AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

AUTHOR, FIONA INGRAM

On her award winning book: THE SECRET OF THE SACRED SCARAB
 
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING? I began by inventing stories to

entertain my 3 younger brothers when I was about 10. Later I 

graduated in theater studies, moved into journalism and have 

been writing ever since.
 
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BEGIN WRITING? I love the creative thrill 

from making something come alive; I also love entertaining people. 

I love the magical world between the pages of a book.
 
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE 

THE SECRET OF THE SACRED SCARAB? 

I went to Egypt with my mother and my 2 young nephews (aged 

10 and 12)for a family holiday. Upon our return I decided 

to write them a short story about our adventures with my 

nephews as the young heroes. They never got to read the 

short story because it became a book. it changed my life and 

my career.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR AND WHY? That's really hard 

to answer but I love Jane Austen for the wit and deceptive 

simplicity of her books; her perception of human nature 

is gifted. I also love JRR Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS for 

the grandeur and scope of the battle between good and evil 

within the heroes and within the context of his magical world.
 
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK... AND WHY? I am a fan of good 

detective novels, and THE MOONSTONE by Wilkie Collins has 

to be the perfect book. It has many layers, multiple narration 

and point of view which works amazingly; it has intrigue, 

mystery and again a great insight into human nature. It is 

also the forerunner of the great British detective novel.
 
WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED? 

I also like to write other genres for fun. I have co-authored 

THIS ENCHANTED LAND, a Viking adventure, 
(http://www.viking-sagas.com) with William P. Robertson who 

writes prolifically about the American Civil War. I have also 

written a Regency Romance entitled THE DANGEROUS DUKE for MUSA 

Publishing, a traditional style publisher, 

(http://www.musapublishing.com) under the pseudonym Arabella 

Sheraton. I am halfway through my next historical for MUSA 

Publishing entitled MARRIED AT MIDNIGHT.
 
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF: I love books, writing, art, 

the theater, movies and animals. I have an adopted African 

child, from a disadvantaged background, who has decided to 

become a writer (just like me!). She is about to graduate from 

high school. I care for my disabled Mom and live in a big, 

beautiful house in Johannesburg, South Africa, with 4 cats 

(Cuddles, Bertie, Pushkin and Oliver), 3 dogs (Chloe, 

Jasper and Pumpkin), a fierce duck called Charlemagne and 

a lively cockatoo called Cleopatra. The birds are in 
charge of everything!
 
DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS? I have finished the 

second book in my MG adventure series The Chronicles of the 

Stone. This is the sequel to THE SECRET OF THE SACRED SCARAB. 

Book Two is called THE SEARCH FOR THE STONE OF EXCALIBUR. 

My two heroes are plunged into more adventure and mystery as 

they stumble upon the greatest sword of all - Excalibur! 

I am in the editing process and will update interested readers 

via my author site. I have planned and am about to start Book 

Three entitled THE TEMPLE OF THE CRYSTAL TIME KEEPER which takes 

my heroes to Mexico and embroils them in Mayan and Aztec legends 

and conflicts.
 
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE AS AN AUTHOR? I have so many ideas 

jumping around in my head at one time that it's hard to write 

fast enough. Marketing also takes a lot of time. One has to get 

out there and let people know about one's work. There are so 

many books being published each year that the competition is 

fierce.
 
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS? I have 4 

golden rules I discovered while I was writing and later 

marketing my first book. I have also written articles on 

how to get your book completed and out there (See my Media 

Page on my author site). THE FOUR GOLDEN RULES: 1. Never 

give up. 2. Make sure your book meets the industry standards 

and spend time and money on proper editing and achieving a 

final polished result. 3. Do something every day to market 

your book to the world. 4. Make sure you have a good author 

or book site with details on where to find your book, and 

information about you and your work.
 
DO YOU EVER SUFFER FROM WRITER'S BLOCK? IF SO, WHAT DO YOU 

DO TO OVERCOME THIS? No, I never have writer's block. I 

occasionally have a problem getting through a sticky patch 

but I tell my characters to sort themselves out while I move 

onto the next section. When I come back to the problem area 

I find the characters have worked it out. I think writers 

should trust the creative process more. If something is not 

working then leave it and work on something else. You will 

find that something has changed and you can continue.
 
CAN YOU OFFER ANY TIPS ON HOW TO GET PUBLISHED? I would have 

preferred the traditional route with my children's book but 

after 35 rejections from agents I was so naive I thought I 

had no options but to self-publish. I have done very well 

with my book in terms of reviews and book awards, but only 
because I have worked at getting the accolades. With 

e-publishing on the rise it seems that anyone can publish 

themselves. However, I would suggest going the agent route 

first to get an idea if your work has merit, what needs to 

be changed or cleaned up, and if there is a market for your 

book. Self-publishing can be expensive and writers can still 

fall into the trap of not paying enough attention to industry 

standards. E-publishing (DIY) holds even greater threats 

because a self-publishing company will at least cast an 
experienced eye over the book before going ahead.
 
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS? 

Persistence pays off. I have garnered great book reviews and 

book awards wins and nominations for THE SECRET OF THE 

SACRED SCARAB. I have also just signed a movie option for 

the book with a British movie company. They read a review 

I tweeted (is that a word, I wonder?) and contacted me, saying 

they had bought, read, and loved the book. I cannot emphasize 

strongly enough to make sure your book has merit. A good book 

will find its way to the right readers, and the right rewards 

will come from it.
 

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