My interview today is with Annalisa Crawford, author of Cat & The Dreamer and That Sadie Thing.

Welcome, Annalisa. Can you tell my readers what inspired you to write your first book, “Cat & The Dreamer”?

I had several small ideas that merged together. I had the idea of a woman haunted by her past who uses daydreams to escape, but I didn’t know exactly what was haunting her. Then I read several articles over a few months of people who had entered into suicide pacts, and I wondered how someone would feel if they survived that pact but their friend had died.

Wow, that sounds interesting!  Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what led you to put pen to paper and share your experience with the world?

I have literally always written. I can’t imagine not writing, and I always wonder how non-writers fill their time. As a child I used to make small books and write stories in them. I wrote what can only be described as a Snow White fanfic when I was about seven, and followed that up with a story about a magic golden horse. Neither of them still exist – I threw them out at some point. I started writing short stories and submitting them at 17.

 Is there a message in your book(s) that you wish readers to grasp?

I’ve never written to share a message, but I think one thing readers can take from my books is that you never know what another person is thinking or going through.

What do you find to be the hardest part of writing a book?

Starting it, and finishing it!

Starting, because I think a lot before I ever start writing. I need to have the right feeling, the right tone, the right music to inspire me. For my soon-to-be-published book, I used to listen to music as I walked to work and every time a particular song came round, I got the strangest, fluttering excited feeling, but I could never pin point the story it was inspiring. One day, same road, same song, I got it!

Finishing, because I can always do one more edit/rewrite. I have one novel that I’ve rewritten about seven times over the past twenty years. It will never be published, but I can’t fully put it aside.

I can relate to that. I did some of my best writing on MATEGUAS listening to Bruce Springsteen while I walked my dogs. And, it seems you can always do just one more edit!

Besides your own book(s), what other new Indy titles are you excited about in 2014?

I have so many writer friends that I’ve met through my blog (Annalisa Crawford – Author) all very prolific – that I’m not going to name names, because the list would be huge, and I’d miss someone out and feel really bad. But there are many I’m looking forward to, and I’m grateful I bought a Kindle this year!

What’s next for you? You mentioned you have a “soon-to-be-published” book – can you tell us a little bit about that?

My new novella trilogy is coming out in the next couple of months – I saw the draft cover earlier this week, and it’s gorgeous. The book is called Our Beautiful Child, and all the stories are set in the same town – there’s a mysterious stranger, a psychic, a ghost, and a woman who has dreamed her own death.

That sounds intriguing. You’ll have to let me know when it comes out! 

Finally, do you have any advice for other writers who are just starting down the self-publishing path?

Don’t rush, use beta readers, get your book edited properly, make sure it’s the best it can be. Once that’s all done, put it away for a few weeks, and then read it again.

Very good advice, Annalisa. Thank you for stopping by today. I’m sure my readers appreciate your taking time out of your busy writing schedule to be with us! 

For more information about Annalisa and her work, here are some additional links to check out:   Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Author Page,  Pinterest

NEXT WEEK:  Steve LeBel, author of the soon-to-be released THE UNIVERSE BUILDERS!