Debut Spotlight: Inga Batur

Today it's my pleasure to be shining the spotlight on travel blogger Inga Batur & her debut novel Faodail which was published last week.

Inga Batur is a blogger and a writer. She has over ten years of experience working in Public Relations and Marketing, dealing with all sorts of writing assignments. In her free time, she loves to write some more, she started writing a family travel blog and publishes her articles in many online and print magazines.

Faodail is her first novel.

Check out my blog coolkidzcooltrips.com for more from me. I regularly publish all the updates on the book(s).

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing journey? 
I love to travel and I love to write. It was once I combined the two and created an award-winning family travel blog that I started thinking about writing more seriously. I wrote posts for my blog and had my stories published widely in many online journals. But I’ve always wanted to write a book. And two years ago, on our trip to the North of Scotland I had an idea, that I couldn’t shake even after we came back home. With two small kids, full time job and many chores, I didn’t have the time to write it down, but the story wanted to come to life. At least that’s how I explain the accident where I broke my rib and had to rest. To forget about the horrible pain, I wrote and I wrote. And after I healed and went back to my routine, I couldn’t stop, I just kept getting up at the crack of dawn, until I finished it.  

If you had to give an elevator pitch for Faodail, what would it be? 
Sophie Moore learns her one night stand with Aiden resulted in pregnancy. Her life is turned upside down, when she decides to keep the baby, quit her job at the bank and follow the reluctant Father-to-be to his hometown on a remote Scottish island. 

I'm intrigued by the title Faodail, how did it come about and does it have a meaning?
Faodail, a Scottish word for a lucky find, is set in Altnaharra, a fictional remote Scottish island, where the weather is moody and everyone knows everyone’s business. 

Where did the inspiration for Faodail come from?
We were on holiday in the North of Scotland and we were staying at this small whitewashed cottage on the cliffs. We had no wi-fi, no TV, no schedule, we spent our days walking around and doing nothing. The whole setting made me think of a story and I played with it, as we explored the beaches and the cliffs. I had such a hard time leaving and then I thought, if I write about it, then I don’t have to leave, I can return in my mind over and over again. 

Describe Sophie in three words.
Sophie is a day dreamer. She wants her life to be different, not really sure how but there’s something missing. She is also a loyal friend, someone who believes in doing good, playing by the rules. And she is brave, but it will take her time to figure that one out. 

What lessons have you learnt during the whole writing/editing process?
I think I’ve learned a lot about myself. I wanted to write a book for a very long time, but it was never a right moment. This time it all came together, so I kept believing this story wanted to be told and this gave me what I lacked before – perseverance. It’s so easy to quit, especially writing, because it’s hard and it makes you doubt yourself all the time. But if you persevere, then it’s as rewarding as completing a marathon, I would think. I learned that I am not a quitter, I don’t give up at the first sign of trouble, I love writing as much as I hate it sometimes and I have a new-found appreciation for all the writers out there. 

What advice would you give to other aspiring authors who are thinking about writing a novel?
Persevere and write every day. I had waited for the right time to write a novel for years. I am not going to say I was lucky to have broken a rib and had time off, because the pain was excoriating. It did make me start and once I did, I didn’t want it to be for nothing, I took it as a sign, I kept going. And I realised, I could. I could find a couple of hours every day to write and finish what I started. And if you want to be a writer, you have to write and don’t doubt it. 

And finally what can we expect from you next? 
I am not waiting for another broken rib. I’ve already started on the second novel. I plan to make Faodail, a standalone in the series set in the North of Scotland. 

It was never what she planned….

Sophie Moore has her eyes set on a promotion at a bank in London City and not on Aiden, an up and coming chef. Then she learns her one night stand with Aiden resulted in pregnancy. 

Her life is turned upside down, when she decides to keep the baby, quit her job at the bank and follow the reluctant Father-to-be to his hometown on a remote Scottish island. 

The stay on the island is only temporary, Aiden promises, while Sophie vows to keep him at a distance. But once on the island, things don’t go as planned.