Interview with Annie Seaton
Welcome to a very special blog post!
I recently read and posted a review of the latest book by Annie Seaton - Daintree. Daintree is book two in the Porter Sisters series.
Aside from being offered an advanced copy of this great book by Pan Macmillan, I also had the privilege to interview Annie Seaton [F|W] after reading it.
When I started this hobby of mine I never in a million years thought I’d be so lucky to be offered the opportunity to review books directly from publishers, let alone to actually interview the author.
And with that, I hope you enjoy reading the below interview as much as I enjoyed the Daintree book journey.
Finally thank you Annie for taking the time and answering my questions, you have made a blogger and aspiring author very happy!
Reading Daintree I notice several important and very current topics laced through out the story, rural medicine and it's limitations or shortage of good qualified staff, Aboriginal affairs and their tie to land ownership and cultural interlock with western medicine and finally the topic of wild life smuggling. What made you pick these topics to write about? Why are these topics important to you?
Researching a book in the actual environment and living in that setting for a few weeks is essential to me as an author.
You pick up the local issues, such as rural doctor shortages and wider issues such as wildlife smuggling through the media when you are in the area. I am fortunate to write full time, and each winter, am able to travel with my husband to camp and live in the settings that I will use in future books. I have always been interested in holistic medicine. In my early career years, I was employed as an information officer in a medical faculty that delivered an innovative course in medical training for doctors, and my interest in holistic medicine was born. As we explored the Australian outback, my interest in aboriginal culture and the facets that make it unique has been intense, and bush medicine is a part of that learning journey for me.
Thank you for creating a strong female character in Emma Porter (I love girl power heroines), was it important to you to have a strong female character and why?
It’s something I don’t do consciously but as I look back at all of my books, I realise my female protagonists are all strong characters.
One of the concerns when you are writing about a strong heroine, particularly in the romance genre, when most readers love an alpha male is to be able to balance the strength of your hero and heroine so that the action and the romance are believable and satisfying to the reader.
When a book is finished, I reflect on my lead character and look at the characteristics of the heroine that I seem to imbue them with as I write
Is she a risk-taker, is she brave, and does she have attitude? Does she have a strong survival instinct in the face of adversity? Does she passionately believe in a cause? Does she have the respect and admiration of the other characters? Does she recognize when she makes mistakes?
What in your opinion is a definition of the perfect Romance novel? Ie what ingredients are necessary to have the perfect Romance novel?
That is a difficult question as there are so many different layers to writing romance, romantic suspense and romantic elements. For me it is character growth, resolution of conflict and happiness for each at the end.
What book or author inspired you most to pursue your writing in the Romance genre.
Essie Summers, a New Zealand author from the 1950s. I have every one of her
books (67 of them!)
I am an aspiring author, what advise would you give to someone like me about starting their first book?
Fingers on keyboard. Any written word is better than no words ...
And to summarise...
The recipe for success: Cooking with the Muse:
Ingredients
1 cup of inspiration,1 cup talent,2 cups of passion, 2 cups of belief in yourself, 2 and a ½ cups of determination
Method
Fingers on keyboard and bottom on seat as you mix the above for as much time as you can spare each day. For as long as it takes until the mixture is smooth and flowing. Place in your imagination and let the product mix until it rises. Let it stew in the passion and add frequent pinches of determination. When the mix is right, turn out the words and let them sit for at least a week before you decorate them with the remainder of the passion. Be selective in who you give it to taste. Follow your dreams... persevere... and they will come true if you believe in yourself!
Published by: Pan Macmillan Australia
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