Annalisa Crawford's Cat and The Dreamer

Today I have Annalisa Crawford on my blog. I’m not really sure how, but the two of us started following one another and Annalisa always leaves comments on my blog, so I couldn’t refuse when she asked to do a blog tour.

Annalisa Crawford is the author of ‘Cat and The Dreamer’, released by Vagabondage Press on 14^th February, 2012, and she’s here to tell us a bit about it. I queried the title, having been given the blurb, I wondered who the ‘cat’ was, and Annalisa replied, “Basically Cat is the nemesis of the main character, and the Dreamer is the main character who's actually called Julia. She's the dreamer because her day-dreams are an important part of her story.”

The Hero: Adam

Annalisa didn't want her profile picture posted, and I know other authors who feel the same. So, I asked for an image of inspiration for her hero, Adam. (It's in keeping with my blog, after all).

So, here were Annalisa’s five questions:

 

Q: Give us your elevator pitch (to the reader) for what your book is about?

A: When Julia survives a suicide pact, she's left confused, guilty and isolated. Her life shudders to a halt, and she hides away in her daydreams, seeing her life the way she thinks it should have been. Then, one day, Adam walks into her life and changes everything. He's everything she's ever wanted, so this is her chance to be happy... right?

Q: My 'Twitter' question - Describe your heroine in 140 characters. (you can always check it on Twitter rather than count the 140 characters lol!).

A: Julia is the girl we all were at fifteen – a shy, awkward, day-dreamer, waiting to blossom. And when she does blossom, she does it in style!

(Oh dear, she doesn't come across well in 140 characters, but I think the before part of Julia's story is more important than the after).

Q: Obviously you're in love with your hero - you wouldn't have written him otherwise - but why do you love him, and think your readers will too? No character limit this time lol!

A: Taking the fifteen year old shy girl comparison further, Adam is the lad we all wanted to meet at that age. He's not taken in by the 'cool' girl that everyone fancies, he's nice when he needs to be and very naughty when he wants!

Q: Having read your blurb, a suicide pact is a dark theme to consider. What inspired you to include this in your book?

A: I'm generally drawn to darker subjects - I hope I write stories that make people think 'what would I do?' In this case, there were a number of news stories about suicide pacts, and my mind naturally wanders towards 'what if...?' What if one person survived, how would they cope with that responsibility? So that was the start, the rest of the story just flowed.

Q: And can you prove that all published writers are really human? i.e how do juggle writing with real life?

A: I'm not sure I am completely human! I think I write to make sense of emotions. And I don't juggle real life - if I'm writing, that's all I can think about. Luckily my hubby cooks, or we'd be living on beans of toast. I have to be physically dragged back into family life sometimes. So sorry, I can't prove your argument :-)

Cat and the Dreamer – Released by Vagabondage Press 14^th February 2012

As a teenager, Julia survived a suicide pact, while her best friend Rachel died. Julia’s only escape from her guilt, and her mother’s over-protection, is her imagination. When Adam arrives in the office, Julia’s world takes a startling turn as she realises reality can be much more fun than fantasy. Finally she has someone who can help her make the most of her life. But can she allow herself to be truly happy?

Good luck with the book, Annalisa. This storyline sounds intriguing. I can imagine your heroine has some hurdles to overcome before she can find happiness. Another book I've got to add to my 'to-read' pile. Oh, and I'm loving the name Adam - That's the name of my hero, too. 

You can buy the book at Vagabondage Press. 

You can follow Annalisa on her blog Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep and this is her Facebook page.