Justine Manzano This week I’m working with another fun young author, this one, the lovely Clemy Warner-Thompson, who I met on Instagram. I had a lot of fun getting to know her, and I hope you will too! Make sure you stick until the end of the interview to find out her social media links so you can follow her!
Justine: First of all, tell me all about Clemy. What should we know about you?
Clemy: I am 29, 30 in November, which is fast approaching! I live in the UK, where I live with my boyfriend and gorgeous kitties, Rodney and Rory. They are little monkeys but I love them ha! Currently I work in retail in the day and squeeze my writing in whenever I can. In total I have written 7 fantasy books and am currently working on book 8. They are all self-published through Smashwords and Lulu, but I am hoping in the future to make them available through Amazon.
Justine: That would be great. Amazon is certainly a necessary evil in publishing, whether we like it or not. What are you currently working on?
Clemy: Book 8 is a sequel to 
From Within the Light, the first of 3 NA paranormal romance books I am working on. It is titled Even in the Darkest of Times and is due for release in Winter 2021/2022. The story is set 100 years after the Fall of Angels from Grace, and delves into the surviving angels’ lives amongst the humans of the mortal realm.
Justine: That cover is gorgeous! I have to ask, what inspires you to write?
Clemy: I started writing when I was 13 and haven’t stopped. My brother was the first to push me into writing as he also self-published his first book in his teens, but he has since stopped. I have always loved everything fantasy, whether that is TV, films, games, or books, and one day I just thought I’m going to write something. I have two YA fantasy trilogies completed so far.
Justine: What are you reading right now?
Clemy: Finding the time to read anything is really difficult for me. I just don’t get the time. If I’m not reading through one of my own manuscripts, I’m writing one, ha! Recently I have purchased the Shadow and Bone series and the Graceling series so if I was to start anywhere, it would be them.
Justine: What is your favorite genre to read?
Clemy: 100% fantasy. It can be YA or NA, I love everything fantasy.
Justine: What draws you to YA and NA?
Clemy: I think it was drawn to them because when I was a teenager I used to read a lot. I loved the Fallen series, and the Hush Hush saga. I loved the Inheritance cycle by Christopher Paulini, and I also loved the Dark Heart series by Lee Monroe.
Justine: Tell me all about the books you have published so far? What has your publishing journey been like?
Clemy: Being self-published, it has been hard. I definitely struggle to write, promote and market at the same time, but I have yet to find an agent to represent me so I’ll carry on until I get that extra help. I have been in my local paper twice with my early books and attended a few local book signings, but having had several years rest, I have only recently returned to promoting and marketing myself and my books. So far I’ve published The Sacred Prophecies trilogy which is a YA fantasy series, but I am in the process of rewriting the first book for a mature audience. My second series which includes The Star, The Mirage, and The Void, are also YA fantasy. It follows Abbii, a teenager who is abandoned by her mother when it is discovered that Shadows are after a hidden power inside of her daughter. It centers on a college location, but delves into the elements of Light and Darkness, and their impact on the world and its people.
Justine: Your twitter says you have two cats! I have three. Would you like to share pictures?
Clemy: I do have cats! They are just over two, and we rescued them from a local cat shelter. One is very shy still and a little sensitive, but the other is super nosey and doesn’t stay quiet. They are brothers too which is extra nice.
Justine: They are so cute! Okay, this one is random, but because my latest book was about people who worked at an ice cream shop, what is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Clemy: It’s probably boring, but Vanilla. I love Vanilla.
Justine: Hey, vanilla is wonderful. No complaints about Vanilla, at all. What is in the future for you?
Clemy: One day I hope to be able to go into a shop somewhere and buy my own book from the shelf, but we’ll see what time has in store for me. I will continue to write until I don’t enjoy it anymore ☺
Justine: I’m rooting for you, Clemy!
Thank you, Clemy, for participating in my author spotlight month. And thank you readers for getting to know Clemy with me. To follow Clemy’s writing adventures, check her out on Instagram.