Q&A With Mandy Eve-Barnett

Mickey Mikkelson has connected me with author Mandy Eve-Barnett. Mandy is a multi-genre author whose written children, young adult and adult books with 11 novels published since 2011. Mandy has also written for anthologies and magazines and a variety of nonfiction projects through her freelance business. Mandy is also a presenter and panelist. Mandy’s recent release is The Commodores Gift which is available now wherever you get your books! 

Q: Mandy, would you like to give a brief description of each of your novels starting off with The Commodores Gift? Where did the idea for the novel come from? 

A: The initial idea for The Commodore’s Gift was a writing prompt set at a writing retreat in 2018. I wrote about a mechanical toymaker forced into making something for a tyrannical king. This story was approximately 7000 words. I put it on the backburner for quite some time and then decided I could expand the idea into a novel. What I didn’t expect was a secondary character taking over the story completely and the toymaker becoming a minor character within the new narrative. 

The Twesome Loop, which is a reincarnation romance, the narrative was my way of writing about a subject I find fascinating. The incident that sparked that fascination is for another day. 

Life in Slake Patch is a speculative fiction novel about a young man living in a matriarchal society. This was the result of a disagreement I had about a woman’s place in today’s patriarchal society! 

Willow Tree Tears is a western romance, the result of seeing ‘real’ cowboys on a cattle ranch and attending my first rodeo. As an English expat these events were thrilling and I wanted to encompass them into a story. 

My fantasy trilogy novellas include The Rython Kingdom, which was the culmination of three writing prompts, Rython Legacy was written because readers of Kingdom pleaded with me to write it, and Malgraf’s Dawning, because I so loved the villainous sorceress in the first two stories and wanted to write her story.

My children’s picture book, Rumble’s First Scare is an exercise is flipping the normal Halloween story on its head. 

Ockleberries to the Rescue, is a homage to my parents who instilled in my siblings and their grandchildren a love of the natural world and also because in England we believe in the fae realm. 

My two YA novellas were the result of wanting to instill self worth and the importance of real friendships for children/teens. Clickety Click centers around a young orphan girl who discovers she is not what she thought she was. And Creature Hunt on Planet Toaria tells the story of four friends’ intrepid journey to find an invading alien, or is it?

Q: What drew you into writing? Do you begin each day writing first thing when you wake up, or do you have breakfast first with a cup of coffee & take a brisk walk and then sit down and write? 

A: I came to write by accident to be honest. Creativity has always been a part of my life in many other forms, so when I immigrated to Canada, I searched for a creative outlet and a writing group was the first organization I visited. After listening to the stories and being encouraged to write something, the reaction I received catapulted me into a writing passion that continues today. 

Writing for me comes at all times of the day and night; I go with the flow of inspiration and can sit and write, forgetting the world around me for hours.

Q: How many hours a day do you write and do you consider yourself a plotter or a panster where you write as you go along? 

A: This is a difficult question as I do not have a regular schedule for writing, fiction, or non-fiction. My freelance client’s projects must come before my own. However, once I am writing it is difficult for me to stop. For the majority of my writing, it is free flow, although I have planned a few due to technicalities of the novels. For instance, The Twesome Loop has two time periods, so I had to ensure readers recognized the past and reincarnated present characters by their personality traits in both eras. I have written a crime trilogy, which required a specific timeline from the first to the third book for a technology advancement to come into play. Yet, there is no publication date on this series.

Q: What messages and emotions do you hope reader’s takeaway from your books after you turn the last page? 

A: I did a deep dive into the basic theme of my stories several years ago and found that love is the core emotion.  I also include the messages – be true to yourself, support family and friends, care for the environment and never stop exploring and learning. 

Q: If you are currently writing your next novel, can you give any details or is it too early to discuss?

A: My 12^th novel will launch this September. It is a suspense/coming of age story following a young man whose reaction to an incident changes his life in an unusual and surprising way. The story is the merging of three real news stories I adapted and utilized for my main character.

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to your work? Who would be your dream cast to play the characters in The Commodores Gift?

A: I wish! No, unfortunately not but for Willow Tree Tears I do have an idea for one of the main characters, a handsome Italian. As for the casing of The Commodore’s Gift, I would choose Lexi Jayde as Owena, and Andre Tricoteux as Galen, as they are closest to how I see my characters. Of course, Hollywood would probably want big names such as Hailee Steinfeld and William Levy.

Q: What’s it like writing for anthologies and magazines and a variety of nonfiction projects through your freelance business? How do you juggle writing books, anthologies, & magazines as well as being presenter and panelist? What advice do you have for anyone wanting to juggle everything that you do?

A: I am often asked when do to sleep? Well, I do sleep but the best thing I have found to make time is not having a TV. Shocking to most people, I know.

I have always been an organizer, so I find it easy to keep myself on track. I make up a weekly and monthly schedule, so I do not forget anything with backup alerts on my cell phone. As for juggling, I enjoy being busy and although I find it hard to say no, for the most part having such a range of projects, events etc. keeps me active mentally and physically. Writing in a variety of styles and genres is fun for me, as well as a great learning tool.

I think as long as you keep track and continue to enjoy doing what you are doing, there shouldn’t be a problem. I do have ‘me time’ built into my schedule too, which is as important.

Q: Would you please provide links to your social media accounts so the readers of the blog & I can follow you and your work?

A: I have several main accounts all under my name so they are easy to find.

Website: www.mandyevebarnett.com 

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

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

Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/mandyevebarnett.bsky.social 

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.ca/mandywordsmith/