Emma L Clapperton – My writing journey- so far…

I’d like to welcome Emma all the way from Scotland as she talks about how she got from there to here.

Author of “Beyond Evidence” a YA Paranormal Crime Thriller

My writing journey- so far…

I was in Primary six, which means I was around nine years old when I wrote my first book. I cannot remember what it was called but I do know that it was about seven sisters who hated each other. I laugh when I think about it now but I will say that I have always wanted to be an author. I always enjoyed writing little stories when I was younger whether it was in school or at home and I would always create scenarios when I was playing with my dolls.

When I moved on to High School, I lost my ambition to write and became more interested in art and growing up too quickly (as I am sure many other teenagers do) but as I grew and got to know myself more and more I found a passion for English. I had a fantastic English teacher in second year called Mrs Grant and she was one of the most patient high school teachers I can remember. I think she was partly why I developed a passion for English, even though I didn’t show it much. I always got good marks in English and enjoyed writing essays. I ended up leaving school at the age of sixteen with eight standard grades and one higher (in Scotland the exam board is called SQA – Scottish Qualifications Authority and in fourth year you are required to sit Standard Grade examinations in English, Maths and a Language- either French or German and then a further five subjects of your choice. The standard grade exams were graded 1-7 with 1 being the highest grade and 7 being a fail. I received a 2 for English which I was so pleased about and a 3 for my Art. The rest were 3’s and 4’s which I was satisfied with. In 5^th year I chose to do English, Art, Computing and Media Studies. I passed my Art- gaining an intermediate 2 grade A) and went straight into fulltime employment in Childcare. I literally left school on the Tuesday and started work on Wednesday, having time off for my higher exams. I then went on to study Childcare and gained an SVQ (Scottish Vocational Qualifications) 2 and 3 in Early Years Care and Education and Higher HIV, Hep C and other related illnesses (required to work in a local authority setting). I absolutely loved the job and I still do. I have been working in childcare coming up ten years and I am now based in a Maria Montessori nursery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the best job in the world and I wouldn’t change my career choice, however I did begin thinking about writing again in June 2010. The reason being that a colleague of mine has a partner who has apparently been writing his first novel for eight years although he is very secretive about it and does not share it with anyone. My colleague and I discussed our love for reading and I just decided there and then that I would put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) so I went out and purchased a book named “Your Writing Coach” by Jurgen Wolff and began my research.

I absolutely love all things paranormal, especially since my Grampa died in June 2002. I was absolutely devastated about his death and to this day I still am. He was an amazing Grampa who worked as an engineer (which my Dad followed) and he travelled the world for years, living in places like Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Australia. I remember him being away a lot and when I was little he would always bring back these huge dolls for me and I would be as happy as a child at Christmas. Anytime I saw an aeroplane I would say to my parents “Gampa on the giminey” (that was my word for aeroplane till I was about four years old!) and sometimes when a plane flies over my house I think about him. I know he would be very proud of what I was doing if he was here today.

I decided a few years later that I was going to see a psychic medium just to see if they could give me any accurate information. I sat down with the man who’s name was Fraser and he instantly began talking about my Grampa. How could he know? All I had said was hello! He told me about his love for Whiskey, his bad health and his involvement in Scottish pipe bands. I know what you might be thinking- “All typical information on an old Scottish man!” – but there was something about the way he spoke that made me feel comfortable. Also, there were other things that he said that only I could confirm, things that I had never told anyone before! That’s pretty solid evidence if you ask me!

I was so pleased with my reading that I kept going back to the same place, once per month on a Wednesday evening, with my mum. There was another lady there, Anne and she was every bit as great, if not better, than Fraser. She gave me a private reading and it was from there on in I was totally convinced that after death, there is more.

You probably have me pictured as some crazy woman who worships the dead – but I am just your average twenty six year old woman who lives at home with her boyfriend and two cats.

Anyway, after I decided to write my book and purchased my help material, I asked Anne for some advice. She gave me tips on how to make my character (Patrick, a psychic medium from Glasgow) authentic and believable, even to a sceptic.

And so my novel began, based in Glasgow (my home city) and in the middle of a triple murder inquiry my character and his life grew and grew.

I am on the last few chapters and as the story is coming to a harrowing climax, I cannot imagine my life now without writing. I have made some amazing friends along the way and some of them are so supportive and encouraging. I was encouraged to start up a Facebook page to promote myself and my work and I now have 166 followers and I recently began my own blog, which has 10 followers. For an unpublished author, I think that is pretty amazing. Not only have I had amazing support from my new online friends but my family and friends at home too. My best friend Donna is an artist and she has agreed to design the cover, which I am thrilled about.

I have amazed myself by getting this far, and I am not going to stop until I am holding a copy of “Beyond Evidence” in my hands and whenever I cannot get to my laptop to write, for reasons such as laundry or cooking, my fingers itch and my brain overloads with scenes I am desperate to type up.

I already have an idea for my next novel, I think it is going to be a series, or maybe just a second to the first book. But whatever I do, I can be sure that there will be a laptop and an internet connection nearby. I mean, Google has been my source of research so I am definitely going to need it for my next project.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, I hope you have enjoyed it and maybe one day soon you will see my book for sale, if you do, grab a copy. You never no, if you’re a sceptic, I may change your mind! J

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