Write On! interviews author E A Diamond.

Elizabeth published her first book, The Sign Of Danger, in 2021. She writes in different genres: romance, contemporary, young adult, mystery/thrillers, etc. However, most of her completed stories are mystery/thrillers, and she has plenty of ideas for more.

WO: How would you describe your writing/work to someone new to it?

ED: I would say creative, interesting, fresh and distinctive.

WO: Can you tell us a bit about your latest book, The Sign Of Danger?

ED: It’s my debut book and is a mystery/thriller about a 12-year-old girl who lives with her mother’s sister. She becomes very suspicious of a best friend of her mother’s, a man called Marcus Jensen, who makes a sudden reappearance in her life after her mother’s death.

WO: What inspired you to write in the first place, and what inspires you now?

ED: I always enjoyed English while at school and it’s still my favourite subject. I’m naturally good at it and I love writing!  I started writing a story at 11 on a piece of paper, and managed to get up to chapter ten. Also, I had so many ideas for stories, alongside poetry.

Books, movies, music and TV shows are great sources of inspiration for me.

WO: The current issue of Write On! explores the theme ‘Mind Your Language’. With that in mind, have you ever faced any linguistic difficulties in your writing? Or perhaps it’s been necessary to modify your language for various reasons. How do you weigh up those decisions?

ED: Yes, I’ve had to change certain sentences in my stories or dialogue to make it flow and sound better than it originally did. I think about whether or not the language used will help add to the story, along with whether it will help readers understand the characters and the dialogue. This may mean making certain changes, depending on if things need to be disclosed in a certain scene, or how a particular character will react to those things.

WO: What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer?

ED: I think it would be to enjoy the writing process, the characters and the storyline – everything, in fact! Most importantly, though, have faith in your story. Take breaks when needed and come back to your work when you have fresh ideas.

WO: Question from Twitter user: @Grasshopper2407 – What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters of the opposite sex?

ED: I would say delving into the mind of a man or teenage boy and trying to make them come across as the character I want them to be, in order to suit my storyline.

WO: Can you tell us anything about future projects?

ED: I’m currently working on other stories, one of them being the sequel to my first published book, The Sign Of Danger. I have other completed manuscripts, too. The sequel to The Sign Of Danger is called The Sign Of Danger: Closer To The Truth and follows Bethany as she gets closer to solving the mystery behind her mother’s death. 

WO: Lastly, if you could choose one fictional animal/creature to be a pet or companion, who would it be and why?

ED: Hmm… I have a few in mind but I would go with Aslan from The Chronicles Of Narnia. He’s a very loyal talking lion, takes action, and seems to be reasonable in most of his choices. He has a calming and strong presence, which I like. I think he would be there to comfort and cheer me, even in hard times. He’s willing to stop any bad people, even if it means getting hurt himself. 

You can connect with Elizabeth Diamond on Instagram: @lizzywrites19, on Tumblr: yesdreameronacloud.tumblr.com

The Sign Of Danger is available to buy from Amazon:  amazon.co.uk/Sign-Danger-Diamond/dp/1528951344, from WH Smiths:  whsmith.co.uk/products/the-sign-of-danger/eadiamond/paperback/9781528951340 and from Waterstones: waterstones.com/book/the-sign-of-danger/ea-diamond/9781528951340

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Issue 13 of  Write On! magazine is available now. You can find it here. 

Each edition of our Write On! Audio podcast features an exclusive interview. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo or find us on Anchor FM.

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