When did you start to write professionally?

I was first paid for a written piece over twenty years ago, but I've been writing since I was a child. People ask me why do I write? The answer is very simple I cannot not write and am driven by my imagination which does not let things rest until I've put them down on paper in some sort of story. I've enjoyed writing for different mediums; newspapers, magazines, radio, film and now my first novel.

All demand different skills but have in common the importance of the written/spoken word to convey the story. Difficult to say which has been the most satisfying because they have all been exactly that at the time of publishing/screening. However one is very alone with a book and it is the most totally true to my words only - there are also no confines as to time/space or film costs to worry about.

Does your newspaper work inspire you as a novelist?

Yes and no. It's great to get out and about meeting different people, writing up features for various publications but it also takes up time & deadlines have to be met and for a book I have wanted some personal space in order to give it the time it has needed. I'm not a fast worker and need the daily discipline of writing to get the story down to the best of my ability.

It is also very different writing say 1,000 words for a specific magazine, than writing a book where you have a blank brief which you not only have to write but also then to 'sell' to a publisher in order to make it become a book and not just a manuscript. That takes faith and determination.

Your recent book is set in Mid Wales, did you find it a good setting for a novel?

It is where I grew up and where my family have been based for generations. For my story to read authentically, I needed to write about what I am familiar with and Montgomeryshire is so ingrained in me as to make me what I am.

I have great pleasure in knowing that my family have worked and walked these hills for generations, long before I ever existed and hopefully still will when I'm gone. Continuity is very important to me - perhaps people tied to the soil are more aware of this connection with past/present/future and I'm proud to be called a peasant.

Could you tell us a bit about 'On Open Ground'?

I suffer from the woods and trees syndrome here and find a synopsis virtually impossible to write. What I can say is it's about people and relationships using a rural backdrop.

A page turner collision course (look on amazon.co.uk for reviews / readers comments). Lead mines, eels and a murderous blacksmith some of the objects of intrigue... read on.

What would your advice be for budding local authors?

Be determined - remember the yes and no process is only subjective and so many famous authors have proved that publishers often get it wrong and have the courage of your conviction - people will want to read an imaginative, different story, from every walk of life.

I firmly believe that everyone has an unique voice in this world. I rarely put down a book unfinished and am so often surprised by something I had thought I wouldn't like. So it's up to you budding authors to keep surprising us and not to be daunted or give up.

What are your plans for the future?

I would like very much to see On Open Ground adapted for film as I think it very cinematic and would work very well on the big screen. In the meantime I have started the sequel - I always planned a trilogy when I thought up this novel so when we've finished lambing and calving I will knuckle under and get on with putting in some serious hours on my pc.

Q&A with Tia Jones