An interview with Rita Lee Chapman

With immense pleasure, I hereby present to you friends, an interview with Ms Rita Lee Chapman, a renowned author whose second book is now out in the market. I must acknowledge the role of Goodreads in placing me in touch with Rita and several other authors and genuine readers out there who, most sincerely come forward to review and discuss the common love of all- books!! Now coming back to the interview, let me part with a little introduction to Rita.

Rita Lee Chapman was born in the UK and came to Australia in her early twenties. It was only when she retired to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland that she wrote her first novel “Missing in Egypt” a romantic travel mystery. 

“This fulfils a lifelong ambition for me. In primary school I wrote long stories but since then my writing had been restricted to business correspondence, press releases and letters home to my family! “

Her second book, Winston - A Horse's Tale is one for horse lovers from teenagers upwards.

Let us start with now.

1.      Tell us something about your childhood and life which would help us open up a little.

Hi Vandana.  I was born in London and moved to Australia in my early twenties.  I spent my working life in Sydney before moving to Queensland to retire.

2.      Now that we already know who Rita is, we would like to know what inspired you to write and when did you actually start writing? What was your first composition like?

I loved writing stories in English class at school and always wrote far more than was required!  My best marks were for a booklet on how to look after your pets.  I started my latest book Winston – A Horse’s Tale several years ago on a typewriter and foolscap paper!  I never found time to finish a book when I was working and only went looking for it and a few other half-started stories after I had published Missing in Egypt.

3.      Since you have already seen success with your first novel: Missing in Egypt, how do you plan to better your distribution and marketing process with this second book of yours?

I’d love to say that Missing in Egypt was a resounding success but, to be honest, it wasn’t.  It is very hard to promote and market yourself, particularly if you are trying to write your next book.  I think Winston – A Horse’s Tale will be easier to target as it’s for horse lovers, whereas Missing in Egypt was a romantic travel mystery and therefore had a more general appeal.

4.      Do you have any agent? Do you recommend one to young and aspiring authors?

No, I don’t have an agent and haven’t looked for one.  For that reason I can’t really say whether an agent is helpful or an added expense.

5.      Now that we have already spoken about the seller side, I am curious to know about the Winston: A horse’s tale. Please tell us something about your book?

Winston is one for horse lovers from teenagers upwards!  He is a good-looking palomino horse whose life involves several different owners and many adventures.  As you read his story, told by Winston himself, you will appreciate horse ownership from the horse’s point of view.  Born on a country property in Australia, Winston tells of his breaking-in and education and the different people he encounters – good, bad and ignorant.  As well as his own story, Winston includes the experiences of other horses he meets along life’s way. 

Whether it’s jumping, eventing, hunting or just hacking, Winston tries hard to please his rider. Follow his successes and his failures from his breaking-in to his show jumping win. It is an eventful life – the story of one Australian horse out of thousands, but one that you will remember!

6.      Rita, I am sure your followers are curious to know whether you are working on any other book at the moment or not?  Please delight us.

I have written the first few chapters of my next book, but it is on hold whilst I promote Winston.

7.      We can see a variety in your work. Your first book was a romantic travel mystery and the second one is based on your love for horses. May we expect the next one to be different from any of these?

Yes, I am trying my hand at a crime thriller this time.

8.      So, who is the hero of the book? Any favourite quote from the book?

The lead character is female but that is all I can say at this stage.

9.      Did you face any difficulties while writing? Was there any research involved? Any confession which you want to make?

Ooh!  That’s a sneaky question!  My first book was challenging because I didn’t know where it was going.  Also I had to check my facts in describing the various Egyptian temples.  With Winston – A Horse’s Tale the words flowed and I found it easy to write.  My confession?  I found some small errors in Missing in Egypt and republished it, so hopefully it is now “perfect”.

10.  Okay so as we move towards the last part of this interesting interview, may I ask you what do you have to say about the digital platform for readers today? Do you suggest socializing or latest apps for genuine readers or you prefer the good old paperback books for reading?

The arrival of Amazon and the e-book has made it possible for anyone to publish their book, which I think is amazing and certainly was for me.  It has of course meant that there are millions of books on the market and it is hard for your book to be noticed.  For the reader it is wonderful, especially with so many giveaways and free books available.  For bookshops it is obviously a problem but people still love to give books as gifts.  I personally prefer to read from a paperback and to hold a copy of your own book in your hands is a very powerful feeling. 

11.  It was a pleasure having you on our blog Rita. Would like to say something to your readers? Any parting note for us?

Yes,  I’d like to thank your readers for their interest in this interview and I hope they’ll check out my books!  Many thanks to you, Vandana, for giving me the opportunity to appear on your blogsite.  It was a pleasure to do such a well-thought out and, in some cases, challenging interview.

 With this we end with the beautiful and insightful conversation with Rita. May I tell you Rita, it was a pleasure having you :) Thank you and may your book do well and break records in terms of love with the audience and popularity. Best Wishes! 

 https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5834608.Rita_Lee_Chapman