Welcome back to the Blog Ring of Power! Today we have with us Anne E. Johnson, author of Green Light Delivery and her latest, Blue Diamond Delivery. The interview starts here, so let's get to know her a little better:When and why did you begin writing?
My father is a journalist, so I thought of writing as a normal thing to do. I’ve been writing my whole life, whether in academic articles, non-fiction books for kids, or music journalism. However, my fiction writing is a whole different matter (one that baffles my journalist father, who can’t imagine writing fiction---although he is proud that I do!). I did write a few short stories as a kid, but it wasn’t until decades later that I realized I wanted to work seriously to become a professional writer of fiction. It’s been one of the greatest decisions of my life.
When did you first consider yourself a professional writer?
My first paid writing job was in the mid-1990s for the Rosen Publishing Group. They hired me to “pad” another author’s series about the peoples of East Africa. I did hundreds of hours of research, and it was quite interesting, but my name didn’t appear on the books. Soon, though, Rosen hired me to write seven books of my own. The first time I was paid for my fiction was the $2 I received from Spaceports & Spidersilk for my story “Airsick Over Planet Ekka.”
What books have most influenced your life? My favorite author is Anthony Burgess. Although he did write some novels that might be considered science fiction (A Clockwork Orange, The Wanting Seed, The End of the World News), my favorite works by him are the Enderby novels, about a writer struggling to deal with his writing and the world that doesn’t understand him. In terms of science fiction novels, my favorite authors include Douglas Adams, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Robert A. Heinlein.
What genre do you write?
I write science fiction and historical fiction. I haven’t tried to write both together, but that might be an interesting experiment at some point!
What is your favorite theme/genre to write about?
One of the reasons I write sci-fi is to counteract the ever-growing obsession with dystopia. Science fiction need not be dystopic. It need not be terrifying. It need not spell the doom of our species, our planet, or any other species or planet. Whether I’m writing funny or serious science fiction, I work from the premise that there are always some bad people, but the decent people outnumber them.
Look for more of Anne's interview on the following blogs:
Part Two (The Writing Life)--Vicki Lemp Weavil--7/16
Part Three (The Writing Process)--Terri Bruce--7/17
Part Four (About Your Current Work)--Theresa Fendley--7/18
Part Five (Words of Wisdom)--Emily LaBonte--7/19
You can find Anne at the following links:
Website: http://anneejohnson.com/
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/890108.Anne_E_Johnson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AnneEJohnson
Other: Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/117903036647421462406/posts
You can purchase her new book at the following links:
Candlemark & Gleam: http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com/shop/product-category/science-fiction/
Amazon:
BN:
I think decent people outnumber the bad. By a lot.
ReplyDeleteYou should try merging those two genres, Anne.
Someday I'm sure I will try, Alex!
ReplyDeleteI once received a $2 royalty check - talk about a laugh or cry moment (I laughed).
ReplyDelete