HAPPY SPRING, Thanks for stopping by, today we are happy to have Ms. Anne Whitfield chatting with us about her book A Love Past and giving us a little bit about herself. On behalf of Coffee Time Romance Welcome Ms. Whitfield.
Welcome to Coffee Time, I would like to thank Anne Whitfield for taking the time to answer our questions today. We are asking Ms. Whitfield about her upcoming release A Love Past, a contemporary romance being released from Blue Leaf Publications.
I loved the premise of how one love not only stood the test of time, but also inspired another couple to take a long look at their own relationship. Can you tell us where the inspiration for this novel came from?
I’ve always been fascintated by diaries and really wanted to write a story where a diary is a major factor in the plot. The whole premise of someone finding an old diary is wonderful. I’d love to find a hidden one myself!
Do you have anything routine you follow to get into the mood to write certain genres? As in one thing for a historical and another for a contemporary?
No, I don’t have different routines for one genre or another. I mainly write historical novels, but sometimes a contemporary short story will demand to be heard, and so I will quickly write a rough draft of it before the idea is gone. Sometimes I will write a few contemporary short stories between finishing one historical and starting another to give myself a break.
What is a normal writing day for you like?
A normal writing day starts after the kids have gone to school. I spend the first hour simply reading and answering emails and then I open my current manuscript and write for a few hours before taking a break and checking emails again and perhaps do a few chores around the house. Then, if I can, I’ll try to write for another hour or so before the kids come home from school.
When you’re not writing, what are your other favorite activities?
Reading, obviously, but I love gardening, browsing around bookstores, visiting family, going for picnics.
I see that you collect old diaries. Do you also keep a diary? If so, what sort of message would you want to give those reading it a century from now?
Before I started writing full time I did keep a diaries. I didn’t do it every year but I did write a few, which are now funny to look back on and re-read, especially the diary I wrote while pregnant with my second son (I thought I was having twin girls). Now I keep a diary only for jotting down important dates and keeping track of my writing tasks.
I liked the blend of the past and present in A Love Past. How hard was it to blend the two together, the diary writer and the modern heroine?
It was, quite unbelievably, very easy to write. When a story is begging to be told I find it flows out of you with such ease. I adored writing A Love Past. I very nearly considered turning it into a full length novel just because I didn’t want to let the characters go.
Where do you get the inspiration for your characters? I thought that Dylan and Lexi were very believable with normal problems of modern couples everywhere.
Lexi and Dylan fitted neatly into the story because I felt them to be real, just like anyone else in the world. The modern world is full of men and woman struggling to make the best of what they’ve got, but sometimes this can cause them to lose sight of what is truly important. That is what happened to Lexi and Dylan and I know of many other people that have had it happen to them.
In the historical genre what is your favorite era to write about?
I very much enjoy the Victorian era and the emergance of strong woman strugglign to find a voice in a man’s world. I also like the Edwardian era for that same reason. I am fascintaed by the World War I era and later I would like to write a story set in the English Civil War period and perhaps a medieval novel too.
I see from your web page that you are originally from Australia; but have traveled widely in England as well. Which locale is easier to research?
Living in Australia makes my country easier to research. However, I have a lto fo material from England to help my memory of the place. Also having English parents and extended family helps a lot. My uncle in Yorkshire sends me a great amount of research material, including videos and maps of the areas I set my books.
Of the contemporary and historical genres do you have a favorite to research for and write?
Historical novels will always be my favourite. It is a genre I love to read and research. Actually researching is never a chore for me, I enjoy it. I think it helps for historicals writers to like researching. Sometimes I get lost in reading reference books and lose time for writing.
Can you share your website with us? Also, please give me any pertinent dates of signings, chats, and any other events you’d like to share.
My website is www.geocities.com/anne_whitfield
My newsletter is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnneWhitfield_Newsletter/
My next releases are April 26th – A Hometown Boy (short story) from www.titanpress.com and June 20th – Kitty McKenzie, historical, www.samhainpublishing.com/kittymckenzie.shtml
Thank you, Jenn.
Another fantastic Interview with one of your favorite authors. Coffee Time Romance wants to take this time to thank Ms. Whitfield for chatting with us today. Thanks Ms. Whitfield.
Leave a Comment