Learn the tricks of the trade and 'tried and true' methods of writing success from seasoned writers!
Sister Site to Writer Gazette and EbooksCafe
Today's Date:

Writers Manual welcomes you!
Learn how to create a successful writing career!

An Interview With Ann Herrick

Tell us a bit about yourself. What would you like us to know about you?

I grew up in Connecticut where I fantasized about some day owning a racing stable in Kentucky--until I realized that even the long odds of getting a book published were better than the odds of acquiring a racing stable.

What are you doing now? (Career? Married? Single? Children? Pets?)

I'm married, have a grown daughter, son-in-law and grand-dog, Puff, a rottweiller, bloodhound and beagle mix, and a beautiful cat, Colette.

What is your favourite food?

Pizza is my favorite food. I've often wondered how many days in a row I could eat pizza without getting tired of it, but I haven't really fully explored that yet.

What is your favourite colour?

Yellow. And not just because it is one of the Oregon Duck colors, along with green.

What is your favourite sound?

Peace and quiet. (Or is that 2 sounds?)

Who is your favourite person?

You mean besides my entire family and circle of friends???

What is your favourite place?

Home.

What is your favourite memory?

Can't narrow it down to one. Most special are the day I got married, the day our daughter was born and the day I found out I sold my first book.

What is your favourite article of clothing?

Bedroom slippers. I'd wear them everywhere if I could.

What is your favourite word?

Hmmm.

What is your favourite writers' quote and why?

"All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection.
So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure
to do the impossible."

William Faulkner

Because nobody's perfect.

What is your most favourite quality about yourself?

Persistence.

What is the least favourite quality about yourself?

Procrastination.

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?

To the office of the agent to whom I recently sent a new manuscript, so I could urge him to read it immediately, fall in love with the story and beg to be my agent.

What inspires you to write and why?

Stories and characters are always roaming around in my mind, and I need to get them out and onto paper.

What is your favourite book and why?

I couldn't possibly narrow it down to one book!

What is your favourite genre and why?

I like to read and write Young Adult novels. It's such an intense age, with one foot in adulthood but one foot still in childhood.

List your three favourite authors (any genre) and why?

Susan Isaacs, funny and insightful.
Judy Blume, so true to life.
Jane Austen, because reading Pride & Prejudice in high school made me realize I still loved reading (after hating too many assigned-reading books).

What do you think makes a writer successful?

Persistence. A writer has to keep writing and has to keep submitting the work.

Whta is it that makes you successful as a writer?

Good old persistence, a love of reading and paying attention.

What are your goals as a writer?

It would be nice to make more than not-quite-a-living with my writing, and to know I've connected with my readers. One of the best parts of being an author is hearing that a reader liked a book, learned something from it, had some feelings clarified.

What is the best tip you can give to fellow writers?

Don't give up!

What do you hope to provide your readers with through your writing?

Knowledge and recognition of themselves and their feelings.

List your three favourite online writer-resource sites and why (include URLS).

Fictionwise.com, www.fictionwise.com, has a huge number and variety of books
YA Books Central, www.yabookscentral.com, has reviews of YA books, interviews with YA authors, comments from readers of YA books.
Hard Shell Word Factory, www.hardshell.com, it's one of my publishers!

If you have published a book, tell us about your publishing success (title, publishing date and company, where it is available to purcahse).

The Perfect Guy
June, 2005
Hard Shell Word Factory
Amazon.com

How long did it take you to write your book(s)?

A year.

What would you do differently if you could repeat the same publishing experience?

Started sooner.

What have you learned about the publishing world?

Nothing moves quickly in the publishing world.

This is your chance to 'Talk Back' to your readers. What would you like to say to them?

If you like a book, let the author (and the publisher) know! You can always write to an author in care of the publisher, and many authors have web sites where you can contact them. We love to know 1) a real live person has read our books and 2) what the real live person liked about the books.

What's the one thing that you want them to know about your writing?

My characters are very important to me, and so are their feelings.

Use of this web site is an indication of your agreement with our Terms of Service. Copyright 2001, 2002 Writers Manual and Topzone Systems Inc. All contents and graphics copyrighted - Do not copy! Contact us at: editor@writersmanual.com Web Design by Krista Barrett.