Author Interview with Julia Golding

Since 2006, the amazing Julia Golding has published 13 books, with at least 3 more written! These books include the popular Cat Royal series and Companions Quartet, as well as a series featuring a teenage spy, and a couple of standalone novels. Recently I got the chance to ask her a few questions.

What are you reading at the moment?
Books on Tudor England - many and various.

Ooh, exciting. I wonder if this has anything to do with a certain new Tudor book you’ve mentioned...
What was the first story you ever wrote?
Can't remember, but I filled many notebooks while at primary school with stories.

Your range of careers seems to have been as diverse as the genres of your books. Did you have a favourite job (other than author), or do you just enjoy the variation?
Oxfam

Can you speak Polish?
Tak

You’ve written an incredible amount of books in just a few years, so what’s the writing process like? What is a typical day for you, how many hours do you spend writing?
Fun, most of the time, but difficult when the family is at home (like now) and I can't get to it because they are under my feet (literally). Usually about four hours, starting off in a cafe and then at home in my study.

How long does each book take to write?
Depends - about 3 to 4 months spread over a year or more.

How did you find out that your first book was going to be published? What was your reaction?
It was a slow process of growing commitment from OUP so there was no Eureka moment.

How do you manage working with two publishers at the same time?
I have more than 2 and it's fine.

If you had to pick one favourite scene from any of your books, which would it be?
Cat boxing Syd.

Which is your favourite book cover?
Cat Among the Pigeons

I love Stingo, he’s amazing and just makes me smile. Do you know any real-life Stingos?
If only... I did know a very military minded human rights worker who did loads of dangerous stuff to find evidence of abuses and I suppose Stingo owes something to him. He was great to go hiking with because he carried all the equipment and whipped up a hot meal on top of a mountain.

Thanks Julia, for taking time out of your hectic schedule to talk to me.


What’s next?
The publication of Cat’s Cradle and Deadlock has unfortunately been pushed back until 2010 due to a cover rethink, but her next novel, Wolf Cry, is out in August.

You can visit Julia’s wonderful website here, which includes a question and answer section with the cast from the Cat Royal series – at the moment Syd is in the question chair, so get any questions you have in fast.