INTERVISTA A ANNIE WEST

Buongiorno follower!

Oggi, Annie West è ospite del nostro gruppo su fb, "le harmonyne". Leggete l'intervista che ci ha rilasciato e, se avete voglia di conoscerla meglio, non dovete far altro che chiedere... Proprio in questo momento, Annie West sta rispondendo in diretta alle domande delle harmonyne. Chiaramente dobbiamo tenere conto del fuso orario, rispetto all'Australia infatti ci sono dieci ore di differenza e la nostra ospite tra poco ci augurerà la buonanotte :D Quindi, affrettatevi! 

Vi ricordo, inoltre, che c'è un GIVAWAY in corso. Andate sull'evento e leggete il regolamento. In palio due copie autografate di "Nell'harem del sultano" di Annie West :)  

ECCO LA NOSTRA INTERVISTA

1) Can you please tell us a little something about you as a person? and the path that led you to be the person you are today?    

Well, I’m pretty content with my life and very lucky to have the support of a wonderful family and friends. I love what I do (writing) and when I’m not writing, I enjoying special pleasures like reading, exploring new places, getting out into wide open spaces, and sharing meals and laughs with people special to me. I think I’m basically an optimist and try to see positives around me. On the downside I have trouble getting enough sleep and that can be a bit tough especially with deadlines!

 

                     

2) Where does your passion for writing come from?

Definitely from reading! I’ve always been a reader and I discovered romance books as a teenager. I fell in love with them and the more I read the more I liked the idea of writing them myself. It’s enormous fun and very satisfying to imagine characters and their conflict and somehow, over time, turn that spark of an idea into a satisfying story.

3) How do you perceive the future of publishing? Self or Publisher? E-book or paperback? And what is your personal preference?  

I suspect the future of publishing will be mixed. Ebooks are convenient but I doubt we will ever see the disappearance of actual books. Who will do the publishing? Again, I think it will be a combination of publisher-produced and self-published. It’s wonderful to have such diversity in the market. So good for readers. My own reading preference is for paperbacks, though I do read ebooks. As for my stories, I have a traditional publisher but I’ve also self-published a few novellas and have more planned. 

4) Historical, paranormal, erotic ...  how do you decide what genre is going to appeal more to the marketplace?  Do you think you can influence this?  

No, I simply write the story that appeals to me. Having said that, my readers expect me to write contemporary and very emotional romances so I want to deliver to meet their expectations. I love historical romances, for instance, but I think I’ll stick to reading them and concentrate on writing contemporary. 

5) Why should people buy your books? 

I’d suggest reading my stories if you enjoy lots of emotion in your romances. Mine tend to have lots of feeling, in addition to the physical attraction between a couple. It’s not usually a straight road from attraction to happy ever after but that makes it more interesting. I believe I write women who are strong and true to themselves, even if they aren’t brash or in a position of power. My heroes all have a very strong moral code - even if sometimes it doesn’t fit with what others expect and sometimes they make mistakes and behave badly. Ultimately they are men who respect the women they fall in love with. 
 

6) Would you ever make a compromise for success?

Hm, I can’t think of a time when I’ve done that. I always try to write the best story I can. There aren’t any shortcuts. I suppose you could say it’s a compromise letting my publisher decide the titles of my stories instead of insisting on my own. Sometimes that works and sometimes that doesn’t, but I suspect they may be better at that than I am!
 

7) Do you have any secret dream?
 

My secret dream was always to write romance and make that my profession. So I’m living the dream and I have to say it makes me very happy! Other than that I suppose there are some smaller things. Drive a convertible car over the Alps. Go hot air ballooning. Become fluent in another language. 

8) Could you tell us something about what you last wrote?

I’ve just this week received revision suggestions from my editor for a royal story which I had a wonderful time writing. It features a king and a pretend princess and a whole lot of scandal. What I enjoyed most about it was that, despite their instant attraction, this pair respect and admire each other. Oh, and of course there was the tension in having them try to keep their hands off each other when they spent every day together. :)

9) Do you have any new projects planned for the imminent future?

Absolutely!  My next project is a royal story linked to the one I just mentioned. It features the sister of the heroine from that first book. This heroine is a real princess and she is currently facing down a very large, very daunting Greek hero!

After that I think it may be a story about a secret affair with a big twist – but I can’t say any more until I’ve sorted out the plot! Plus I’ll be working on some novellas for publication in 2017. I’m also wondering about another sheikh story though perhaps it’s too early for that as I have sheikh stories coming out in December and April. 

10) How important is love for you? Do you think that in real life, happy endings can be achieved? 

I believe love is the most important thing. Romantic love, love of family and friends, even love of and appreciation for the environment. I’ve been married to my own special hero for many years and he is part of the inspiration for my fictional heroes. We both come from families where love has lasted a lifetime and that is such an inspiration!