Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Interview: Annalisa Crawford


Today I am interviewing Annalisa Crawford, author of the very touching novella Cat and the Dreamer.


 

Thank you Annalisa, for doing an interview. :) I want to tell you, I really enjoyed the book. It is beautifully written. Let's jump into the questions, shall we?
Thanks for asking me! And I'm so glad you liked it.

The book is about a woman who survived a suicide pact as a teenager. What made you want to write about this subject? I've always tried to find slightly unusual topics to write about - it keeps me interested - and I love exploring the psychological aspect of people. With the suicide pacts, in particular, there was a spate of them in the news, and I wondered what would happen if one of the pair survived. The idea grew and fitted together with another idea I was toying with - the vivid imagination.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? A pantser. Stories tend to come to me as a whole -I had the ending of this story just as clear in my head as the beginning - and then I fit in the bridging scenes as they come to me. Mostly that happens out of sequence, and there's a lot of re-writing to be done.

Are you a day dreamer like Julia? (I am!) Yes, definitely. I always have been - it's a great source of ideas! It's probably why I started writing in the first place.
Have you ever had a 'Cat' in your life? Luckily no. Cat just appeared whole one day, perfectly horrible.

What's been the best part of your writing journey so far? I think, right now. I've been writing and submitting for just over twenty years - I had my first short story published when I was 20. Even with work, and getting married and having kids I'd write, but only get a short story published every couple of years. My writing career never really took off, and I could never be sure how many people were actually reading those small press magazines. Right now, I actually feel like a writer!
Warning! Spoiler Alert, read on at your own risk.
A story like this can't realistically be wrapped up perfectly in the end. Julia has real issues to deal with, but was it tempting to give her a perfect, happy ending? No, because I had the ending in mind before I started writing. I re-wrote the ending a lot though, trying to get the right balance between too realistic and too depressing. I hope I got it right.
I thought you left the ending somewhat open to interpretation. Was that your intention, or is it just my wishful thinking? (I wanted the happy ending.) ;) It was definitely my intention to leave it open. I love fiction that makes me think, so that's how I write. I know what really happens, but I'm not saying :-)
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us? Ooh no, my lips are sealed!
Thanks for visiting us today, Annalisa! Readers, this is a lovely book and I definitely recommend it! 

19 comments:

  1. Lovely interview! Looks like I've just found another book I want to read!

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  2. Now I'm curious to know more about Cat! Way to get my attention!! :)

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  3. You're not just a writer - you are an author!

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    1. I actually used the word 'author' to describe myself the other day. It felt quite good!

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  4. Waving at Rachel. Nice meeting you.

    It's interesting that you write out of sequence. I love daydreaming, too. It's an interesting topic & I've been enjoying getting into your character's head. Great job, Annalisa.

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  5. Nice interview - I love hearing how an author came up with their ideas and what they intended for the reader to walk away with. Cat and the Dreamer sounds intriguing. Will check it out. Thanks!

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  6. I daydream too - I imagine most fiction writers do.
    Annalisa, you most definitely are a writer!

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  7. Thank you everyone for stopping by. I hope you check out the book, it really is a great read. :)
    And thank you again, Annalisa, for doing the interview! I loved hearing your answers. :)

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  8. Ooh that does sound like an interesting topic. :-D

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  9. This sounds like such an interesting piece! I'm definitely going to have to check it out! Great interview!

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  10. Good interview. The book sounds very interesting.

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  11. I'm really hoping to get to this one over the weekend, I've been looking forward to it.

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  12. such a tragic, dramatic premise! i didnt read the spoilers, i'll find out on my own! thanks for the interview ladies!

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