Interview with Annie Cranwood
Published 2015-10-25.
When did you first start writing?
I think I have made up stories since I was a little kid. Actually ... I was quite a liar during school, but it was just all the stories that popped up in my head constantly.
But one day I just said to myself that I wanted to write a novel, and as I am a stubborn person ... I did.
After that everything fell into pieces. I was a writer. I have been that my entire life, I just didn't know it.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
The independence. Clearly.
I have - under another pen-name - been published through various publishing houses. And that is nice. There is help, structure and marketing-channels which really are helpful, but you always have to take their needs and strategies into consideration. Then I republished some older novels as an indie, and I really enjoyed it.
I am not saying one thing is better than the other, both have advantages, but the freedom of indie-authorship really speaks to me.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
The magical moments where the persons act for themselves. When dialogue and action are channeled out through my fingers, and I try to keep up, typing as fast as I can. (And I type really fast :-)).
And afterwards I keep arguing with my persons; "You should not have gone this way, I wanted you to go that way ..." And then they just look at me and sigh as if "what the h*** does she know anyway!"
But doesn't happen so often. I love it when it does, but most of the time it is work like anything else. It's just ... a good kind of work. Satisfying.
And then sometimes it is just dreadful. ;-)
What do your fans mean to you?
Everything of course. That's kind of a stupid question, isn't it? ;-)
I write because I love it. I love the stories or persons who pop up in my mind, and I, of course, love to share it with people. And I love to hear what they think of them. Do they love them? Hate them? Or are they just indifferent?
I love to interact on my facebook page (I only have that, I had accounts on Twitter and Instagram, but I just found myself spending way too much time browsing, and not writing. And there is nothing better than writing with a person, who has read one of your stories, even if the don't like it.
So don't be shy, write me, I am open for questions, and I don't bite (that often ;-)).
What are you working on next?
Right now I am working on some fairytales I wrote for kids some time ago. And I have promised myself that I will publish them first, but then I just had a litlle horror-story in my, begging to come out, and there is also this historical novel, who just needs a finale makeover and and and ...
But no! Right now I focus on my fairytales! (And the thoughts already begin to stray ...)
Who are your favorite authors?
My God is Stephen King. Has always been. Not so much because of his horror-abilities, actually I find his character descriptions way better than his plots (sometimes). They are absolutely fantastic.
Who else ... Marion Zimmer Bradley, Suzanne Collins, Chris Carter, JK Rowling and loads of others, there are many gifted writers and even more undiscovered for me.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I have to go to the bathroom.
Oh, does that not count? Aah ... okay, the politically correct answer is, of course, my beloved family.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Mostly through the library's online-service, but I always get inspired by the bloggers and my facebook feed. I'd just wish I had more time to read. I read a lot, but unfortunately you can read them all.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Not specific, no. I remember writing stories about a young girl and her adventures with her horse (go figure). About a girl (always a girl ...) who landed in alternate universes.
My first serious novel was about a group of kids, trying to scare the sh** out of each other, and that of course goes wrong.
What is your writing process?
That varies a lot. For short stories or shorter novels I can have the entire plotline in my head. For bigger or more complicated novels I make a lot of note-its with all the scenes, and puzzle them together, until everything fits.
I mostly write on my laptops, but sometimes I like to write in hand also.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
No ... I can't say that I do. My mother has always been reading for me. Even when I was too little to understand it. But I remember I - as a was about 10 - loved the stories of Enid Blyton and Laura Ingalls Wilder.
But I guess that the fact that we always have been reading in my family has meant a great deal for my writing.
What do you read for pleasure?
Everything. But I tend to return to historical fiction, thrillers, romantic fiction and YA (both paranormal and realistic).
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