National Bookshop Day Questions

A big thank you to all the wonderful authors who helped celebrate National Bookshop Day with us this year!!

On the day we asked a few of the authors three questions each about books and bookstores. Here are their answers.

Jason Fischer

1) What was your favourite moment in a bookshop?

The moment I picked up 'The Sword of Shannara' and knew I wanted to write my own book just like that one at age 12.

2) What do you like about bookshops?

What's not to like? The shelves groan with shiny new titles, the staff are enthusiastic and passionate, and there's always something for everyone!

3) Why are bookshops important to you?

AS an author, these are my lifeblood and conduit to the reader. Long may bookshops last!!

Jackie Barreau

1) Are bookshops necessary in this day and age?

Absolutely! When with a switch to online stores, building a rapport with your local or favourite bookstore is essential in supporting large and small business. The older generation also don't tend to shop 'online'.

2) What was your first experience in a bookshop?

That would be a very long time ago, needless to say I really can't remember.

3) Why are bookshops important to you?

They enable authors (especially independent and self published) to gain some publicity and 'sell' their brand (themselves) and their books. To get amongst a potential fan bas and build a relationship with that particular bookshop for future releases. This flows into social media such as Facebook and Twitter

Melanie Casey

1) What was your first experience in our bookshop?

Very positive! Welcoming staff and environment, well organised as well. Thanks so much for all the promotional effort put into my book - it's greatly appreciated.

2) Name three books you couldn't live without?

The Life of Pi

An Imaginary Life - David Malouf

Hamlet - Shakespeare

3) Why are bookshops important to you?

I am an avid reader as well as a writer so bookshops are one of my favourite places.

Kathryn White

1) What draws you into a bookshop?

Lots of things, beautiful books and presentation. Knowing that there are lots of stories inside waiting to be read and great service.

2) Are bookshops necessary in the digital age?

Absolutely! Nothing beats personalised service and the social aspect of being inside a bookshop.

3) Why are bookshops important to you?

It's a place where I can find/discover new books and meet like minded people.

Aprille Legacy

1) If you could take three books to a deserted island, what would they be?

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K Rowling

Artemis Fowl #1 - Eoin Colfer

2) What was your first experience in a bookshop?

Don't remember the very first but my earliest is being taken into Angus & Robertson to by the next Artemis Fowl book.

3) Why are bookshops important to you?

I couldn't live without bookstores! They're important to me because they have every book I could possibly want and are the places I go whenever I need to top up my bookshelf.

Author Interview - Aprille Legacy - Soul Fire

We asked author Aprille Legacy to tell us how she got started with Soulfire.

Rose Evermore has lived in Ar Cena her entire life. Despite this, she still feels like an outsider, like a shoe that doesn’t quite fit. Halfway through her eighteenth year, she begins to notice changes around her, such as the fact that she has a stalker who can hold fire in his bare hands, or the dreams that she can turn into reality.

After a series of mishaps, Rose finds herself in an alternate realm, brought there to hone the magical power she was born with. Even here, though, Rose feels set apart. The Academy Masters treat her differently than the others. Her assigned soul mate avoids her when he should be working with her. Despite all this, Rose begins to grow into something no one could’ve seen coming; a hero.

With her, nothing is as it should be, and she decides to find out why. Soon she discovers that not everything about this new world is what it seems.

Least of all her.

Soul Fire began to build itself in my head shortly after I turned sixteen. A year later I couldn’t ignore it anymore, and started writing it out in full. Instead of doing homework in Year Twelve, I would sit on my laptop for hours, writing a story that was just for me and I never intended anyone else to see it. It took me about nine months, but in October 2009, the first 50,000 word draft was completed. I buried it for two years as I kind of gave up on my dream for a while. I was working full time and I just couldn’t see that dream ever becoming a reality so I let it go for a bit.  

About a year later, I posted the first chapter of the Soul Fire draft to a website called Goodreads and the response I got was overwhelming. Within three months of posting it up, Soul Fire was the most liked unpublished work of all time. Encouraged by this, I set to work on larger, better planned out draft which I completed in November 2012 after leaving my job in Victor Harbor and moving to the city. With a completed draft in hand I set about half-heartedly looking at some of the larger publishers, but I couldn’t find one that suited what I wanted to write (adventure, pure and simple). 

So in May 2013, I decided that self-publishing was the way to go, after talking to some of my author friends and investigating the process. It’s been almost two months since I officially released Soul Fire and the journey has been amazing and scary and wonderful. It’s been interesting working out how to go about being a self-published author, but having my book on my bookshelf and readers eagerly anticipating the sequel has made it all worth it.

Aprille Legacy is a twenty something who currently resides in Adelaide, South Australia. She lives with her best friend and has an addiction to fortune cookies; there's something reassuring that comes from boxed wisdom. She was also halfway through a BA until she saw something shiny.

Come and see Aprille on August 10th at 1.15pm for National Bookshop Day at Collins Booksellers Edwardstown!