August 28th 2022
The last few years have produced a few literary firsts for me – writing my first blog entry being the latest! I have always loved reading, although at times I haven’t read as much as I would have liked. When I was in school I was shy and reclusive (which is still true!), but always loved spending time in the library. My interests ranged from non-fiction nature books to a mixture of teen thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, and Jane Austen (again, all still true!). Regardless of book, TV, or film format, I think sci-fi and fantasy has always been at the top of my list, so although writing a novel was another surprise first for me, it is perhaps less surprising that this is the area I have found my stories stemming from.
After all, who doesn’t love a little speculation, fantasy or magic?!
I am a self-professed country bumpkin at heart and absolutely love living in the wilds of Suffolk surrounded by rolling fields and my animals – with my family of course! My father, like his father, was a farmer, and as I grew up, I had every intention of following in their footsteps. In fact, I did for many years, and even when I changed jobs and the family farm became the smallholding it is now, creatures great and small have always featured both at home and at work. Growing up I knew my sister and (sadly now, late) mother could both write, but my call to do so came much later.
37 years later, in fact.
As a dog parent, guardian, and breeder, the health and happiness of my dogs is paramount. Over many years my ‘Guide to Your New Puppy’ increased in size, and is now a full magazine for my pup owners. However, it wasn’t until I was (yet again) hit by frustration of seeing a dog dragged along on a walk without being able to sniff, that I allowed myself to write beyond the informative.
Suddenly, I found myself with the cheeky voice of a terrier skipping through my head in poetic rhythm, telling short tales of canine appreciation. My husband has only ever been 100% supportive, but I will never forget his surprise when I informed him I had written two poems – you see, it isn’t just me who knows I’m a country bumpkin!
Joking aside, those poems have changed a lot for me because I found, once unmuted, the creative voice within would not stop until I had two books worth of poetry. Mixing my love of canine photography, I titled these self-published books Tales of the Terrier and Head to Tail of the Terrier, and shared them with friends and family. I really wasn’t sure what reaction I would get, yet the encouragement and kind words I received helped me to step further out of my comfort zone and attempt something I had secretly told myself for years I could not do.
I wrote.
I wrote a story totally unconnected to anything I had done before. For someone who lives as quietly as I do, it has been a scary, but mentally liberating process. I am incredibly grateful to those who have helped me thus far, and although two years into my journey I know there’s still much more to learn, I am nervously excited to share not only this blog entry, but also my first novel with the wider world.
The concept for The Minority Rule had been with me for a couple of years before I started writing, but it wasn’t until I let my mind free that Maia’s story really found me. That might sound a little weird, but hopefully you understand what I mean!
The base of the trilogy, although set a hundred years in the future, looks at our relationship with one another, the natural world, and our responsibility as Guardians of Earth through the eyes of two young women who have been oppressed by the system that they have been raised to faithfully abide by.
I really hope you love Maia as much as I do – and return in 2023 for the rest of the trilogy!
Alexia x
PS. Stay tuned for a THE MINORITY RULE release date! It will be available from Amazon and many other online stores in paperback and eBook format soon.
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