Readers Place

Author Q&A

What was the inspiration for Anyone Who Had a Heart?

I enjoyed writing the story of Marcie in Rock A Bye Baby, so it was a natural progression of her story, and I understand the world that Marcie is living in, so it makes it easy to write Marcie in Anyone Who Had a Heart appears to be developing her own psychic gifts – will her skills become as developed as her grandmother’s? Now that would be telling! You’ll have to wait and see. It may be that she only ever has ‘feelings’ or, in fact, her skills may develop way beyond her grandmother’s abilities.

Is the voice in Marcie’s head, Johnnie? Is she talking to her dead first love, in the same way as her grandmother talks to her late husband?

Who is to say it’s only one voice? It could be a few spirits that come at different times of need, then again it could be the voice of her spirit guide . . .

Dream casting time: who do you picture playing Marcie in a film of your books?

Because she is still quite young, it would have to be a young actress, and the actress I think is amazing is Lacey Turner who plays Stacey Slater in EastEnders.

Which book has made you laugh? Which book has made you cry?

_All Creatures Great and Smal_l made me laugh, and writing my first book, The Gift, made me cry.

Which book would you never have on your bookshelf?

Anything to do with devil worship.

Is there a particular book or author that inspired you to be a writer?

I have loved reading since I was a young girl, so I don’t think I can say that just one author inspired me to want to write. I find I can lose myself in a good book – even more so than films even. This is what I hope I offer readers of my novels – the chance to lose yourself in someone else’s world for a while.

What is your favourite word?

My favourite word is ‘Craig’, as he is the man in my life. After twelve years on my own I never thought I would have another relationship, so it’s all quite magical.

Why do you write?

Because I enjoy telling a story, and, as mentioned before, I think reading is the best escapism. Both reading and coming up with ideas for my own books help me to get to sleep every night. I love the whole world of books and story telling.

Which book are you reading at the moment?

The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot.

What are you working on at the moment?

I have launched Paranormal SOS, which is an emergency service for people being terrorised by phenomena, and this takes me all over the UK with the team I work with. I’m also working on a new Marcie story, Wishing and Hoping, which will be out next year.

Mia Dolan answers questions about her book Anyone Who Had a Heart:

What was the inspiration for Anyone Who Had a Heart?

I enjoyed writing the story of Marcie in Rock A Bye Baby, so it was a natural progression of her story, and I understand the world that Marcie is living in, so it makes it easy to write.

Marcie in Anyone Who Had a Heart appears to be developing her own psychic gifts – will her skills become as developed as her grandmother’s?

Now that would be telling! You’ll have to wait and see. It may be that she only ever has ‘feelings’ or, in fact, her skills may develop way beyond her grandmother’s abilities.

Is the voice in Marcie’s head, Johnnie? Is she talking to her dead first love, in the same way as her grandmother talks to her late husband?

Who is to say it’s only one voice? It could be a few spirits that come at different times of need, then again it could be the voice of her spirit guide . . .

Dream casting time: who do you picture playing Marcie in a film of your books?

Because she is still quite young, it would have to be a young actress, and the actress I think is amazing is Lacey Turner who plays Stacey Slater in EastEnders.

Which book has made you laugh? Which book has made you cry?

All Creatures Great and Small made me laugh, and writing my first book, The Gift, made me cry.

Which book would you never have on your bookshelf?

Anything to do with devil worship.

Is there a particular book or author that inspired you to be a writer?

I have loved reading since I was a young girl, so I don’t think I can say that just one author inspired me to want to write. I find I can lose myself in a good book – even more so than films even. This is what I hope I offer readers of my novels – the chance to lose yourself in someone else’s world for a while.

What is your favourite word?

My favourite word is ‘Craig’, as he is the man in my life. After twelve years on my own I never thought I would have another relationship, so it’s all quite magical.

Why do you write?

Because I enjoy telling a story, and, as mentioned before, I think reading is the best escapism. Both reading and coming up with ideas for my own books help me to get to sleep every night. I love the whole world of books and story telling.

Which book are you reading at the moment?

The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot.

What are you working on at the moment?

I have launched Paranormal SOS, which is an emergency service for people being terrorised by phenomena, and this takes me all over the UK with the team I work with. I’m also working on a new Marcie story, Wishing and Hoping, which will be out next year.

Read an extract of Anyone Who Had a Heart here.

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Mia Dolan answers questions about her book Rock A Bye Baby:

What was the inspiration for Rock A Bye Baby?

I think it’s always best to write about what you know so Rock a Bye Baby has been inspired by my own life and the people I knew when I was growing up. I personally enjoy stories of ordinary people surviving all that life can throw at them – and that’s_ Rock a Bye Baby_ in a nutshell!

Your novel is wonderfully realistic in its portrayal of a young working class girl growing up in the 1960s, but have you shared the same experiences as any of your characters?

Well, I was brought up and I still live on the isle of Sheppey so a lot of Marcie’s teenage experiences are similar to my own. Like her, I also had a child at seventeen and I was unmarried at the time.

Marcie’s grandmother is Maltese, is there anything that drew you to that country?

In fact my grandmother was also Maltese. She met my English grandfather in Malta just before the Second World War. She came to England with him at the start of their married life.

Marcie’s grandmother, like you, is psychic and it seems Marcie has inherited some of her grandmother’s skills, albeit in a lesser way. Do you think everyone has an innate psychic ability?

I do believe that everyone has a sixth sense, some more than others. To me, it’s the same as any skill – like being able to sing, or dance or paint. Everyone can do these things to some extent but some are more gifted than others. I also believe that psychic gifts can run in families in the same way as a gift for singing can.

Who are your favourite authors?

I am an avid reader – I read at least two books a week. These range from chick lit and romantic comedies, to crime and science fiction/fantasy. Given this, I’m afraid my list of favourite authors is rather too long to list here!

Which classic novel have you always meant to read and never got round to it?

I have always meant to read War and Peace by Tolstoy. I’ve been told that it’s a great read and – because I read so fast and hate it when I reach the end of a good book – the sheer size of it makes it appealing!

What are your top five books of all time?

It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet (James Herriot)
Lord of the Rings
The Da Vinci Code
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Reaper Man ( Terry Pratchett )

What book are you currently reading?

The Nation (Terry Pratchett). I’m a huge Terry Pratchett fan!

Which fictional character would you most like to have met?

Dr Dolittle (I would love to be able to get him to ask my huge puppy why he feels the need to sit on my lap!)

Who, in your opinion, is the greatest writer of all time?

That’s too difficult! I’m one of those people who finds it easy to get completely consumed by a great book. Given this, I’m always changing my mind about who I think is the best writer. If I’m lost in a good story then I tend to think that author is the best I’ve ever read … until I move on to the next page-turner!

Other than your work as a psychic and as a writer, what other jobs or professions have you undertaken or considered?

I have worked in many strange and not so wonderful places and have had a number of ‘normal’ jobs over the years. I’ve worked in a joke shop where my biggest problem was kids letting of stink bombs. Like Marcie, I’ve also sold candy floss to tourists in Leysdown. I have been working as a professional psychic since I was 26 years of age so most of my working life has been in this field. However, I always say that my biggest skill is helping people feel better at the worst times of their lives, regardless of the psychic element.

Marcie’s story continues in Anyone Who Had a Heart, is there anything you can tell us about the
next book … ?

I can tell you that it’s already underway! I don’t want to give away anything here but suffice it to say there will be some great twists and turns that I don’t think the reader will see coming. Or at least I hope not . . .

Read an extract of Rock a Bye Baby here.