Ask the Author: Georgina Cross
Answered Questions (5)
Georgina Cross
Hello there! What an interesting question. When we were younger, we lived on a cargo ship with our dad who is an English ship captain. The journey lasted several months in the South China Sea and was the best way, at the time, for my mother (who is Malaysian-Chinese), my sister, and myself to spend time with him. During one of the passages, we had to navigate around a typhoon and came across a sinking boat with families fleeing from Vietnam. However, many of the people had already died or were too weak to climb out of the boat. My dad's crew was able to save two of the women and my mother cared for them on the ship but was unable to speak to them because of the language barrier. We eventually returned to Hong Kong and the women were treated at a hospital before being returned to the authorities. I've often wondered what happened to them. Did the women have to return to Vietnam, or were they able to seek asylum somewhere else? I've thought of them often over the years and it's one of the biggest mysteries of my life. I hope they're well, wherever they are.
Georgina Cross
Don't give up! And always keep writing! Publishing can take years and you need to keep that in mind so you're mentally prepared for the journey. When you're starting off, block out time on your calendar for 1-2 hours and dedicate that time to writing, no matter what. It can be every Saturday morning or Sunday evening or when you get home from work Monday night. Be protective of your writing time and commit to sitting down at the laptop and working on your book. Eventually, you'll begin blocking out a longer amount of time (3-4 hours every week) to write. Stick to that schedule. Make that time sacrosanct. Eventually the time and effort will build up, the pages will grow in length, and you'll have your first book!
Georgina Cross
I'm getting ready to launch my debut, The Stepdaughter (suspense with Bookouture), which is publishing September 2020 while working on structural edits for Book 2 (title TBD with Bookouture) that will publish in January 2021. I'm also working on edits for Book 3 (title TBD with Ballantine, Penguin Random House) that will publish late 2021. And if that isn't enough... I'm also ghostwriting Book 3 for a client. So lots of writing & editing!
Georgina Cross
I try dealing with writer's block by fighting against it. I'll write for three to four hours even if every minute feels like I'm trudging through mud or I can't stop re-writing the same sentences a dozen times. I'll push through it until something clicks, or until something is on the page I can wrangle with the next day and edit. And if all else fails, I step away from my laptop and go for a very long walk listening to a podcast.
Georgina Cross
For Summer 2020, I'm reading a ton of suspense since that's what I write: The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney, Believe Me by J.P. Delaney, The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald, Watching You by Lisa Jewell, The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell, The Silent Sister by Shalini Boland, and The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth. I'm also reading memoir: Becoming by Michelle Obama (for the second time) and Untamed by Glennon Doyle.
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Oct 09, 2021 05:28PM · flag