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No one reads anymore, bookstores are dying, the future of publishing is grim. Shall I go on? I think not. Fear-mongering isn’t confined to politics, and I’d rather not be a part of it. As usual, the truth isn’t quite as dire as the hyperbole leads you to believe. Someone—a lot of someones—accounts for the $1.08 billion industry that is romance writing. Thirteen percent of adult fiction falls into the romance genre, which consists of every subgenre imaginable.
This week’s Craft of Writing Q&A is with romance writer Anna Snow, who also publishes under her real name, Chastity Bush. She’s straightforward, honest, funny, and dedicated to her craft. Anna began writing as soon as she could hold a pen and hasn’t stopped since. She loves to hear from her fans and answers all correspondence she receives. You can reach her at AnnaSnow_Author@yahoo.com, http://www.annasnow.info, or http://www.chastitybush.com.
Q: Because everyone always wants to know this: Describe your writing environment.
A: A little crazy, to be honest. I have to have some kind of noise, be it the television or iPod on in the background. My desk is overrun with nerdy things like a Superman piggy bank (a pig wearing a Superman costume), an itty-bitty Batman figure, and a pic of me with “Spartacus” star Manu Bennett at Dallas Comic-Con.
Q: What are must-haves and must-not-haves in your writing space?
A: I always have a cup of coffee, and my cellphone. What I can’t stand in my area are people. I can’t stand to try to write with someone looking over my shoulder.
Q: What compels you to write?
A: An overactive imagination. No, but really. I’ve always been able to look at an everyday situation and spin it into some kind of wild story. I think if I couldn’t write I’d go mad.
Q: What writers have influenced you and how? What writers do you love? What is it about their work that grabs you?
A: I remember the first romance novel I ever read. It was For The Roses by Julie Garwood and I was about 13 (too young to be reading that hot a novel).
After that I was hooked. I loved everything about her writing and immediately began wondering what it would be like to turn my short little doodles into wonderful stories like hers.
Writers I love? That’s quite a long list. I adore Julie Garwood, Hannah Howell, Lynsay Sands, Kresley Cole, Gemma Halliday, Jana DeLeon, and Dakota Cassidy. Theit work is so fun, creative, and enthralling. I love a book that sucks you in and leaves you thinking about it even after it’s finished.
Q: What are you currently reading, and what do you think of it?
A: I literally just finished reading Talk This Way by Dakota Cassidy and am about to start reading If He’s Daring by Hannah Howell. I loved Talk This Way. It was hot, fun, and in the end made me cry, which is a BIG DEAL!
Q: Writing is an exchange. What do you want your readers to bring to your work, and what do you want to bring to them?
A: I want my readers to bring an open mind and an honest opinion to my work. I want them to enjoy what it is that they’re reading and realize the hours, blood, sweat, and tears that was put into creating the most enjoyable story possible that I could for them. And I want to bring them some happiness. A place to escape the stress and pressures of reality if only for a short time. I want to bring the reader the best, most enthralling story possible so that when they’re finished reading it they say, “Wow! I need more!”
Q:What was a turning point for you as a writer?
A: When I became a bestseller. It wasn’t in the NYT, Publishers Weekly, or USA Today, but it was a list for a prominent bookseller, so I was thrilled when I got the email saying that I’d hit their bestselling list. It seems so small to some people, but when you’ve been writing for 5, 6, 7+ years, this little recognition is an extremely big deal.
Q: What is the most valuable advice you’ve ever received as a writer, and what advice would you offer novice writers?
A: The most valuable advice I ever received was, “Don’t write for money.” Those four words are some of the truest words I’ve ever heard. Most people don’t realize that many writers, especially us indie writers, don’t even make a living wage. Some of us are lucky to be able to buy a pack of gum with the money we make. So I think I would stick with that advice for aspiring authors as well.
Don’t write for money. Write for the release it gives your mind. Write for love. Write for hope. Write for fun. Write for yourself, but don’t write for money, because then it becomes a job, and at some point in time, we all begin to hate our job.
Oh, and never pay a publisher. I don’t care if they promise to wax your car and hand-feed you chocolate, DON’T PAY A PUBLISHER TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK! There’s a lot of scam artists out there.
Q:Do you have creative doubts or fears? What are they, and how do you overcome them?
A: Absolutely. I’m my own worst critic. I’m always doubting my work, wondering if it will ever be good enough for one of the big companies to want, if it will ever be up to par, or hit one of the bestseller lists, if readers will like it or think it’s total crap. The only way I’ve found to get over this is to just suck it up and remember that I’m writing because I love it. Yes, I want others to love it, but first and foremost, I have to love it. That’s what matters. That I love it.
I just sit down and write.
Q:We don't have the luxury of waiting for inspiration. What do you do when you're not feeling the mojo?
A: Read, read, read. Reading is the only thing I’ve found that helps me shake free of writer’s block. I’ll lose myself in a book and not think about writing my own work. It might take more than one book to do the trick, but after reading for a while, my mind loosens up and I get back on track.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Right now I’m working on a really fun chick-lit-like mystery titled Bubblegum Blonde. It’s about a spunky private detective named Barb Jackson. Her lying, cheating ex-boyfriend hires her to prove he’s innocent of murdering his boss’s wife. Before she knows it she’s being chased pants-less down the street by a maid wielding a frozen chicken and being run off the road in the middle of the night, all while dodging a hunky detective she doesn’t know whether to kiss or kick. So far, this has been the funniest story I’ve ever written. I can’t wait to hear what the readers have to say.
Q: What didn't I ask that I should have--and what's the answer?
A: I think you covered it! Thanks for having me. It was so much fun!