An Interview with Author Anne Greene & A Giveaway!

Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance. This week, I am so pleased to introduce to you Anne Greene. Anne writes Scottish historicals (I LOVE Scottish historicals!) and wounded heroes – the best kind of heroes. She also teases us with an upcoming lady detective series – another favorite genre of mine. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.

Anne is giving away an autographed paperback of Marriage by Arrangement! So, scroll down to the Rafflecopter and enter to win!

EveningAnne4_BrushStroke4_5[1]Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I delight in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. My second novel, a Scottish historical, MASQUERADE MARRIAGE, won three prestigious book awards. The sequel MARRIAGE BY ARRANGEMENT released November, 2013. A TEXAS CHRISTMAS MYSTERY also won several awards. My highest hope is that my stories transport my readers to awesome new worlds and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. I make my home in McKinney, Texas. I love to talk with my readers. I just signed contracts for two new series that I hope you will look for soon from Elk Lake Publishing. The first of my Heroic Women series, ANGEL WITH STEEL WINGS, will go on sale soon. The second, a lady detective series, will release early in 2015.

Tell us about your current release.

I think my back cover blurb of MARRIAGE BY ARRANGEMENT gives a good overview.

A MARRIAGE COVENANT
Why does a handsome, powerful noble of the highest rank in England stoop to marry a mere Lady of Lowland Scotland?

A GREAT SECRET
Are the whispered stories about him true? With his shadowy past and strange behavior what awful secret does he hide? Each change of clothes transforms him into a different man.

Marriage_By_Arrangement_Cover[1]AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
Can Lady Cailin keep her vow to make her marriage happy and successful, unlike that of her parents, or to save her unborn child, must she arrange for the Duke’s accidental death?

What is your personal, most effective way to get past writer’s block?  I have never had writer’s block. When I’m working on a book, I read back over the previous chapter and that’s enough to get my creative muse working. Sometimes when I want to end a book, I have a difficult time deciding how to get my characters out of the dilemma

Do you have your plot-line and character development already laid out before you begin writing a book, or do they develop as you write? I’m a total seat-of-the-pants writer which means I start a book with either an event or a setting in mind and build from there as I write. The characters emerge from the situation to grow into people who learn how to cope and overcome. I might or might not have an ending in mind when I begin writing. I let my characters tell me what is happening and they determine the course of the book. I never plot or make any character development before I begin. The fun in writing is watching and listening to my characters as they tell me what is happening. To me, plotting out a book removes the incentive to write.

Do you have pre-determined length in mind when you first begin a book?  The first books I wrote ran into 100,000 and more words. I found those books hard to sell to publishers so shortened my books to publishers’ parameters which are usually 80,000 to 85,000 words.

How did you make the initial step into writing your first novel?  I’d been thinking of writing for a number of years. Then my children both entered school. There was a writers’ conference nearby and my husband suggested I attend. This conference demanded a writer had to send in three chapters before she could enroll. Since the conference opened the following week, I quickly wrote three chapters of a book that had been swirling in my head asking to be written. Near the end of conference each writer met with an editor. I was so green, I wondered why I would meet an editor and what I would say. The editor had read my three chapters and asked if I could write the book in seven months. I said yes, not having a clue how long writing a book took. Long story short, the editor loved the book and published TRAIL OF TEARS, my first book.

What inspired you to start writing, or did you always want to write?  I have always wanted to write. As a stay-at-home Mom, when my children entered school I had four or five hours a day for myself. I prayed about what God wanted me to do during the time my children were in school. Fortunately I didn’t need to go outside my home to work because my husband supported us, although that extra money would have been helpful. A psychiatrist friend whom I went to for guidance asked me a number of questions. At the end he said he thought I should become a writer. During our time together I’d never mentioned writing so was stunned. Of course I wanted to write, but how did he know? So his advice coupled with the nearby writer conference nudged me in the direction of writing. When the editor asked me to write that book, I took the circumstances and decided God was calling me to become a writer.

What is your inspiration for writing?  God gave me the talent to write. I write for Him. Listening to the spiritual message He wants included in each book is highly important to me. Touching readers’ lives and in some small way encouraging them or showing them a new thought God wants them to hear is vitally important to me. Writing is my ministry. Plus, as I was growing up, reading was my escape from a difficult childhood. I love to offer my readers escape from hard times in their lives. I love taking them to new worlds they can enjoy. I love giving them the sheer pleasure of reading a good book.

Do you write your books for your own enjoyment or more for what you think people would want to read?  I write what I enjoy reading. My whole writing journey for each book is a love situation between my characters and me. Plus, other than general statistics, I have no idea what other people want to read. I do receive feedback about my books at signings and talks, but, of course, these will be positive. So, I write for my own enjoyment and to find answers to problems that perplex me.

Find Anne online:

Blog

Website

Twitter
Find Anne’s books on Deeper Shopping!

Find Anne’s Books at Amazon!

Find Anne’s books at Barnes & Noble!

Anne is giving away an autographed copy of Marriage By Arrangement to one of my readers. Enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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5 comments

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  1. These books sound great!

    • Amy C on September 11, 2014 at 07:59
    • Reply

    I love Scotland and I love mysteries, so this sounds fun.

    • Kathy O'Hanlon on September 11, 2014 at 09:41
    • Reply

    I would love to win a copy of your book.

    • Elizabeth Dent on September 11, 2014 at 17:24
    • Reply

    I would love to win your book Anne Greene . It sounds so good . Thanks for the chance .
    lizd225(at)gmail(dot)com

  2. What a great story of how you got into writing.

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