Meet Our Members: Leanne Wood

Most Thursdays in 2019 we will be interviewing one of the members of Christian Writers Downunder to find out a little bit more about them and their writing/editing goals.


Today interview Leanne Wood

Tells us three things about who you are and where you come from.

I am a poet, an avid reader and the author of five novels. 

With an extensive background in business, law and psychology, I said goodbye to my corporate career and have spent the last five years devoted to writing stories about life and on subjects’ people can relate, stories that evoke emotion and take readers on a journey.

I live in the Central Tablelands and I love cooking, gardening and the great outdoors. 

Tell us about your writing (or editing/illustrating etc). What do you write and why?

While there has been a persistent sentiment among publishers and agents in the traditional publishing world to stick to one genre, I have not pigeon-holed myself. My stories are about personal experience.

My first novel, Pages Of Your Life – The Secret Life Of Shirley Rumming was historical fiction and formed the basis for my, “Secrets Trilogy” an Australian family saga. The subsequent novels within this trilogy were mystery and suspense.

My fourth novel, Torment was a thriller/suspense while my latest novel, The Belonging was a clean contemporary Christian fiction. Why? Because stories about life are varied, stories about life can’t be pigeon-holed.

Who has read your work? Who would you like to read it?

I am blessed to have a wonderful international fan base. One of my greatest rewards as an author is to receive positive feedback from those who have enjoyed my work. With varied genres and a target audience of adult and young adults, I’m more than happy for anyone to read my stories.

Tell us something about your process. What challenges do you face? What helps you the most?

My process is always slow to start, using an excel spreadsheet I detail chapter outline and character descriptions. This spreadsheet is my guide and can be modified as the characters develop. My writing is fast, yet never systematic as I pick the chapter I’ll work on according to my mood. At the conclusion of a writing session I edit. When all pieces of my puzzle (all chapters) are complete I read the complete novel and conduct full edit. Then it’s sent away to my wonderful team of beta readers. When returned I change the font style, size and colour to make any changes and re-read. Changing fonts may sound a little weird, but I was offered this advice years ago and it does assist as it reduces the chances of anticipated recognition. I also convert my novel to an audio file and listen to identify any tiny errors. Finally, it’s sent to my editor, returned for yet another revision. At this stage I employ the services of a professional cover designer and arrange advance reader copies to be distributed. Formatting and upload complete!

What is your favourite Writing Craft Book and why?

My main source of reference to assist with writing style, structure and grammar is the internet, and I subscribe to various sites and blogs. My favourite being Linda S. Clare, an expert writing advisor for George Fox University.

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi has also proven to be of great assistance.

If you were to give a shout-out to a CWD author, writer, editor or illustrator – who would they be?

My shout out would be non-specific. I wish all members all the very best in all their endeavours, both within the artistic world and with personal life.

What are your writing goals for 2019/2020? How will you achieve them?

My writing goals for 2019/2020 are promoting my current novels and outlining ideas for my next. I’m also enjoying the opportunity to give back to others, offering my services to review and critique written creations for aspiring authors. Over the years I’ve received so much assistance from those with more experience, and I believe giving back is not only important, but extremely rewarding.

Question 8: How does your faith impact and shape your writing?

Faith impacts and shapes our lives in every aspect including writing. Religion plays a positive role in shaping one’s personality and morals, it provides support and help through difficult times. Faith allows one to find strength to move forward, believing delivers peace and comfort. When faced with any challenge in life, be it writing or anything else I remember what the Bible teaches us. God not only offers us encouragement when we’re in a difficult pit, but he actually enters into the pit with us to see us through.

“The Belonging” purchasing link: https://www.amazon.com/Belonging-Leanne-Wood-ebook/dp/B07TJLLBZK/

Leanne Wood is a poet, an avid reader and the author of five novels. With an extensive background in business, law and psychology, Leanne said goodbye to her corporate career and has spent the last five years devoted to writing stories about life and on subjects’ people can relate, stories that evoke emotion and take readers on a journey. Her latest work is a clean contemporary Christian fiction, The Belonging.
Leanne lives and works out of her home in the Central Tablelands of Australia, she loves cooking, gardening and the great outdoors.



SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LeanneWoodauthor

Twitter https://twitter.com/LeanneWoodautho

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/leannewoodauthor

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00SM1OGW2