FAQs

These are a few of the questions I have been recently asked. For a full list, please see my FB page, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=127773628985733&id=107653574331072&fs=5&focus_composer=0&ref=page_internal

• What inspired you to start writing?

When I was living in Rome, I used to travel often with my parents to Tuscany to my grandparents. The car ride used to be long and boring so I started making up stories about a brother and sister and telling me parents, just to pass the time. My parents then told me to try and write them down on paper which I did, even though I had just begun to write at the time and my handwriting and spelling were bad (I was only about 8 years old at the time). As the present for my First Communion, my parents decided to publish some of these stories in a book (The Adventures of Edmund and Martha).

• What is your favourite thing to write about and why?

I like to try and capture some of the experiences that teenagers go through at school, both the good and the bad, and what teenagers must face and overcome. I enjoy writing about this stuff because I feel that the readers could relate to the characters especially as those experiences might be experiences that the reader had to face and go through on their own.

• How long does it take you to write a book?

My first two books were collections of short stories I had written over 1-2 years. For the more recent stories I think that writing the first draft took about 6 months but editing and improving them took another 6 months. In general, I write for about 30-45 minutes each day even when I’m abroad on holiday.

• Who are writers that inspire you?

I would say Holly Bourne (https://usborne.com/browse-books/author-pages/holly-bourne/) – I really  enjoyed ‘ Am I normal yet?’ and a bit less ‘What’s a Girl Gotta Do’. Other writers who have inspired me are authors who managed to publish at a young age like S. E. Hinton ‘ The Outsiders’ (https://www.famousauthors.org/s-e-hinton ) and the book  I’m currently reading  – ‘Radio Silence’ by Alice Oseman (https://www.aliceoseman.com/). Some of my earlier books were inspired by Enid Blyton boarding school stories and the Summer Camp Secrets by Melissia J Morgan.

• What do you find the most challenging aspects of writing and how do you overcome those challenges?

I think what I find the most challenging is writing about the emotional part of the characters. I have to constantly keep in mind that I am not writing about myself but about fictional characters but there are those times when I really get into the zone and I forget that I am just a writer and  become a part of the scene that I’m writing about. Other than that I make sure that there is a clear distinction between what I write and my actual life.

• How do you get the ideas and inspiration to write?

I don’t really plan what I’m going to write, I don’t have one clear idea of what I’m going to write when I start writing. I just plot what’s going to happen in the scene and let it play out in its own time. I write from the heart and it’s a way of expressing myself. I could write day and night if I really wanted to! I get inspiration from characters and situations in books, films and some experiences which I have been through as well.

• Who are your biggest supporters and how do they inspire and motivate you?

I would say my parents, family, friends and teachers along the way. Each of them have encouraged my passion for writing and encourage me to keep it going. My old schools, St Martin’s College Malta and Core International School Rome have also both supported me my organizing book launches for me.

• I’m an autistic actor….I often feel people pick up on my “disability” and expect a lesser performance from me…. Do you ever face this kind immediate judgement by people? If so, how do you handle it?

There are some people who expect less from me and assume that I won’t be able to do some stuff which my peers can do. But I don’t let my disability get in the way of anything which I want to do, or to bother me in any other way.  It just means that I have to work harder and prove that I can do the same things as everybody else can. I have written more about this, check out ‘The Definition of Normal’ at https://angelabettoni.net/sample-writing/. By the way, I love acting and performing arts too!

• What’s your favourite part about coming up with new characters for all your books?

I love creating or adding new characters. With new characters on the scene there is always a couple of them who begin to catch my eye so as they slowly grow, I begin to take an interest in them and start to give them more to say. Sometimes l take them out of that story and I put them in the spotlight by making them the main character in a new story. This is what I am doing now for my new book.

• Are you working on a new book at the moment?

I have two new projects. One is almost over, at the editing stage. It’s something really exciting and a bit different from what I normally write. The title is ‘Cameron’s Choice’ so I’m leaving it up to you to try to figure out what it is about! The second project is still a work in progress and has three main characters (Martha from my previous books, Daniel and Cameron).

• Have you ever been too afraid to publish one of your stories?

Well,  I have attempted to write a memoir about my experiences and love of drama and yes, I’m pretty frightened to try and publish it because when you write a memoir even though you change their names, the characters are actual people who have come into my life so it can be quite risky!

• What effect does writing have on you?

I’ve been writing since I was little, and it is something which I love to do. For me writing is a way of expressing myself and I get to live in my stories and become one of the characters and it’s a great feeling because they become an extended family for me. Sometimes I become too involved in my writing so that it is really tough to stop writing. Overall, it’s a great feeling because it’s a world which I have created and that I’m in charge of and I can go against all the rules so it’s great.