Coincidentally Today I have only UK Authors on my blog
The first UK
author featured with her book is
Annalisa Crawford and her book
Our Beautiful Child.
Title: Our Beautiful Child
Author: Annalisa Crawford
Release Date: 3rd July 2014
BLURB from Goodreads
"The Boathouse collects misfits. Strange solitary creatures that yearn for contact with the outside world, but not too much. They sit, glass in hand, either staring at the table in front of them, or at some distant point on the horizon." ... so says the narrator of Our Beautiful Child. And he's been around long enough to know. People end up in this town almost by accident. Ella is running away from her nightmares, Sally is running away from the memories of previous boyfriends and Rona is running away from university. Each of them seek sanctuary in the 18th century pub, The Boathouse; but in fact, that's where their troubles begin. Ella finds love, a moment too late; Rona discovers a beautiful ability which needs refining before she gets hurt; and Sally meets the captivating Murray, who threatens to ruin everything. Three women. Three stories. One pub.
PURCHASE LINKS
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
What is your
name, where were you born and where do you live now?
I’m Annalisa
Crawford, I was born in Plymouth UK, and I now live near Plymouth. I haven’t
branched out very far, but I think it’s the best place in the world. I’m close
to the sea, the moors, and all the fantastic places of both Devon and Cornwall.
Did you always
want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
Yes, I did. I
wrote my first ‘novel’ sitting on my bed aged about 11, and never really
stopped. It didn’t occur to me that I wouldn’t do it, and I didn’t have a
back-up plan.
What is the name
of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what
would you say?
My latest book,
Our Beautiful Child, was published last year. Twenty words? Here goes: It’s a
collection of three stories linked to a pub, The Boathouse. Paranormal,
surprising, with strong women, and some twists.
Do you have a
"lucky charm" or "lucky routine" you follow when waiting
for your book to be accepted by a publisher?
I always used to
kiss the envelope before I posted it, but now everything’s online I can’t do
that. I’m pretty good at being able to forget my submissions, so I just move on
to my next project.
How long does it
usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing
it?
Years, many many
years. And so far, I’ve only written novellas!! I write, rewrite, leave it to
simmer, shorten it, start something different, lengthen it, rewrite it from
scratch. I’ve got a couple of projects waiting for me to return to which I
began around 8 – 10 years ago. It’s probably not the most efficient way to
write. But, I also write short stories, so there’s always something going on.
What genre would
you place your books into?
My books are
considered Literary Fiction by a lot of people.
What made you
decide to write that genre of book?
It wasn’t a
decision I made, really. I like to focus on the characters, to dig deep into
the whys of a story rather than the whats. I want to make my readers think,
and to have their own opinions about what has happened. I love leaving the
endings (slightly) open, and it’s great when I talk to someone and they have a
different impression than I intended. I have the answers, but I never tell
people what they are.
Do you have a
favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite?
I like the
narrator of the title story from Our Beautiful Child. He’s a ghost, but over
the course of the story he still manages to grow and change. Also, he surprised
me the most because I didn’t know he was going to be a ghost when I started
writing!
Where do you get
your book plot ideas from? What/Who is your inspiration?
I’ve found ideas
in newspaper articles, songs, what-if thoughts as I drift off to sleep. A novel
which is currently on submission was going to be about a group of people in a
happiness study, but out of nowhere a very strong character popped up and
turned the whole story on its head, and now it’s no longer about happiness but
about a cult.
Do you have a
certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain
chair?
When I’m
planning to start a new project, I always buy a new notebook – a really pretty
one - and I have to write the first draft with my fountain pen. Apart from
that, as long as there’s tea/chocolate/wine available, I’m happy.
Do you read all
the reviews of your book/books?
Yes, it’s a bad
habit, and I’ve tried to stop, but I can’t.
What was the
toughest/best review you have ever had?
I’ve got a
two-star rating on Goodreads for Our Beautiful Child which says “Eh… Not sure
what the hype is about for this one.” It made me quite happy, because I didn’t
realise I had ‘hype’ J I’ve had a
lot of really wonderful reviews for all three of my books.
Would you ever
ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your
book/books?
Not at all. A
review is that reader’s opinion of my book. If they think the book is bad, it’s
their prerogative to say so. I think it can look a bit suspicious if all the
reviews of a book are 5-star.
Do you choose a
title first, or write the book then choose the title?
Titles tend to
come first, then the first line, then the last paragraph. And then I fill in
all the missing pieces. I really struggle if I don’t have that title in place –
and they very rarely change once the book is written.
Are character
names and place names decided after their creation? or do you pick a
character/place name and then invent them?
Character names
come first. I try to avoid place names as much as possible, or I set the story
in a real place.
Do you decide on
character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or
as you go along?
The story normally
dictates the traits. Cat and The Dreamer deals with the effects of a teenage
suicide pact, where one girl dies and the other survives. Obviously, the
survivor has specific introverted traits due to that incident – she might have
been a very different person if that event hadn’t happened.
Do you basic
plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you
let the writing flow and see where it takes the story?
I let my writing
flow. I’m bad at plotting, it feels too constricting. Sometimes, I have to go
back and write in a different direction, but most of the time it works for me.
Have you ever
suffered from a "writer's block"? What did you do to get past the
"block"?
Due to the way I
write, I suffer writer’s block regularly. I get to a point where nothing makes
sense and I need something to get
started again. At those times, I do have to just wait for the inspiration –
which usually comes in the middle of the night, or while I’m on the cross
trainer at the gym – my eureka moment.
Is there a certain
Author that influenced you in writing?
There are two
authors I can’t read while I’m writing, because their voices are so strong I
end up copying them – Margaret Atwood and Chuck Palahniuk! A long time ago,
Suzannah Dunn (who now writes historical fiction, but back then wrote
contemporary) published a couple of short books – one was a novella and the
other was about 56,000 words – which made me realise I didn’t have to stick to
the short stories I was writing at the time.
What is your
favourite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
I adore Pride
and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have read it yearly for a very long time, and I
watch the BBC version of it whenever I’m ill. It’s a beautifully written book,
and Mr Darcy is my literary crush – even when he’s being proud.
Do you think
ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?
I hope not – see
my answer about treasured childhood books for my reason.
Did you read a
lot at school and write lots of stories or is being a writer something newer in
your life?
I read and wrote
a lot, probably more than I was supposed to. I remember convincing my primary
school teacher to let me write a sequel to a story I’d written in class instead
of the work she wanted to give me!
Do you have a
treasured book from your childhood? If yes, what is it?
I had a tiny
version of Heidi – it had a blue hardback cover and wafer-thin pages. It felt
so much more special than any of the other books I had, very grown-up. I hope I
still have it, in a box somewhere, but I haven’t seen it for years.
What piece of
advice would you give to a new writer?
Read a lot,
don’t be afraid of rejection, and always be original.
Where
can readers follow you?
Blog: http://annalisacrawford.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/annalisacrawford.writer
Goodreads author
page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5753463.Annalisa_Crawford
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnalisaCrawf
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Annalisa-Crawford/e/B008PCQ1Y4
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/annalisacrawfor/
Other: Website http://www.annalisacrawford.com/
Thanks for featuring me today, Sandra :-)
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