Q&A with Rosalind Smith-Nazilli

Hi Rosalind, first of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello Patrick and thank you for interviewing me.
I have always been a writer in one way or another but until I moved out to live in Turkey I didn't have the time to pursue it fully. I am originally from the UK. Since retiring from nursing and taking on an almost completely stress free lifestyle, I am free to give my ideas the attention they have been craving. I am approaching my fifty seventh year (shock, horror) and married to a wonderful man.

What do you think makes your genre special?
I write mostly flash fiction, a genre I feel still not fully accepted by some. A story in fifty words is a challenge and one I really enjoy.

What do you think makes a great story?
I love mystery thrillers and would one day like to write one myself, and of course everyone likes to reach the end of a story and be blown away. Nothing better than thinking, “well I wasn't expecting that.” I try to give a twist at the end of my flash fiction pieces. They are not always mind blowing, in fact sometimes very subtle, but they are there.

What is your latest book called and could you explain to us in 20 words what it is about?
Consequential Moments – Twenty four flashes of fiction. Ordinary people who do not always live an ordinary life. Some nice and some not.

Which kind of reader do you think will enjoy your book?
Consequential Moments will mostly likely appeal to people on the go, who can grab a couple of minutes here and there for a quick fix.

Is it a Standalone, or part of the series? If it the latter, how long do you think will it go on?
As things stand just now it is a standalone. But there may be other collections in the future.

What influenced or inspired you writing it?
Most of my prompts for flash fiction come to me in the form of a word or a sentence I overhear. Sometimes a picture will kick something off.
At this stage I am not really influenced by anything or anyone. I don't want to write like somebody else. I want to be unique.

Why did you choose especially this title? Was it your first choice?
I had a few title ideas written down but since most of the stories are a result of the consequence of the moment, it seemed the perfect choice.

What was the hardest part for you working on your book?
Writing the book itself presented no problems. The most difficult thing is time management and then for me, the formatting for e publication. I am not techie minded, what you could do in half an hour probably takes me three!

Was there a scene that you didn’t add or remove in your finished work?
I have a massive collection of stories in my files and the most difficult part was deciding what to include and what to leave out.

Do you already know what to do next?
Yes. I had an idea come to me in the middle of the night and I have already started working on it. I have to follow it where it takes me but I doubt it will be longer than twenty thousand words.
It's a tale of realisation for a woman exploring her sexuality.

Where can we find more about you and your books?
I blog at NAZILLIVILLE and you can find my Facebook author page HERE.

Any last words?
I would tell any new author to always write for themselves. Over time I have taken quite a lot of flack for my style. I write short, sharp sentences that Microsoft Word always thinks are fragmented. But this is my style and I plan on keeping it. New authors should find their own and never try to emulate another writer. 

Thanks Rosalind for taking your time.

Consequential Moments

Consequential Moments is a collection of twenty four pieces of Flash Fiction. The stories are of varied genre, some thrilling, some enlightening. Diversity is the key, but most convey ordinary people who do not always find themselves in ordinary situations. Some of these people are not what they seem, and some of them most definitely are. 
 

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