An Interview with Lyn T Osbaldeston

 

Lyn is the author of 'My Adopted Life - The Adoptive Mother's Story' and 'My Adopted Life - The Adopted Child's Story' written under the pseudonym A H M Beattie.

Interview with Lyn T Osbaldeston Focus on Friday

1. Can you tell us about yourself? As much or little as you want.

We read ‘My Family and Other Animals’ by Gerald Durrell for O level, and I thought that living on a Mediterranean island, studying animals, and writing about them, sounded like the ideal way to spend one’s life. It took me another thirty years to realise that dream, but for the last fifteen years I’ve been living in Crete and doing just that. I am now enjoying the best of both worlds by dividing my time between Crete and Cumbria.

2. Nature features greatly in your work. What's the most peculiar nature related thing you have written about?

There’s such a lot of weird and wonderful stuff going on all around us that it’s difficult to know what to pick. I try to include at least one ‘Wow, I never knew that!’ moment in each of my blogs, but one of my favourites has to be The Mind Blowing Dreamfish. We all know of hallucinogenic mushrooms, but hallucinogenic fish? Potentially lethal, of course, just like magic mushrooms, but fascinating.

4. What inspired you to become a writer?

I’ve always written, since I was a child. If there’s a story in my head it has to be put down. I receive a lot of encouragement from people who tell me how much they’ve enjoyed something I’ve written, and I’ve won the odd award or two. All of which, flatters the ego and keeps me at it.

3. Blogging and writing books, does one support the other and if so, how?

In theory, yes. I put a link to my books on my blog posts, and a link to the nature blog at the end of my nature books. Not sure if anyone follows the links, though!

4. Where can we find your books, blogs and anything else you have out there?

The nature blog can be found at https://cretenature.blogspot.com/ irrespective of whether I’m blogging from Crete or Cumbria. My books are available on Amazon and are listed on my author page: http://author.to/SteveDaniels

I’m looking forward to getting out and about, giving entertaining talks about our insects and other invertebrates, giving book readings and generally saying hello to people. Covid 19, unfortunately, has other ideas at present, but it won’t last forever.

5. Any advice for others who are either starting on the path to becoming an author or might just benefit from your wisdom?

Write for your own enjoyment. If you’re not enjoying your story and it becomes hard work then that will show through to the reader. Besides, there’s enough hard work to do when it comes to promoting your books and I’ve yet to meet an author who doesn’t cringe at the thought of self-promotion.

6. Anything else you want to add.

Thank you, Lyn, for the opportunity to honk on about myself, my books and my blog and every success to you and ‘My Adopted Life’.