Author Interview: Nicky Peacock

Last week I was happy to have an author spotlight for Nicky Peacock (you can read the spotlight for Crimson Sky here), and today we're continuing our blog tour/exchange with author interviews! Nicky's a creative story teller who's been published in five countries, writing a truly impressive forty short stories featured in various anthologies and working with nearly twenty publishers! She's definitely going places as a horror author, and I'm very excited to have her on the blog again. Check out the interview below for more about Nicky!

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Tell us about your newest release, Bad Timing, and what readers can expect.

Bad Timing is the 2^nd in the Battle of the Undead series, so lots of violent vampires, gross zombies, daring rescues, bloody action and characters making bad decisions and having terrible timing. Britannia is as stubborn as ever and we discover a little more as to how the zombie uprising happened.

What made you most excited for writing Bad Timing? Was there anything you were nervous about?

The series was plotted as a trilogy, so Bad Timing was always on the cards. I was nervous that this is the middle book and so worked hard to ensure that, like many other middle books in a trilogy, it wasn’t just a stop gap between the start and the end. There’s a definitive storyline in this one along with the continuing plot line that links all the books in the series.

How many more books are you planning for this series?

I’ve got a prequel called Traitors’ Gate coming out end of Feb 2016 which is more of a compliment to the series as this is set back in time. But for the main series, it’s got one more which I’m currently writing. This is entitled Bad Karma.

Do you have another novel or book series that you’re planning?

I’ve actually already started another series with Evernight Teen called The Twisted and The Brave. This is more horror/thriller with a dash of urban fantasy. Each book is twisted with a classic children’s book. The first book in the series Lost in Wonderland is due out April 2016.

What do you love about writing?

I love creating stories. I’ve always been an avid reader and although I devour at least 3 books a month, sometimes I can’t find the sort of books I want to read – that’s when I put my writer’s head on and start working. I adore creating characters but by far the biggest thrill I get is when I see the front cover of my books. I’m a bit of a cover-judger so when I see a beautiful cover with my name on, it’s just amazing!

Can you tell us a little about your writing method?

I tend to have a long term plot that can be evolved as I go. I monkey mind the first draft and then have a rather anal 7 step editing system to polish the manuscript before I send it to my publishers. The story itself though spends a lot of time marinating in my dark imagination though before it comes to life on the laptop. 

What advice would you give to new authors?

Treat writing like a job and dedicate serious time to it. If you don’t, the procrastination demons can get their claws in you and suddenly the idea of being a writer is much more attractive than the reality of actually getting the work done.

What's the one question you dread in interviews?

It’s usually, where did the idea for your book come from? Most people ask it and unfortunately I never have a definitive answer to it. All my books are a mixture of random thoughts, my reader desires and some personal stuff – so it can be hard to answer the question without being incoherent or boring!

Which book do you wish you'd written and why?

I’m quite money driven so probably Twilight! I loved the books, they were cleverly written drawing in lots of teen issues and wrapping them up in a pretty paranormal romance bow. One of the dirty little secrets of today’s publishing industry is that most authors still have to retain a full time job (if they want the luxuries in life like food and shelter!) so to have a book that makes me enough money so I can comfortably write full time, that’s the dream!

Who is your favourite villain and hero?

For both, I’d say Shane from The Walking Dead. He may have committed quite a few moral infractions, but he did it all to keep the woman he loved alive – and if zombies ever did hit our streets, that’s the kind of guy I’d want by my side.

What are you watching on TV at the moment?

Too much of everything! TV is one of my vices. I’m loving the DC shows such as Flash, Arrow and Marvel’s Agent Carter and Agents of Shield. The Walking Dead (of course!) and Game of Thrones (can’t wait to see what they do with the series now they’ve nearly run out of books!) I also just watched the Scream series on Netflix – who knew you could stretch a slasher movie into 10 + hours!

A genie pops out of a lamp, what's the first thing you wish for?

I think I’d wish for endless will power. Just think of all the things you could achieve with a massive lump of will power to get them done.

Thank you for the interview, Amy!

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Nicky is an English author living in the UK. When she’s not writing her YA and adult urban fantasy and horror fiction, she is running a writers’ group and helping local schools with creative writing working shops to encourage the next generation of budding authors.

Some random Nicky facts:

She loves chocolate and hates fleece.

She loves dogs and hates monkeys (they look too human)

She always has one day a week where she doesn’t have her phone on or touches the internet.

Organising is her ‘thing’ and she hates being late for anything.

Her favourite colour changes depending on her mood.

She tends to write in UK spelling (you may have already noticed that!)

She can’t live without TV but could easily live without social media.

Her favourite food is a roast dinner, but she won’t eat lamb.

She’s weirded out by having to write in the third person – so I’m stopping now!

Author Links: Blog: Twitter: YAFacebook Page: UKAmazon Author Page: US Amazon Author page: Good Reads: Pinterest: Tumblr: Authorgraph: Google +: 

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Be sure to come back on Saturday to read my review of Nicky's latest novel, Bad Timing! Happy to have you, Nicky!

Amy