AD Starrling studied medicine in the UK
AD Starrling earned MD and worked as a Pediatrician
AD Starrling lives in Warwickshire in West Midlands
AD Starrling was born in Mauritius, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean. She completed her studies in medicine in the UK and earned MD at 25. She worked as a Paediatrician till the age of 30. At that juncture, she decided to return to her first love, writing. She is well acclaimed for her peppy thriller series Seventeen. She started with a bang when her debut novel Soul Meaning (the first in the Seventeen series) won and was nominated for various international awards. The same kept happening with her next books. She spends her time in writing next books in the series. She lives in Warwickshire, West Midlands.
Welcome, AD.
Your real name and pen name?
I prefer to use my pen name AD Starrling when it comes to my writing since I am still a practising physician.
Please share some of the best memories of your childhood
I grew up on the island of Mauritius so my childhood was filled with incredible memories. The best ones are of evenings spent playing in the mountain park near my home with my father, as well as going guava picking in the forest with my family.
About your education
My secondary education took place in a girls’ Catholic school run by Irish nuns. It was super fun. We had a mixed bag of international students so I acquired Scottish and British accents pretty early on in my teenage years. After winning a scholarship in the Sciences, I came to the UK to study medicine at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and went on to specialise in Paediatrics.
What languages you can speak and write?
I speak English, French, and Creole fluently, understand Hindi, and can write English and French.
What is your biggest source of inspiration in life?
The tapestry that is life itself.
What hurts you most in this world?
Dishonesty.
If you had to live a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be and why?
I would love to be Sir Terry Pratchett for one day. His ability to blend humour with satire was amazing and he remains one of my favourite authors of all time.
What is your favorite genre and why?
I love action thrillers, which is why I am currently writing an action thriller series. I have loved action thriller movies since I was a child and my Muse seems to like cooking up stories in that specific genre.
When did you start writing? What is the purpose of your writing?
I started writing when I was 11-12 years old. At the time, my father had heavily criticised a creative essay I had done for school and writing more stories started as an act of revenge. I have always had a very active imagination when it comes to creating stories and have been telling tales to friends since I was about 5-6 years old. I stopped writing when I entered medical school and started again about ten years ago. I began publishing in 2012 with the intent of trying to make a living out of my writing. I write because I absolutely love telling entertaining stories and nothing gives me greater joy than having a reader fall in love with the words that I’ve created.
What are your forthcoming writings?
I am currently writing a Kindle World novel based on the works of a popular bestselling US author. My next project will be Book 5 in the Seventeen series. I am also actively working on audiobooks and booktracks.
If Writing a Book is taken as a project, What are the key essentials you take care of in Project Management?
First is scheduling writing time and the potential duration of the project based on my average daily word count. My deadlines are never fixed since I work part-time as a doctor and my shift pattern is not regular. I involve my cover designer before I complete the first draft as I like to give my fans advance previews of my covers. Following the first draft, which would have undergone significant editing along the way, I then submit the manuscript to my editors and my assistant. I rewrite the project with their feedback and send the prepublication manuscript to my beta readers. I may modify aspects of the storyline if I have consistently similar feedback from my betas. Then comes a launch plan which I usually put together with my assistant about a month prior to release date. This may involve submitting the book to bloggers for advance reviews as well as promotional marketing activities such as special discounts and giveaways involving other books in the series. Launch week tends to be quite busy and I usually put aside time to engage with fans and reviewers.
How do you plan, schedule and monitor your writing commitments?
I use a Workflow planner in Evernote to give me an overview of what I need to do on the creative and business side of writing/publishing. I recently starting using Scrivener’s project target tools to keep on top of my word count goals. I also do a monthly writing/marketing plan with my assistant on the first working day of each month.
What is generally your preference in reading – a paper book or ebook? And why?
I mostly read on my Kindle these days but I still love the feel of a physical book. Ereaders are just more practical, especially when travelling and if you’re running out of bookshelf space like I am.
Is a high level of imagination important to have for an Author?
Absolutely. We all daydream. And that’s what I feel creativity is about. Daydreaming on a complex level with the help of a very active imagination.
Your dream destination on Earth?
The Caribbean.
Favorite time of the day?
Early afternoons. That’s when I am at my most productive creatively.
Your zodiac/ sun sign?
Leo.
Your favorite color and why?
Green. Because it’s Nature’s favourite colour.
Your favorite book and why?
Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz. I connected deeply with the characters and the emotional element of that story.
Your favorite movie and why?
The Goonies. It’s the film that got me thinking about action and adventure storylines.
What is the force that drives you?
Cheer stubbornness.
What comes to your mind when you think of India?
All of Nature’s colours.
Some quickies: Sun or Moon, Laughter or Smile, Morning or Evening, Coffee or Tea, Mountain or Sea, Long Drive or Short Drive, Silence or Conversation, Water or Fire, Air or Earth, Mars or Jupiter, Tulip or Rose, Red or Blue, Left or Right, Glance or Stare, Fame or Money, Boy or Girl, Day or Night, Tree or Plant, Love or Passion
First thing you do in the morning after waking up?
Make the bed.
The last thing to do before sleep?
Read.
State your signature line/ tagline/ best quote
Shit happens. Deal with it.
Links & other relevant details:
Website www.adstarrling.com
Twitter @ADStarrling
Soul Meaning (A Seventeen Series Novel: Book One) ISBN-10: 0957282621
Soul Meaning (A Seventeen Series Novel: Book One) ISBN-13: 978-0957282629
Soul Meaning (A Seventeen Series Novel: Book One) ASIN: B008L8IU8C
Any other links:
Thanks, AD Starrling. There is a lot of juice yet to be produced from your peppy action thriller series Seventeen. I wish you all the best for all your forthcoming ventures.
This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.
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