Hey guys! Sorry that I didn't post something today I just needed a tiny break from blogger and deleting all my posts. But today I'm back with awesomeness! A few days ago I got Shut Up by Anne Tibbets in the mail for review. I read it and LOVED IT! So today I have an interview with her because I want you guys to get to know her a little then go check out my review which should be below this post. Then I want you to go get yourself a copy because you know you want to =D Let's get to know Anne a little before the interview!
Anne Tibbets is the author of the Smashwords.com Best Seller The Beast Calls a Young Adult Fantasy. She is also co-author of the Middle Grade time travel adventure The Amulet Chronicles, Book One: The Journey Home. A Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators award-winner, Anne lives in Los Angeles with her family. For more about Anne visit her website at http://writeforcoffee.blogspot.com/ (Taken from the back of Shut Up)
So now you know about our lovely author, Would you like to check out the interview? I know I would!!
P: Hi Anne! Thanks so much for being here today. First I would like to ask, Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
A: I can remember writing stories back in elementary school and passing them around to my friends. But after taking a Drama class in High School, I got bit by the acting bug and went to college for a few years thinking I was an actress. It soon became apparent that I wasn't cut out for it, however. So I switched to playwriting, and soon remembered how much I loved the written word. So it was a long and winding road, but I eventually got there!
P: How many books have you written other than SHUT UP? And can you tell us a little bit about them?
A: There are a few books that I've written that will never see the light of day, but most notably, I wrote a Young Adult Fantasy that had a two week stint on Smashwords.com's Best Seller List entitled THE BEAST CALL. It's about a teenage girl named Dray who has magical powers where she can communicate with animals, but she lives in a land where magic is feared. She and her brother run away from their family farm and join a rebel militia, and once the General of the militia finds out about Dray's powers, much to the chagrin of her brother, the General takes Dray under his wing and she becomes a big part of the revolution. I also co-wrote a Middle Grade time travel adventure about a girl who swipes a necklace from her kooky Aunt's apothecary shop, not realizing it is actually a time traveling device, and she has to return the time continuum to its rightful order, or she'll get stuck in the past forever. As you can tell, I tend to write more in the realm of Fantasy and Sci-Fi, so SHUT UP was a bit of a departure for me.
P: How long was the process of writing SHUT UP?
A: It took me three years - four really, if you count the preparation of the final publication draft. It started as a short story and then grew from there. I found the process of writing it a bit emotionally draining, so I would write for a few weeks, put it away for a few weeks, and then come back to it again after my head had cleared. Because of all the stopping and starting it took longer to write. I'm not sure I'd use that method again!
P: Have you ever thought about writing another book but in Gwen's point of view? I feel like that would be an interesting story.
A: Actually, at one point, I tried to write a few chapters of SHUT UP from Gwen's perspective, but I couldn't get them to work. This is going to make me sound insane, but the truth is I was so angry at Gwen's character for being so cruel to Mary, and so utterly clueless about The Creep, and so hostile in general, that I had a very hard time having any sympathy for her - so I found the chapters impossible to write. It would have been VERY interesting to hear her perspective on quite a few things in the book, but the more I tried, the more I realized I couldn't do her character justice, so I thought it best to leave it out.
P: Did you ever think you would be a published author?
A: It still doesn't feel real. I'm not sure it ever will. I had always dreamed and hoped I would get published, as far back as when I was writing stories in the sixth grade, but as I said - I still can't quite believe it. Maybe one of these days it will. I'm still waiting.
P: Where is your favorite place to write and is it easy to balance your personal life with being an author?
A: I have a desk in my office - it's a bedroom downstairs, with black and white photographs on the wall (I collect antique photographs), and I look out a window into my backyard. This is a relatively new space for me, because before I got the desk I was writing on the dining room table looking out the front window. I was concerned when I moved to the desk that it wasn't going to work, and initially it didn't because I had the desk facing the wall. But once I moved it facing the window, it works much better now. Apparently, I need a window to write. I have no idea why, but I don't question it. If it's working - just go with it. As for balancing my personal life with my writing - it's a constant battle. Just like I'm not always in the mood to write, I am not always in the mood to take the dogs for a walk - but you gotta do what you gotta do. I write while the kids are in school. As long as everyone stays healthy, and the ideas are flowing - everything works fine. But there are a great many times that not everyone is well, and the ideas aren't coming - so even though I write almost daily - life often gets in the way of writing, just like writing often gets in the way of life. Hey, if you know the secret to balancing them, let me know!
P: In edition to writing do you also read? If so, what types of books do you like to read?
A: I love reading. Though, if I read too much, I get less writing done, so there are times I have to put away my Nook and concentrate on my own stuff. I don't get much writing done during the summer (when the kids are home from school), so I do a lot of reading then. I love, love, love Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell. I re-read one of their works each summer. Persuasion and Wives and Daughters are my favorites. I also read a bit of what I would call Historical Mysteries, when a modern day person is investigating the past, so you get a taste of both modern mystery and historical drama. I especially love Diane Settlefield's The Thirteenth Tale and Kate Morton's The Distant Hours. But I also love The Book Thief, Harry Potter, and Hunger Games - so my tastes can be pretty eclectic.
P: Lastly, should we expect any other books from you in the near future?
A: I have recently finished the sequel to THE BEAST CALL called THE BEAST REIGN. I'm having some friends read it over to give me their thoughts. I'm hoping to have it out as early as this Fall, but we'll see. Fingers crossed!
P: Thanks so much for being here today Anne!
A: Thank you so much for taking the time to read SHUT UP and for this interview!
I hope you enjoyed the interview! Be sure to check out my review which should be directly below if blogger likes me today!
Thanks for the interview!
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