Guest Author Margaret Lynette Sharp

Margaret Lynette Sharp is joining us at Scatterbooker today. Margaret is the author of Love, Desire and Betrayal and Of Love and Secrets as well as over 150 short stories. She lives in Sydney with her husband, Ronald Sharp, who is the very highly regarded creator of the Grand Organ in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Of Love and Secrets and Love, Desire and Betrayal are both on my current reading list and I will be reviewing both novels in the next few weeks.

Margaret and her Maltese Cross, Chicki

Where do you find inspiration for your novels?

My new release, ‘Of Love and Secrets’ is my longest work. I really don’t know where the inspiration for it, or any of my stories, comes from. It’s a matter of making the decision to start a new project, and then tossing around ideas in my head, jotting them down as they appeal to me. I’ve written over a hundred and fifty short stories, so I guess I have a considerable store of ideas tucked away in my subconscious.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I’ve never had it. If I want to write, I write.

Which of your characters, if any, are most similar to you?

There is a little bit of me in many of my characters.  I share Michaela’s love of music and Amelia’s desire for success (each in different novellas in the collection entitled ‘Love, Desire and Betrayal’). As a young woman, I was a little naïve like Jenny in ‘Of Love and Secrets’.

Which of your characters has been the most difficult to write?

No-one stands out particularly. If I’m pressed for an answer, I’d say Steven (of ‘Amelia’s Call’, a novella in ‘Love, Desire and Betrayal’.) He is not like anyone I know.

What is your favourite thing to do to relax?

That’s easy: swimming. I love it! I’ve been involved at local competition level for over thirty years. But I love recreational swimming best!

Which book do you wish that you had written yourself?

There are many books and authors that I truly admire, especially in the classics, but I don’t consciously *wish* that I’d written them. They are each written in their author’s unique voice.

What is your greatest achievement (so far)?

In the literary sense, I think it’s the completion of ‘Of Love and Secrets’. I wrote it to achieve my ambition of writing a longer work.

Are you working on anything at the moment?

I am always working on my blog, but at present I have no plans to write any more books. But that may change, if ‘Of Love and Secrets’ is well received.

To find out more about Margaret and her writing you can visit her blog https://margaretlynettesharp.wordpress.com/ which contains book information, book reviews and some stunning photos taken by Margaret around Sydney.

You can also find Margaret on Twitter @MargaretLynett1 and Facebook

View Margaret’s books on Amazon

View Margaret’s Goodreads profile