World Book Day: ‘Just do it’, Jo tells would-be writers

Jo Zebedee has published five books, with a sixth on the way in November.
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The science fiction writer is author of The Abendau trilogy (2015-2016), Inish Carraig (2015), and Waters and The Wild (2017).

“I found myself with some time on my hands one summer and returned to scratch the itch of a book idea I’d had since I was a teenager. I then joined a specialist science fiction forum to gain the skills I needed, both as a writer and a world creator”.

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“I love getting to know the characters and the discovery of where the story might go,” she says. 

Jo Zebedee.Jo Zebedee.
Jo Zebedee.

 “I used to write every day but my time is tighter now so I don’t always manage that. When I write, it’s late afternoon as a favourite time with a cup of tea in the middle of family bedlam at the kitchen table. I aim for a chapter a day,”

 Only one of Jo’s books – Inish Carraig (her most popular) – has been self-published.

“I do plan another self-published book (a Cullybackey climate change dystopia) and have another coming out from my publisher, Inspired Quill, in November. I like the freedom to choose,” she says. 

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“It’s harder than ever to make a living. Debut authors have less time to make an impact and midlist authors are terribly squeezed due to publishing trends. Lockdowns have also had a horrid impact on visibility,” Jo says. 

Her advice for would-be authors is “Just do it. And get a support network in place. It’s tough out there. Oh, and have fun...”

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