Interview with Meghan Ciana Doidge

One of the great things about self-publishing as an indie author is the bonds you develop with fellow writers. The following is the first of many interviews that will be conducted with my esteemed colleagues. 

Tell us about the books you currently have available.

I have just “soft” launched my first novel, After the Virus, on Amazon in the Kindle format. After the Virus is an action-filled, post-apocalyptic novel set in modern day North American. The tale is told via alternating viewpoints from Rhiannon, who is stuck in kickass, survivor mode, to Will, who is trying to hide away from the devastation of humanity.

Which character of yours do you most identify with?

Usually the female lead, which in the case of After the Virus, would be Rhainnon.

Tell us about the process of writing your first book/short story? How difficult did you find it?

I actually stumbled into writing a novel as a Twitter exercise. I usually write screenplays and short films. After twittering the story of Rhiannon and Will for a couple of weeks I realized I was writing a novel. Then it became a little daunting, novels are WAY longer than screenplays, but over all it was a great experience, as the writing really flowed.

Please share your favourite paragraph from each of your works.

Hmmm… favourite paragraph, let’s see. How about this one (which is actually a little longer than a paragraph!):

“He closed the tailgate just as he heard the passenger door slam. She buckled up, then sat, clutching her sack and staring straight ahead. He might vomit. He wasn’t sure if it was the fear of hurting her further, or the trust she’d so readily placed in him, that made him ill. He ripped open a box of granola bars and climbed into the truck. He placed the bars on the seat beside him and shifted the truck into gear.

“Might be stale,” he warned, then he ate one anyway.

She reached a tentative hand, caked in dirt and blood, to press play on the stereo. He’d been listening to this on the drive over, but now, the third verse of Paul Simon’s “Call Me Al” hit him in the gut. He finally got it. He clenched his jaw to quell the rising emotion. The girl bobbed her head along with the bass line. He’d never had an epiphany before. In this moment, he chose to become the man he’d always wanted his father to be.

What are you currently working on?

A series of short stories based in the world of After the Virus, a bloody comedy called High School Reunion from Hell, and the 1^st book in my Dragon Chronicles series.

Which writers and artists have influenced your work so far?

The complete list would be crazy long, but in short, After the Virus, was written in homage to Margaret Atwood, Stephen King & Robert Kirkman. I am also very influenced by the Coen Brothers, Tarantino, and William Gibson.

What inspires you to write?

Mostly there is just a story in my head and I need to get it onto paper… I love to see how it is all going to play out, but, if I am stuck, listening to music usually cements me back into the story. I make a playlist for each project I am working on.

How often do you write?

Usually every day, if I am lucky.

If you could take three books with you on to a desert island - which ones would you choose and why?

            

Can’t I just take my ereader and every digital book I own?? Well, I guess the battery would eventually run out… this is a really difficult question… I suppose I should say The Bible, The Illiad and Paradise Lost or The Canterbury Tales, just to sound like a writer probably should sound, but honestly I haven’t read those in years and then I only read them once! How about The Stand, Gone with the Wind, and Pattern Recognition?

From your experiences so far, what would be your best piece of advice for aspiring indie authors?

Write, write and write more. Don’t edit yourself on your first pass. Then get feedback from a lot of different people. Temper this feedback with your vision for the story. Rewrite, then rewrite again. Make sure you have a clear beginning, middle and end. Believe.

Bio: Meghan Ciana Doidge is an award-winning independent filmmaker based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She has a penchant for bloody love stories, superheroes, and the supernatural. She also has a bit of a thing for chocolate, potatoes, and sock yarn.

AFTER THE VIRUS is Meghan’s first novel.

You can connect with her on: her personal blog, www.madebymeghan.ca

…as well as all the usual social media suspects.

Amazon Kindle link: http://amzn.to/m8XXkj

Free sample chapters: http://wp.me/P1B9jn-b