleep (sometimes I’m still awake when the sun
comes up) and my chest is permanently tightened. Writing drowns out the noise
in my head – maybe because I’m focusing on fictional characters. At work on my
breaks, if my mind starts to spin out of control, I write for a few minutes
straight to refocus. People cope with anxiety in different ways but writing
with some exercise helps me.
Have you
ever felt as if you were being dictated to while you wrote a book--as if the
words came of their own accord? If yes, which book did that happen with?
I more feel this with certain chapters or
scenes. Never with a whole book. I get stuck a lot and sometimes end up staring
at my laptop screen.
You’ve written
one novel and one novella and are working on a second novel. What’s your
favorite time management tip?
I work fulltime so I really need to push
myself to write. I give myself incentives – an ice-cream or junk food reward
whenever I finish a page, or I treat myself with reading a chapter of a book.
Anything to keep me motivated. Sometimes
I use my phone as a timer where I nonstop write for twenty minutes. Amazing how
much you can get done when you’re racing against the clock.
Are you a
plotter or a pantser, i.e., do you outline your books ahead of time or are you
an “organic” writer?
Panster. I go wherever the characters take me,
but I usually have a rough idea how my story will end. So, every chapter will
lead towards this. I wish I was more organised with plotting. Sometimes I spend
so much time in front of a blank computer screen willing the words to come. My
characters grow as I write – I don’t even come up with personality traits
beforehand.
If you had
one take away piece of advice for authors, what would it be?
Don’t give up and keep working on your craft.
Sometimes it’s all about your manuscript landing on the right publisher’s desk
at the right time. Savvy Authors does great online workshops.
Did music
help you find your muse with this book? If yes, which song did you find
yourself going back to over and over again as you wrote?
I have to write in silence or I can’t
concentrate.
Tell me more
about Law & Disorder.
I’ve watched the
TV show Neighbours since I was a child. I used to come home from school, get
changed, have a snack then sit down and watch. I love the community behind the
storylines and the more light-hearted moments. So, I thought it would be a fun
idea to have the heroine and hero as neighbours, but spice things up a little.
Lawyer Juliet Jackson has
come head to head with Sergeant Jesse Burns on numerous occasions in court. He
is provoking. Pigheaded. Punch-worthy. They don't get along. Not one little
bit. The unfortunate fact he's also her next-door neighbor brings her loathing
off the charts. But when Juliet's caught locked outside her home in nothing but
a skimpy towel, she must swallow her pride and turn to Jesse for help. She
doesn't expect the explosive chemistry between them and can't help but wonder if
Jesse's as demanding in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom.
How about an
excerpt from Law & Disorder?
His handsome face smirked before he averted his eyes and turned
his head, but she could still see the profile of his face. His police uniform stretched
across his chest. Wonder if that chest is
chiseled underneath all those clothes.
Her ears burned hotter than chili sauce, spreading to her neck and
chest. No point in putting on a mask this time, because there was no escaping
this. Her fingers found the ends of the towel to cover her naked body, but her
legs froze on the spot. “I got locked out of my house.”
“You got locked out of your house…naked?”
A grin spread across his face, revealing the dimple on the bottom lip. She
wanted to bite it but didn’t know if it was to hurt him or because of the
temperature between her legs.
Scowling at his sarcasm, her fingers gripped the bricks of her
house and she pulled herself up. “Yes.Why are you even here? Didn’t you have
enough of me this morning?"
“Never enough.”
Where can
readers find more about your stories, books and you on the Internet?
I would love to hear from you! Contact me on:
Buy Links:
Buy Law & Disorder for 99 (US) cents:
•AmazonAustralia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Law-Disorder-Liv-Arnold-ebook/dp/B07NCK1QGF
• Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Law-Disorder-Liv-Arnold-ebook/dp/B07NCK1QGF
Liv, thank
you so much for being with us here today. I know my readers will enjoy your
work and your interview.
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