Check out this author spotlight for Natalie Pinter!
You can find all her links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out her books!
1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!
I’m a writer and former bookseller. My debut novel was published last year through a small press. I’ve lived in various states in the U.S. but I currently reside in Florida with my husband, son, and our cats, Lucifer Bananas and Moses Berry-Pie.
2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 (or more!) of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!
Winter, spring, summer or autumn? Autumn
Cat or dog? Cat
Tea or coffee? Coffee in the morning. Tea in the evening.
Morning or evening? Evening
Library or museums? Library
Hunter or gatherer? gatherer
Witches or wizards? Witches
Ninjas or pirates? Pirates
Mountains or beaches? Mountains
Plotter or pantser? Pantser
Pen and paper or computer/phone? Pen and paper then computer
Standalone or series? standalone
Book or ebook? Book
Hero or anti-hero? Anti-hero
3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?
I enjoy all kinds of literature, but I often veer towards stories that are edgy, dark, fantastical, and emotionally wrenching.
4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!
My published novel, The Fragile Keepers, is 2021 semi-finalist for the kindle book review award for suspense/horror. I usually describe it to people as a dark, modern fairy tale inspired by faerie folklore. It’s more Bros Grimm than Disney.  I’ve also had short stories published. My most recent published piece is a sort of dystopian vignette. My writing tends to have fantastical and dark things occurring in our current world. I’m working on a short story for a fantasy illustrator right now and that will be more classic/high fantasy.
5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!
“Natalie Pinter is a wonderful storyteller. She does more than just write–she casts a cozy, tactile, and entrancing spell, which you become compelled to follow wherever it takes you.” –Eric Shapiro, author of “It’s Only Temporary” & “Days of Allison”
Following a lightning storm, Andre and her brother Ben discover a winged girl cowering in their backyard shed. The millennials are thrilled by the appearance of a mythical being, but they are wary too, particularly when she warns them that a dangerous monster has followed her from “Elsewhere.”
The girl, (Shae) is desperate to return to a world she can now only scarcely recall. Exquisite and beguiling, Shae evokes a protectiveness on their part—especially when she grants them gifts of extraordinary new talent. Andre and Ben want to help her however they can.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LGJT5VX/
6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!
So many books, films, and pieces of art have inspired my writing. It’s impossible to name them all. If I had to pick one book to read for the rest of my life, it would be Little Big by John Crowly. Another of my favorite writers is the late Graham Joyce. He’s criminally underread. I love classic high fantasy like LOTR, Game of Thrones, and Robin Hobb’s work, as well as Stephen King, Peter Beagle, Edgar Allen Poe, Neil Gaiman, and Elizabeth Hand.
The artwork of Brian Froud, and the music of Joanna Newsom inspires me.  My favorite film directors are Darren Aronofsky and Guillermo del Toro. Rosemary’s Baby, The Dark Crystal, Pan’s Labyrinth, Donnie Darko, and The Last Unicorn are some of my favorite movies. I loved watching horror movies as a kid and I’ve always loved engrossing and fantastical stories. As far as real life inspiration, I am inspired by the grotesque and the beautiful in the natural world and complexity of human nature. I also explore my own fears or obsessions through writing.
7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!
There’s different routines at different stages of the writing. Initially, it’s having concept I want to write about and what I call “vomit drafting” taking a pen and paper and filling up a notebook or notebooks as quickly as I can, commiting to a certain number of pages a day to get through it. Then I read through it and start over, this time writing on my laptop and again commiting to an achievable/realistic a weekly quota (which varies depending on what’s going on in my life) until a story emerges and I have a solid draft down. Then I print it out, read it, and start over. Rinse and repeat until the project is complete.
8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?
Habit is key. Don’t wait for inspiration or perfection. Just write and write to the end. You will get better with practice.
9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!
https://www.nataliepinter.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Natalie-Pinter/e/B08LKFMMB6/
https://www.amazon.com/Fragile-Keepers-Natalie-Pinter/dp/1620063565/
