Please Welcome Samantha Bacchus!

So excited Karen, my first ever interview!

Wow, your first one? Well. I am honored to be the first one to interview you!

Tell us, how did you get involved with the short story group?

I had ventured onto Twitter and come across lots of lovely Indie Authors who were willing to share their experiences as well as their stories/novels. I found James, who, like me, had a short story on Alfie Dog Fiction. After a few conversations (sorry – Tweets!), he said I should contact Vanessa about joining the Short Story Group. I was so excited to be given an opportunity to become part of this great group.

How many of the short story books do you have a story in and which ones?

Two. My first short – It’s Not Elfing Funny was included in A Festive Feast and then Last Summer was later included in the second edition of Out of Darkness.

     

Can you give us one sentence describing each story, so we know a little bit about them?

‘It’s Not Elfing Funny’ is a humorous story about Sarah, who gets herself into a sticky situation whilst dressed in an Elf costume.

Sam, I loved ‘It’s Not Elfing Funny’ It was hilarious! I haven’t read ‘Last Summer’ though. Guess I need to catch up with the second edition of ‘Out of Darkness’

In ‘Last Summer’, Ally gets more than she bargained for when she buys a handbag in a second hand shop and finds a mysterious key inside.

If the short story group puts out another collection, will you submit a story again?

I have submitted another story for the next collection. I will definitely continue to do so as long as my stories are accepted! I think it is such a good, simple idea to raise some money, however small, to go towards a good cause. Plus I love being part of The Short Story Group, it’s been a really good learning experience and I’ve got to know (virtually at least) some great people.

Okay, now for the hard part. 
Tell us about your writing habits. Do you write every day?

Do tweets and emails count? 😉 If so, then yes.

The age old advice is to write every day. I know this, but I cannot lie- I fail to take this on board despite my best intentions. I have tried, with varying degrees of success, to get up early and write before anyone else gets up, or write when everyone else is in bed. As both of these times are when I tend to be pretty tired, I’m not exactly as productive as I would like to be. Mid-morning seems to be the best time for me, after I have taken my dog Riley out for his first walk. Then I can settle, get on the laptop, cup of coffee beside me, which I am likely to allow to go cold (then microwave it 3 times) and write. Once I start I can do quite well, generally I will be able to get a first draft of a short story completed by the afternoon.

How long have you been writing?

I have always enjoyed making up stories but I didn’t really begin seriously writing until I began a writing course following the birth of my second child in 1997. I also bought a number of ‘how to’ books on writing fiction at this time. Unfortunately I never finished the course and the books ended up in a box in the garage! Years later I found them and my desire to write became strong enough to actually write. I wrote my first short story and sold it to a woman’s magazine in 2010- I was so pleased with myself!

How many books do you have out?

Well, that would be zero! I only have the short stories in the collections and one on Alfie Dog Fiction. I have many that are on my laptop that are either mid-way through awaiting a suitable ending, or ones that are awaiting a suitable market!

Do you have a favorite one that you have written? Why?

My favourite to write was ‘It’s Not Elfing Funny’. There were a few real life incidents that had happened to friends that inspired this story. I also think that this kind of thing could definitely happen to me!

What’s next for you? Are you working on another book? Tell us a little about it.

I am going to continue to write short stories, both for myself and the Short Story Group and to submit to women’s magazines. I aim to put together a collection of short ‘chick-lit’ stories and publish it independently (which is a bit of a technophobe I find scary!) I have started my first novel which is a psychological thriller and am currently having great fun doing this because it is so different from crafting short stories.

What do you do to relax when you aren’t writing?

Mainly I read. I have so many books on my bookshelves that I have yet to read, and still I cannot help myself and continue to buy more and more. I love to sit in my reading chair with a good book and lose myself in it. Nothing can penetrate when I’m reading, so all of the noise from my family is shut out and I am in my own world. Perfect. I also relax by going on a long walk with my border terrier Riley. He’s a year old and fab (and a bit crazy like his owner). My other past time is watching films, I’m a real film buff. My DVD collection is vast, and if I like a film I am quite happy to watch it again and again (until I know all the lines!)

Any other creative pastimes? Crafts, gardening, art, etc.?

I have a puzzle addiction. It started when I was a child and did puzzles with my Dad. Now if I have one on the go, it draws me in and I cannot walk past it without having to do a bit more…then one more piece…oh go on then, just one more…
Nothing else gets done until it’s finished!

Ahhh…The jigsaw puzzles. Our tradition was, right after Christmas dinner and as soon as the table was cleared off, the puzzle was dumped out on the table and stayed there until it was all put together. It was my brother’s favorite family thing. Haven’t done that in 12 years. I think this year we should start doing them again. Oops, sorry I interrupted, go on. 🙂

I have recently got into baking. I blame The Great British Bake Off – seeing them produce such fabulous cakes meant that I had to purchase the book and try for myself. I’m not good, but the children eat most of my attempts!

I love the baking shows. My favorite one here is called, Cake Boss. It’s amazing how creative these bakers are.

Sam it has been a pleasure interviewing you. Good luck with all your endeavors!

You can find Sam on twitter HERE

• Posted in: interviews ♦ short story group
• Tagged: interviews, karen einsel, karens different corners, sam bacchus, samantha bacchus, short story group