Hi!
Welcome
to RomFan Reviews Anne it is a great pleasure to have you with us today.
Thanks
for having me!
Tell us a little about your upcoming book V-Day.
V-Day is an erotic romantic-comedy,
centered around the quest of one sweet little band nerd trying to finally break
the curse of being alone on Valentine’s Day – and trying to lose (or, rather,
give) his virginity to the woman next door, who he’s loved for ages.
Earlier
this month you also had another book released Bubbly, can you tell us what that one is all about?
That
one was the New Years Eve installment of the same series as V-Day – it’s erotic
contemporary romance, but much more glamorous. It’s about a socialite who runs
away from her own party with the bartender.
All
of those holiday stories feature mismatched couples, but in different kinds of
stories – V-Day’s a comedy, Bubbly is a glam romance a la Danielle
Steele, Charity (Thanksgiving) is a
cowboy romance, Good for the Goose
(Christmas) is a cougar romance, Like
Magic (Halloween) is somewhat paranormal (no vampires, but it does have a
witch).
Is
there anything that you do to get in the mood to write?
Not
really. I have a three year old son and a career, so I write whenever I can.
Quiet is nice, especially at night or early in the morning. Coffee is a must. I
don’t listen to music with lyrics while writing, as I find it confuses my
brain, but I do enjoy listening to classical. Actually, V-Day was inspired by one of my favourite pieces, Beethoven’s
Romance No 2, which plays a key role in the book. Daniel is a violin prodigy,
so it seemed only right to give him such a wonderful piece of music.
I
know it seems these two questions are always asked but readers and future
writers like to know. What do you like
most about writing? What do you dislike about it?
I
love… hm. Pretty much everything, really. It doesn’t pay anything much at all
at my level, so I’d glad for that! I love getting to see my characters form,
and I love crafting lines. I like editing and smoothing, and I really love
getting new covers. I like the fact that when I’m through, there’s something
there that wasn’t before! And, of course, I love it when I hear that someone
has read and enjoyed something I made.
Dislike.
Many things, at times. It’s hard, hard work. Sometimes, I get so exhausted I
could chuck the whole business, just so I can sleep. I get frustrated when the
words aren’t working for me, and I get discouraged when I feel like I’ll never
sell a copy. I’ve had a few rejections, which are disappointing. Sometimes, the
writing work, and the promo work, makes me feel like I am letting other things
in life slide, which can be depressing.
However,
Charlotte Bronte once said that she wrote because she couldn’t help it, and I
can dig that. The positives certainly out-weigh the negatives for me, because I
am compelled to write, and I do love it. I’ve been writing in some form
forever, so I’d miss it if I stopped. Publishing, I feel less compulsion, but
there just came a time where I wanted to share what I created.
If
you were not an author what else would you be?
When
I am not a writer, I’m a mother and a teacher, so I’d keep up with that.
Though, it’s possible that if I weren’t a writer I’d be locked up, since my
imagination needs some place to go!
When
you get some down time what would you be doing?
Reading, watching movies,
even sleeping occasionally. I spend a lot of time walking. I bake sometimes,
though not as often as I’d like to. I love to sit with my cat, and just look at
the window.
Who
are some fellow authors you enjoy reading?
I
read a lot of non-fiction, as well as fiction, and I naturally love romance for
my R&R time. LaVyrle Spencer is likely my favourite, along with the
classics – the Brontes and Austen, of course. Mostly, though, I read whatever
paperbacks my mum cycles to me, which she gets from her sister and other
readers. The second hand paperback romance readers’ networks have always been
the lifeblood of our community – it’s the only way most of us can afford to
support our voracious habits!
Any
advice you would like to give to future authors?
Basic
advice for pre-publishing: Spend more time actually writing than talking about
being a writer – just bum in chair and do it. Write a dozen novels for practice
before you even publish anything, and give yourself time to get seasoned. It’s
work, so treat it like work.
For
publishing: Always listen to your editors very carefully, and never react in
knee-jerk anger. Editors are not always infallible, but you can learn a lot
from them if you can keep your ego in check. They’ll make your writing better.
However, at the same time, know when a book is done, and let it go – don’t go
on tweaking forever, because there is such a thing as over-editing. Most of
all, understand that if you are asking someone to spend their hard earned money
on your book, make sure it’s always your best effort.
Finally,
I’d also tell any new writer that if they don’t love it enough to stick it out through
some rough, boring, frustrating, depressing patches, then they shouldn’t count
on the millions of dollars in advances sustaining their interest, because those
breaks are a lot rarer than the rough bits.
How
can readers learn more about you and your books?
I
have a blog, a couple of websites, a newsletter, a FB fan page (and a regular
one), and Twitter. I am also a devotee of GoodReads, if you want to know what I
read.
And
here’s my nice, official bio, with links:
Anne Holly is a Canadian
writer of romance and erotic-romance, as well as a mother and teacher. She is
the author of the novel Strings Attached,
which was described by The
Romance Reviews as “a classic contemporary romance.” She has been
published by Wild Horse Press, Decadent Publishing and Rebel Ink Press, and
soon to be published (2012) by Pink Petal Books. Anne’s work is characterized
by its unusual heroes, sweet/spicy balance, witty dialogue, responsible
citizenship, and its positive, optimistic nature. She has found a particular
niche in holiday romance. You
may visit Anne at her blog or
website, or find her on GoodReads, Facebook and
Twitter (@anneholly2010).
Sign up for her newsletter here.
You can email her at anneholly2010@gmail.com – she loves to hear from readers
and writers!
Thank
you Anne it was great to have you with us and hope you come back again soon.
Thanks
for having me! It’s been a pleasure, and I appreciate the chance to share my
books with your readers.
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