Saturday 27 October 2018

Author Interview3 - Anne Barwell

Today I welcome Anne Barwell to the blog to answer a few questions for Author Interview³.


Anne Barwell Author Interview³
 
1) Tell us 3 little-known facts about you
I don’t know if they’re little-known but... I don’t drink coffee. At all. I love the smell, hate the taste, and it makes me sleepy.

One of my guilty pleasures is watching Hallmark movies.

I’m half Kiwi/half Australian. My mum came over here on a working holiday, met my dad, and the rest is history.

1) Describe your writing in three sentences or less
Character driven. I like to write different genres, particularly urban fantasy/paranormal, and historical, although I dabble in others as well. Everything I write is part of one huge universe, so look out for cameos by characters in other stories that aren’t theirs.

3) Name 3 of your favourite genres
I write what I enjoy reading.

4) Share your 3 favourite authors
These are 3 of my favourites as I have several favourite authors. Gail Z. Martin/Morgan Brice, Patricia Briggs, and Susan Cooper.

5) What are your 3 essential writing comforts?
Cup of tea, radio blaring in the background, and I really need to get back to lighting a scented candle.

6) Where are your 3 favourite places to read?
In bed last thing at night before I turn the light off, at work during breaks, and anywhere else I can sneak in some reading time. I always carry a book in my bag.

7) Name 3 books you wish you’d written
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and Badlands by Morgan Brice.

8) What are your top 3 tips for book marketing?
Have your own website so it’s easy for readers to find out about your books, and what you’re working on. I work in a library so am constantly looking up author’s websites for customers. So many authors don’t do that, or their website is very difficult to navigate and/or doesn’t tell you the information you’re looking for.

Have a newsletter. Don’t spam with it though. I have signed up to some newsletters and get something everyday – those often end up feeling like spamming and get deleted.

Network. I figure as authors we’re all in this together, and it’s important to help each other out.

9) Tell us 3 of your writing plans for the year ahead
I’m currently working on two WIPs. One is Forgotten in Fire which is book 2 of, and concludes, my Dragons of Astria series. Every time I’ve decided to write this over the past five years, something has got in the way, so this time I’m determined to finish it. Hopefully this year, if not, early next year.

The other is The Harp and the Sea, which I’m co-writing with Lou Sylvre. It’s an historical with a touch of fantasy set on Skye in 1745.

After that I’m torn between a couple of projects - a story with Simon and Ben from The Sleepless City set in Wellington as it’s about time Simon met his in-laws, and they have no idea he’s a vampire. Or finally starting my Psi Guys series, which is also set locally. If anyone could come up with a decent title for that series, I’d be very grateful. I have book titles, but no series title!

10) Tell us about your latest release
My last release, Prelude to Love, came out in January 2018 and is part of Dreamspinner Press’s Dreamspun Desires range. I enjoyed writing a contemporary romance set in the Hutt Valley, with Kiwi references. This is a story that has been with me for years, in one form or another, so it was great to finally have it published. It’s also one that is close to home as one of the MCs, Joel, is a music teacher, so I drew on many of my own experiences for that. I’ve played pretty much all of the music referenced in the story.

Prelude to Love
Dreamspun Desires
Anne Barwell
Dreamspinner Press 
2 January 2018
62k words/234 pages
MM/Contemporary/Romance
Heat range:  Fade to Black.

Dreamspinner Press / Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Music speaks directly to the heart.

Two very different men face turning points in their lives after the collapse of long-term relationships….

Joel is a music teacher who knows it’s time to forget his ex and move on, while Marcus runs a lawn-mowing business and has come to Wellington to escape the reminders of a recent breakup. Although they’re opposites, when Joel and Marcus connect, their romance has the potential to hit all the right notes.

Too bad neither of them feels ready for new love.

With family and friends in common, dating is risky—things could get messy if it doesn’t work out. The sweet song of possibility draws them to each other, though, and they share a kiss following a Chopin prelude.  But it will take some practice and perseverance to find their perfect harmony….


About the Author

Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand.  She shares her home with two cats who are convinced that the house is run to suit them; this is an ongoing "discussion," and to date it appears as though the cats may be winning.

In 2008 she completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.

She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as "too many." These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of "spare time" is really just a myth. She also hosts other authors, reviews for the GLBTQ Historical Site “Our Story” and Top2Bottom Reviews, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes.  She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ.

Anne’s books have received honorable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards.  She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical.

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