1) So, who are you & what have you written?
1) So, who are you & what have you written? I’m Jacqui Canham and I’ve been writing for many years. Because I’m freelance, the sort of writing I do is diverse – from newspaper and magazine articles to corporate scripts and screenplays. One of my short stories features in Twisted50, an anthology which recently entered the bestsellers list on Amazon. My most recent project is a novella, written to tie-in with the dystopian film, Tear me Apart. It’s called Darklight and is part of the The Forgotten Women series.
2) What’s your story in The Forgotten Women anthology story about?
Darklight is about a young woman living under an illusion. In a world where women are dying out and society has broken down, she’s convinced her claustrophobic, underground existence is the only civilised way to live. When finally she defies her seductive custodian and ventures into the light of day, her whole belief system cracks and she’s forced to see the world through fresh eyes.
3) What inspired your Forgotten Women story?
A location inspired me. I grew up with Northumberland on my doorstep and have always loved the bleak beauty of its moors. When Tom Kerevan, writer and producer of the movie Tear Me Apart asked me to write a companion novella to his film, I immediately remembered there were disused leadmines dotted about the region and thought they’d be an ideal setting for our dystopian world.
4) What’s your usual writing routine?
It varies from day to day depending on what I’m writing, but I’m definitely better in the morning. My brain seems to seize up late afternoon.
5) Which dystopian book do you wish YOU’D written, and why?
George Orwell’s 1984 of course – one of the most prescient novels of the 20th century. I also have a soft spot for HG Wells’ The Time Machine.
6) What’s the ONE thing our current society should stop doing in your opinion, else we’ll end up in a dystopia too?
We should stop obsessing about economic growth. Never-ending development and manic consumerism are destroying the planet.
Buy Darklight as a standalone by CLICKING HERE or buy The Forgotten Women whole anthology, HERE.
