Ok all you followers of Erotic Notions – a big cheer for -
Annette Gisby!!!!! Yay!!!!!! Running around like crazy.
She's here to talk about herself – who would have guessed that – AND – her latest book –
The Chosen – see photo below. (I'm in a real smart A** mood today)
Tell my loyal and humble followers about yourself. Where were you born? Where do you live now? Hobbies?
I grew up in Northern Ireland and moved to London with my family when I was seventeen. My family returned to Ireland when I was nineteen, but by that time I’d already met and fallen in love with my future husband, John, so I stayed.
We moved out of London a few years ago to a town in Hampshire. We’ve got the convenience of a town with the countryside on our doorstep. It’s wonderful to be able to look up at night and see the stars, we never could in London because of all the light pollution.
For hobbies, I love reading (no surprise there!) and I also write fanfic as a hobby as well as write books for publication. I love travelling but we haven’t been away lately because I’d been so ill with migraine associated vertigo, which took a long time to be diagnosed and finally get some treatment. I love castles and forests, beaches and mountains, although I’m not one for sunbathing. My Irish heritage, I suppose, I look like a lobster if I’m out in the sun too long.
Sorry about the migraines – those are horrible. Loving the castles, forests, beaches and mountains. I'm a redhead – so I hear you on the sunburn.
How long have you been writing?
Since I was very little, very many years ago now. Of course none of those early stories were ever shown in public.
What inspired you to write?
I wanted to tell stories. When I was younger, I used to have all these plays in my head that I would use my dolls to act out, and commandeer my brother’s action men dolls if I needed a male lead. After a while I stated writing the stories down so I would always have something to read later. My writing stemmed from my love of reading. For me the two go hand in hand.
Was there a moment when you first thought "I'm a writer."?
When I got my first contract for Shadows of the Rose from Double Dragon Publishing. It was such a rush that someone wanted to publish my work and pay me for it.
What genre do you write in?
Whatever genre that suits the story and the characters. I never think of the genre before I write the story, it doesn’t work like that for me. I’ve written thrillers, non-fiction, mysteries, romances, erotica, horror, sci-fi and everything in between. Some are even a mixture of them all.
Wow – what en eclectic writer.
Have many books have you written? Five to date.
Silent Screams (psychological thriller)
New Zealand with a Hobbit Botherer (co-written with my husband John, non-fiction/humour)
Shadows of the Rose (short story and novella collection)
The Chosen (m/m fantasy romance)
Drowning Rapunzel (currently out of print and I’m trying to get a new publisher for it, romantic suspense)
What is your latest book about?
The Chosen is a male/male romance set in a fantasy world. Prince Severin has been brought up to put his duty before everything and as the only child of the king and queen, it’s now his duty to marry and beget the next heir. He has his pick of beautiful princesses, but princesses are not where his interests lie. Now, if he had his pick of princes that would be a different matter...
He and his advisor, the wizard Ildar buy and free a slave called Havyn. When Havyn is discovered to have magic, he becomes Ildar’s apprentice. Severin’s bride-to-be has disappeared and while on the search for her, Havyn and Severin gradually fall in love, but obstacles stand in their way. Havyn is expected to remain chaste to keep his powers pure and there is Severin’s upcoming marriage to unite two kingdoms. Do they keep to their dutiful paths or can they ever find happiness together?
The chosen has adventure, plotting, political intrigue and of course romance all rolled into one.
Intriquing.
What's your favourite moment in the story? (one that doesn’t give away any secrets)
THE CHOSEN EXCERPT
“What is going on in here?” demanded Ildar from the doorway. “Severin? What are you doing with my apprentice?”
“Iri and I were just sorting out Havyn’s new wardrobe,” said Severin, waving to Havyn that he could get dressed again. Havyn quickly pulled on the tunic and leggings Ildar had given him on his first night at the palace. A fierce blush heated his cheeks.
“Havyn is my apprentice!” snapped Ildar. “He is my responsibility. Furs and velvets? Silks? A wizard has no need for all of that. I will ensure Havyn gets all the clothing he needs, not you.”
Havyn wondered how the wizard could talk back so forcefully to a prince without worrying about execution. Maybe wizards had no fear of death.
“He’s my responsibility,” protested Severin, his hands on his hips as he stared the wizard down. “I bought him. He’s mine!”
Plotter or a pantster? Why does this work best for you?
A bit of both. I normally have a vague outline in my head but once I start writing that may change. I find it’s more fun that sticking rigidly to outlines.
Personally I have trouble coming up with book titles, is this easy for you? How do you do it?
Sometimes I have the title before the story, which was the case with Silent
Screams. New Zealand Hobbit Botherer almost named itself, it does exactly what it says on the cover. (I was the Hobbit Botherer and dragged John around lots of locations where Lord of the Rings was filmed on our trip to New Zealand.) Shadows of the Rose was the last line in one of my short stories, so I used that for the title of the collection. The Chosen was one of the more difficult ones, as there are lots of other fantasy novels with that title, but once I had the name, it wouldn’t budge, it had to be that one. Drowning Rapunzel was one of the easier ones to come up with. The main character, Beth, has been seeing visions of women drowning when she accepts a job as secretary/PA to Josh, the painter who wants her to model as Rapunzel because of her long hair. Drowning Rapunzel just seemed to fit.
Having just got through a bit of writer's block myself, have you ever hit a writer's wall? How did you deal with it?
I do sometimes. What I do is just walk away from the computer or page for a while and do something else, like doing housework or going for a walk. Sometimes you just need to distance yourself and see why you’re blocked. Maybe you want the characters to do something that they wouldn’t, or that scene you wanted to write just doesn’t fit in with the rest of the book.
What's the name of the book you like to read over and over? What makes it so special for you?
I read Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings a lot. They are both different, but both similar in their ways. I love them because of the character of Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins, just normal people caught up in something bigger than them. I suppose it’s the escapism of it.
Aaah – Harry. Love it. Not mentioning Frodo – I'll just get into trouble again.
Where do you write? Office, kitchen table, computer, laptop? Where would the perfect location be for you?
I have a study with a desktop computer and do quite a bit there. I also write some in longhand in notebooks before typing it in. I find a blank page easier to fill somehow than a blank computer screen. There are lots of notebooks and scattered bits of paper all over the house with scenes or ideas on them. In the summer, I sit outside and use a notebook or sometimes a laptop. My ideal spot would be in Queenstown, New Zealand, sitting beside the lake there and gazing up at the mountains surrounding it. Or maybe that wouldn’t be such a good idea after all, I might spend more time looking at the view than writing :)
Short question time.
Chocolate ice cream or chocolate gelato?
Neither at the moment, I’m not allowed chocolate due to migraine associated vertigo and chocolate is one of the main triggers, as are dairy products, so I can’t have ice-cream either, but I used to love it.
Life without chocolate - oh the horror!!!
Baseball or hockey?
I prefer cricket over both of those.
Now there's an answer I don't get a lot.
Hot red finger nail polish or bare nails?
Bare nails.
Spaghetti or steak?
Spaghetti, I love pasta.
I hear ya!
Laying on a beach or skiing down a mountain?
I’d say the mountain, but not skiing, perhaps hiking instead.
White roses or red roses?
White roses, they seem more unusual.
Last one – tell us 1 thing about you that's fun.
I once met Daniel Radcliffe after he was in the play Equus when we were on holiday in New York. I was so nervous to meet someone I admired (John is always teasing my about my crush on ‘Harry Potter’) and my mind was a complete blank when he came to me in the line. I said something inane about the play and then he signed my program. He was very sweet and polite and talked to everyone there.
Brilliant.
Well it certainly was a pleasure having you visit Erotic Notions. Ok – followers let's all wave good-bye. (Hand waving emoticon – if I had one!)
