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Welcome to Ann, who is joining us all the way from down under. She talks kilted men and the hardships of research!
What is your name and where do you live now?
Ann B Harrison and I live in the middle of the desert in Australia.
First off, how has your week been?
Pretty hectic actually. I help look after my grandkids (my daughter is a nurse and does shift work) and I’ve been busy getting edits done. Also I was nominated for the Australian Romance Readers Awards this year with two of my books so interviews and more interviews. Feels wonderful too, my twenty minutes of fame, LOL.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it what would you say?
Red Hot: Sizzling nerdy scientist meets sexy veterinary doctor with a magic secret suffering man drought.
What genre would you place your books into?
I write Young Adult, contemporary romance and erotic romance. I have too many voices in my head to stick to one genre and its fun going from one to the other. I have the best of all worlds that way too. I never have to grow up but I also get to play with the big girls and boys.
Can you describe the feeling you had when you saw your published book for the first time?
I cried. But then I cried when I got my first contract too. The roller coaster of emotions after trying so hard was all too much.
Has anything surprised you about your writing life?
Yes. I’ve often heard that your characters write the story and I really didn’t get that at all until I sat down and started my first book. What I wanted didn’t stand a chance. I was lucky to get a word in half the time with my characters. Bossy lot they turned out to be.
Do you have to do much research?
Yes I do. With my rural romances not so much because I have a farming background. But with the Young Adult and the Adult Paranormal series I have in the works, heaps of research is needed. I’m taking a trip to Greece next year to fine tune the worlds I have built but they will essentially be built around the Greek Gods. Your readers will quickly tell you if you get things wrong. Besides, who wouldn’t want to stand in the ruins of that great city to get the feel of the place. Writers have a hard job, seriously we do.
Stop laughing at me Samantha, someone has to do it!
Have you ever suffered from a “writer’s block”? What did you do to get past the “block”?
I honestly don’t know if there is any such thing. I mean, your brain doesn’t stop working does it? It’s not blocked in the sense of the word. You might not come up with great ideas but I’ve learned to look past that.
I make myself write anything so long as I keep getting the words down. I can look back on some of my ‘harder to get down’ ideas and think, ‘gee you could actually have something there.’ A lot I give the flick because it might be crap but it can often lead into something good. The thing is not to let it stop you from writing. It might not be what you were planning but you need to keep the habit of writing going. You couldn’t walk away from your day job if you didn’t feel in the mood. Writing should be no different.
I keep in mind a quote from Nora Roberts. ‘You can fix a bad page but you can’t fix blank page.”
Well said Nora, well said.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst book to movie transfer?
Very few in my opinion. There is something to be said for the printed word. You get more out of a book and I have learnt never to watch the movie after I’ve read the book. It just doesn’t work most of the time. I think ‘The Notebook’ was one of my favorite ‘well done’ ones and Twilight would have to be one of the worst. *duck’s the flying objects* Seriously, the movies were terrible compared to the books, you have to admit it. Those I liked.
Do you think ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?
No, never. I use both, they have their pros and cons and I love to hold a book by my favorite authors which I keep but also love the ease of ebooks when I travel. They are a bonus price wise when I want to check out new authors too.
What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
Never ever give up. Ever. No matter how many times you get rejected, keep going. It’s the only way you learn your craft.
I framed my first rejection, I was proud of it. Someone had taken the time to read my manuscript and comment on it which was fantastic. They had some good comments and I appreciate that.
I know I’ve grown so much in the five years I’ve been writing and my editor tells me the same thing. You should never think you will write your first book and it will take over the world with its wonderful prose and characterization. That might happen to a few, but on average we writers have to write and write and write some more to get better at our craft. And I think that’s a good thing, its nice to see how much you change along the way.
Would you share a deep dark secret about you with us?
This used to be a secret but it seems to be getting out now. I have a thing about men in kilts, I can’t help myself. Add the accent and I go weak at the knees. It might have something to do with Jamie Fraser from Cross Stitch. Love that man, and Sean Connery, Gerard Butler,…oh my the list goes on. I have some lovely friends who post me a daily kilt wearing hottie for my pleasure. Makes a girl feel loved I can tell you.
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