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1. Describe a typical day of writing for you?
I don't know if I have a typical writing day. For a while I was working pretty solidly between noon and five or so, but then my husband lost his job and my schedule fell by the wayside. I've been struggling to get back to a schedule since then.
My new method I'm trying out is to set a timer for 45 minutes and write until it is done, take a break, do another session, rinse, repeat. Ideally, I'd get five or six thousand words done (about the length of a short story) in four or five "increments" like this (usually I write about 1k an hour, but I've found that with the timer on, I do that 1k in 45 minutes instead, which is kind of cool).
I also tend to bounce around on projects, usually having two or three things going at a time so that if I get stuck on something, I can let my brain work on it while I go work on a different writing project.
2. How did you celebrate the publication of your first book?
I don't know that I did. I think I was too busy writing. It was definitely a relief to have the work done (I spent 14 straight hours approving just the copy-edits). Maybe I will celebrate the sequel when it is out.
3. What is the first thing to go through your mind when you see a bad review?
That I shouldn't be reading it. Reviews are written for readers, not for me. I know I should stay away from them, (good or bad), but I just can't help myself (who can!?) so I try not to let them get me down. I'm writing the best books I can, which is all I have control over. Hopefully people enjoy them, but if they don't, me being sad about them expressing their opinion won't help anyone. And maybe a bad review will prevent someone else from reading my book who wouldn't have liked it. I want readers who like the sort of stories I'm telling, not readers who aren't my audience (which is often what a bad review indicates- that someone found the book who wasn't your audience).
4. Is there a genre that you want to write in that you haven't tackled?
I have an idea for a full on historical novel, actually. Not the sort of "borrowing from historical elements" that I've done before, but actually using real people, real events, set in a real time period, like some of the books done by Morgan Llywelyn or Dorothy Dunnett. My idea will take a lot of time and research, so we'll see if I ever get around to doing it, but I think it is good to try new things.
5. Your biography lists "many other nerdy pursuits" in your interests. What is your "nerdiest" like? (As a nerd myself, I will probably be nodding my head in agreement.)
My "nerdiest"? Hmm. Videogames are kind of mainstream now, right? I play table-top RPGs, but those are also sort of mainstream (which is great, I approve of more gamers in the world). One of the things my friends think is pretty crazy is that I watch StarCraft II videos as a sort of brain break between writing sessions, etc. It's like watching a sport (I watch high-level games mostly from Korea, but usually commentated in English). I guess that is kind of nerdy. I would play StarCraft II more, but my computer is on its last legs, and my wrists won't stand up to a lot of mouse use these days, so I try to save them for writing and get my SC2 fix by watching other people play.
6. If you were casting the movie of "A Heart in Sun and Shadow", who would you cast?
Eep. That's a tough one. I think I'd cast Molly C Quinn (she plays the daughter on Castle) as Aine, just because I think she'd do a great job of being strong/passionate and she's about the right age. For the twins, that is tougher. I think if I could find a younger, swarthier version of Michael Sheen, that would work. For Seren, maybe Tricia Helfer.
7. What is up next for you?
I'm finishing up the sequel, which is titled "The Raven King", right now. It should be out in January (maybe by the time this interview goes live).
Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview.
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Bio: Annie Bellet is a full-time speculative fiction writer. She holds a BA in English and a BA in Medieval Studies and thus can speak a smattering of useful languages such as Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Welsh.
Her short fiction has appeared in AlienSkin Magazine, Contrary Magazine, and Daily Science Fiction Magazine as well as multiple anthologies and collections.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a very demanding Bengal cat.
Official Website
Blog
Annie is on tour with her novel, A Heart in Sun and Shadow.
In an ancient Wales that never was… The twin brothers Emyr and Idrys are cursed to live as hounds; Emyr by night, and Idrys by day. The twins believe they will be trapped this way forever until they meet the fierce and curious Áine, a changeling woman born with fey blood and gifts struggling to fit into a suspicious human world. Áine unravels the fate of Emyr and his twin as all three of them fall in love. To free her lovers from the curse, she embarks on a journey to the realm of the fey where she confronts her own unique gifts and heritage. Ultimately, she must decide where her heart truly lies and what she’s willing to risk to get what she desires most.
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