I am super excited to finish out the year in an interview exchange with the amazing urban fantasy writer, G Clatworthy. Check out Gemma’s blog for more of our conversation.

Here’s what one reviewer said about Awakening, Rise of the Dragons, Book 1.

I LOVED this book, it’s got some wonderful characters, thrilling world building and not a single page is wasted. This was the first book I’ve read in years that kept me eager to keep turning the page from start to finish. Without giving away any spoilers I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story developed and how the characters were weaved into it.

Can’t wait to start on the second book.

PS I live in the city this is based in, I’ll never look at the castle the same way again!

Gino B.

Let’s meet the author.

G Clatworthy started writing during the 2020 lockdown (her first book was called The Girl Who Lost Her Listening Ears, which tells you all you need to know about lockdown!). She soon switched to urban fantasy and she loves mixing the magical with the mundane, especially if it involves dragons!

Thank you for joining me on my Spotlight, Gemma! It has been amazing to find so many new authors visiting my blog who got their start during the pandemic lockdown days. In your bio, you mention that “soon you switched to urban fantasy” after writing a children’s book. What inspired you to focus on that genre?

GC. – I love mixing magic into real life and I enjoy reading in that genre, so I decided to write some books that I’d enjoy reading. Both the Rise of the Dragons and Omensford series are set in the same universe, which is our modern world but with magic; think dwarves and elves wandering around with mobile phones!

It’s a fun genre to write in and, of course, it helps with worldbuilding because everyone is experiencing the modern world right now, so I don’t have to spend lots of time explaining things and can get straight into the story.

DLL. I can relate to that. 😀 I tend to set my fantasy stories in places around the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Cascades in small towns in California, Nevada, and Oregon. It’s fun and effortless to imagine supernatural races living among humans in places that are familiar, which leads into my next question.

I love mixing fantasy elements, races, and cultures with real-world backgrounds and talking to other writers about what they like about that. Can you expand on your favorite aspects of “mixing the magical with the mundane” as you say? And along with that question, do you have any plans to explore other fantasy genres?

GC. I live close to the Cotswolds, which is where my Omensford series is set and I went to university in Cardiff where my first series is set, so I enjoy bringing that level of local knowledge to the books. I think it adds an element of realism which anchors all the magical things that go on. 

In terms of other fantasy genres, I’m working on a shared world collaboration called Cozy Vales (check out the authors at www.cozyvales.com) which will be a cosy fantasy world with high fantasy and low stakes. I can’t wait to share that with everyone, it’s the perfect genre for snuggling up under a blanket and reading on a cold winter’s evening.

DLL. What a gorgeous, iconic place to call home. I traveled through the Cotswolds in 1990, and lingered at sites like Warwick Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon. Seeing the River Avon winding below Caesar’s Tower is still sharp in my mind decades later. Before I consumed supernatural romance series, I devoured cozy reads. I will definitely check out Cozy Vales.

Can you give us a peek into your works in progress?

GC. I’m finishing up the next two books in the Omensford series now – those will be out next year and will be the last two in this current arc with Fi and Mort, although I might return to it in the future. One of the things my readers love with this series is the exchange of puns between Fi and her sister, Agatha, so I’m having a lot of fun getting those just right.

As I said, I’m also working on a cosy fantasy collaboration which is a lot of fun to write and read.

Where do you get your inspiration for your characters? Which are your favorite secondary characters from your works and why?

GC.  Really, the characters come to me first and this group of witches came fully formed in Book 5 of my Rise of the Dragons series as a sort of Women’s Institute but for witches, and they needed their own series! The main character is Fi, who’s a tech witch with a penchant for blowing things up. In book 1 – Bedsocks and Broomsticks – she loses her job, gets roped into ‘helping’ her mother with the Halloween Fete and becomes suspect number 1 when one of the judges is killed…it’s been described as Jessica Fletcher if she worked in IT, lived in an English village and had magic!

DLL. I love these! I’m currently enjoying Awakening.

What or who is your biggest inspiration that set you on the path to becoming a writer?

GC. I’ve always loved creating stories and worlds so I think in some ways it was inevitable. I took back my commuting time during lockdown after a very hard few months and used that for writing, which helped me protect my mental health and feel a little more normal again. But what pushed me to publish my writing was a deadline for taking part in my first anthology because one of the criteria was that you had to have published a book!

Can you share your top three books? Or in the alternative, top three authors?

GC. Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series – that is my absolute favorite series. Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows is a perfect heist book. And then I struggle to pick a third because I read so widely, so let me share some indie authors with your readers: Heather G Harris, C N Rowan, Kim McDougall, Lynn Morrison are all authors I’ve read this year and are well worth checking out.

DLL. What a fantastic selection to add to my list. I’ve read one of these authors, at least. I really enjoyed Kim McDougall’s Valkyrie Bestiary series.

What can you share with us about your journey from writing to publishing your books? Do you have a team who helps you with editing, marketing, and artwork? What are your favorite tools or software you find most beneficial?

GC. I’m an indie author and I try to keep my costs down, so my favourite software is Pro Writing Aid which is an editing tool that catches typos and passive voice before I send a manuscript anywhere. I also have a great team of beta readers – thanks beta dragons! – and I outsource my covers to design companies because I don’t have the experience in design to do those myself.

DLL. One of these days, I will turn my focus on meeting and working with beta readers. I’ve been shy about reaching out, but I know it is an invaluable part of the journey and process.

Where do you see yourself as a writer in five years?

GC. I would love to either be writing full time or at least have a better balance between the day job and the writing as, at the moment, I’m squeezing it in around my family and my work.

DLL. All the best to you on that!

What is your favorite way to engage with your readers? Along with that, what’s your advice on joining writing communities? 

GC. Getting emails from readers is one of my favorite things to see in my inbox, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to your favourite author, especially if you’re saying nice things to them. Other than that, people can find me on Facebook where I also have a readers’ group for my Book Wyrms – check out our meme Mondays! – or Instagram or I am on TikTok, but I find that less of a place to engage with readers.

In terms of writing communities, I think they are fantastic for getting to know other authors, sharing ideas, helping each other out. One of the things I love about authors is that I haven’t experienced any gatekeeping, only everyone sharing their experiences and helping people succeed. Because the world is a better place with more stories in it.

DLL. Ooh, I like that last part, especially. And yes! Bring on the emails and questions. Thanks, Gemma!

You also interview writers. What is the best part of having those conversations and offering a place to share the voices?

GC. I love interviewing writers. Their stories are so inspiring and it’s so fun to learn a little about people whose books I enjoy and their creative processes. You can find all of my interviews with authors on my website: www.gemmaclatworthy.com

Now for a glimpse into your writer’s life. Do you have a favorite place to write? What are your favorite techniques or methods you use to stay creative and productive?

GC. I tend to write either at my kitchen island where I can look out over the garden or on my standing desk. I have set writing times so I don’t get disturbed and my top tip is to write a few notes for the next scene when you stop a writing session because I find that helps me get straight back into it for the next session.

DLL. I keep hearing about this method for stopping a writing session. I try to do that as well, and it really works!

What advice can you share on how to balance your creativity with other aspects of life?

GC. Being organised is my superpower and my life is hectic, so I have writing time each weekday from 6am-7am that I protect to make sure I have that creative outlet. And I have lists of things I want to get done that day or week so I can use my time effectively and work on things that are important. 

DLL. I can easily see how sticking to a plan works for you with all that you get done!

I noticed you have a place carved out on your website for crafting. Can you tell us about your other creative outlets and how they benefit your writing or vice versa?

GC. I love crafting, and I know you do too! My favourite is embroidery at the moment and I’ve been making bayeux tapestry style movie scenes for my brother. I can get into the details of my favourite stitches if you want (it’s French knot if you’re interested!), but this is an author blog, so let’s say that I’ve also dabbled in stained glass making, I can knit, spin and sew. I’m making a book nook at the moment which is fun but requires a degree of precision that is tricky. I share all my makes on Instagram, if anyone’s interested. 

DLL. Fantastic! You must be super busy this time of year, especially. My imagination is running wild, and I can’t wait to see your posts on these projects, especially the tapestry movie scenes! Stained glass is really challenging. I dabbled in high school. French knots are also difficult but so worth the effort. I bet you do ribbon embroidery, too. 😀

I could discuss needlework all day, but I’ll at least share a couple things here that you brought up in case our readers are interested. I had to look up the Bayeux Tapestry, and I was riveted! The image below links to the Wikipedia article. The second image is an example of French knots from the Craftsy website. I used to take classes there all the time. It made me realize how much I miss it.

Thanks again for visiting, Gemma! Do you have any parting advice for those who want to pursue writing fiction?

GC. Write the words. Remember that the first draft isn’t meant to be perfect and enjoy it.

You can find Gemma on her website, Patreon, Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok.