Fiona Tankard is the person with whom I have been collaborating on my most recent project.

She has been a full-time professional writer since 1999, having spent 20 years as an English language trainer of teachers, assessor, and trainer’s trainer. She is British and has lived since 1994 in Italy. She holds a degree in English and American Literature, as well as post graduate certificates in teaching, teacher training and publishing.

She is the author of numerous newspaper, magazine and web articles as well as over 25 academic books and a children’s non fiction book about Italy. She created the best selling UK glossy magazine italy, editing, writing and commissioning for the publication for five years from 2001 to 2006.

In addition to writing, Fiona also works as an internet marketing and SEO consultant and as a freelance naming and branding consultant for a company in the US.

She started ghost writing in 2008 under the mentorship of the UK’s top ghost writer Andrew Crofts, who recommended her to me. She is currently working on three novels and a non fiction book for clients in Australia, the UK, Germany and Italy.

I am very fortunate to have been able to work with her as a collaborator on the RHAINE OF TORMENT novel, and am lucky that she was willing to sit down for the following interview:

WBCS:   What did you enjoy the most about the novel?
FT:   I really liked the way the characters began to take on lives of their own and how the plot developed organically. There are actually two very complex plots in there.

WBCS:   Which character in the book is your favorite, and why?
FT:   I have to confess that I completely love Alex. She is feisty, very determined and strong willed yet also has a soft side. Plus she’s got wings – always handy!

WBCS:   What other works are you doing currently?  
FT:   I have almost completed the first of a nine volume fantasy series for an Australian client. I am also writing a dramatized biography for a Zambian lady living in Italy and am just about to begin a non fiction book for a German client. As well as that I also look after two business websites in Italy and write web articles for several business clients. Oh, and I’m also a freelance naming consultant, which means I think up names for new products, which is kind of cool!

WBCS:   Are there any special things you do when you write fiction to help you immerse yourself in the world of your characters?
FT:   Yes. I try to relax, light some incense, put on my iPod and then re.-read a few pages from the day before to get back in the groove. Because of the number of projects I have on the go, I tend to allocate different times of the day to each one and I try and do a fixed word count per day. It helps me to work on the same project at the same time of day so I can focus on that.

WBCS:   Who are some of your favorite fiction authors?
FT:   As well as Michael Connolly and John Grisham, I love British writers Phil Rickman, Philip Pullman, Susan Howatch and Barbara Erskine. I have also just discovered Michel Faber and think his writing is astounding.

WBCS:   Is there any advice you would give to aspiring writers?
FT:   The hardest thing for a writer is to actually write! It is amazing how many things will keep you from getting started – web surfing, reading your emails, letting the dog out… My advice would be to set a word limit. It doesn’t matter if it just 100 words, but sit down and do your set number of words immediately and then reward yourself with a little surfing or reading your emails or a cup of coffee. It is amazing how the words mount up as long as you stick with it.

WBCS:   Thank you, Fiona, for such an amazing job with the novel and thank you for taking the time for an interview!

To learn more about what Fiona Tankard     is currently doing, check out her two websites-- she blogs on each of them. Her work site is www.spiderywriting.com and the other is a website www.petsinitaly.com where she works to find homes for abandoned animals in Italy.