First off please introduce yourself to the readers

Hi there my name is Natalie, most people call me Nat. I write under the pen name N Dune because I like to keep my author and private lives separate. I have three children ranging from the eldest who is 22 this year to the youngest who turns 11 in June. My husband is my best friend and he alpha reads all of my books, even though romance is not something he would normally read. I live in the south west of England with my little family and three elderly cats.

1.) Where would you say your ideas come from? What’s your writing process like?

 I usually see a scene in my head, the characters start to show me what’s happening. I never plot so when I sit down to write I have no idea what’s going to happen. Often I’m as surprised as everyone else.

2) What fictional character would you like to go on a date with?

If it was one of my characters I would have to say Jay, he is my absolute favourite. Maybe because he was my first. If we are talking about characters from other authors’ books, that would be a crazy busy date because there would be so many of us. I fall in love with book boyfriends on a regular basis.

3.)How did you celebrate after publishing your first book?

After my first book was published, my hubs and I had some bubbly and a nice meal. It was a special occasion as I’d worked so hard to write and publish that one. I had no idea what I was doing and thankfully had a lot of help from fellow authors, who gave me advice and encouraged me to follow my dream.

What does your editing process look like?

4) My editing process has improved over time. I don’t think there is any set way to do it but what I do works for me. I write and Grammarly as I go. Then read through and edit till I’m happy. After that, I give it to my husband, who reads and edits the grammar/spelling and questions anything that doesn’t make sense. Then I have amazing Beta readers who give me feedback, and finally, I send it to my fantastic editor.

5.) Do you have any deleted scenes you’d like to enlighten the readers about?

 Strangely enough, no, I never delete scenes. When you read my book, you see the scenes exactly as I wrote them, with polish from editing and Beta reading, of course. Maybe the odd word or sentence goes, but I don’t delete chunks out, at least, I haven’t so far.

6) Does real life get in the way of writing?

Yes, real-life often gets in the way of writing 😂 I have a part-time job, but it takes a lot of my time and energy, plus three kids and a house to run. Sometimes days will go by when I don’t write at all, but I make a point of reading every day, usually at night on those busy days. My mind is too fried at night to write.

7) What books have inspired you?

Now, that’s a tricky question. I don’t really have books that inspire me. I love books, I love characters and stories but do they inspire me in real life or inspire me to write? No, I wouldn’t say that they do. I read a lot of dark romance, and for me, reading is a form of escapism. The books I read give me the courage to just let things happen and not worry about what other people may think about what I am writing.

8) How do you come up with titles?

 Sometimes titles will come to me as I write, other times, it takes a while. My cover designer came up with titles for two of the books I hope to release this year. One was on the pre-made I purchased from her to write a duet, and the other she helped with when I gave her my title, which doesn’t really fit the story. Generally, though, I have to start writing the book before a title emerges. I rarely think of them before I’ve started on a book.

9) What are your thoughts on covers and do you judge a book by its cover?

Lol, yes I’m afraid I do. I’m a big cover Hoe and I admit it. I love covers that is what attracts me to them and I rarely read blurbs unless I’m checking if it’s an RH because I love those. Also, I avoid clean romance unless I’m beta reading for a friend, so I check blurbs for an indication that I’m not going to be disappointed. I love shiny covers with lots of colours but I also like dramatic ones too. I’m particularly fond of gorgeous men on covers but equally a beautiful object cover will turn my head and have me checking the book out.

10.) What is your favourite part about writing?

 I have a few favourite parts. I love being so immersed in my writing that I have no idea what time of day it is. I love typing the final sentence and knowing that I’ve completed another book. I even love it when I start crying because the scene I’m writing is so emotional. But one of the many things I love is someone else reading my book and saying that they loved it. That makes me all gooey inside.

Find Nat’s books here

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