Wednesday 18 September 2013

Hump Day Hot Seat: Annalisa Crawford

Thank you Wendy Lou Jones for the blog post title. I've got authors ready to feature (including Wendy) and didn't know what to call it. I decided to post this feature on a Wednesday, and Wednesday is National Hump Day. If you haven't seen the advert it is here 

Today I have Annalisa Crawford, the first to be in the Hump Day Hot Seat. Annalisa and I have been internet writing pals for a couple of years now, so it's lovely to be able to invite her on to my blog. 


1)      Annalisa, have you always wanted to be a writer? 

Yes! For as long as I can remember, and probably a bit earlier than that too. I used to write stories and throw them away, so unfortunately I don’t have any stored away.

2)      Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere? 

My first book was a YA story about a girl who discovered she was related to a member of a famous boy band. It was basically what I wish my life was like… And it’s long gone, thank goodness!


3)      What do you read while you write, or don’t you? 

I struggle to read while I write because my brain absorbs the style of the writer I’m reading. Margaret Atwood, Ali Smith and Chuck Palahniuk are the worst offenders!

4)      Do you have a favourite author? 

All of the authors I mentioned above are favourites, plus a lot of others. I don’t tend to go out and buy all the books by one author, though – I love buying books by authors I’ve never heard of before.

5)      What do you do with a paperback once you’ve read it? 

Keep it and reread it.

6)      What advice would you give to new writers? 

Learn the rules (grammar etc) so that you have the confidence to break them. There’s a huge difference between knowing why you’re breaking the rules and not knowing them in the first place!

7)      What things inspire you to write? Location, music, film or even in a book? 

A couple of my stories have been directly influenced by music, but I also find interesting snippets in newspapers or just let my thoughts wander until I’ve got the basis of a story or character.

8)      What is next on your agenda after publishing your book? 

I’ve just published my latest Kindle short story collection as a paperback. It was a lot of hardwork for me, but actually the launch was quite quiet. So I was also working on an old novel which I’m hoping to resurrect – it might end up as a novella though, because I’ve deleted half the words!

9)      Are you nervous about friends reading your book? 

Yes, because I come across as quite normal in real life, and my stories prove that I’m not :-)

10)  Do you love or hate Facebook?  Love it!

11)  Tea or coffee?  Tea

12)  Starbucks or Costa? Costa

13)  Chocolate or ice cream? Chocolate.

14)  Dogs or cats? Both and neither… lol


Thank you Annalisa for some great answers there!

That Sadie Thing – blurb


A couple break up on a rainy night; a runaway longs to go home; a woman finds comfort from eating lunch as her best friend lies in hospital; a teenager feels oppressed by her father. All of the characters in these stories are trying to find their place in the world, attempting to find connections that matter with the people around them.'That Sadie Thing and other stories' brings together prize-winning and published stories from the past twenty years: the ‘greatest hits’.

Available in paperback and on Kindle. The paperback version includes three extra stories. 

Annalisa's Links


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