Ann Lothrop Interview Published on: 23, Feb 2017
What made you decide to become a writer?
I started telling stories at the age of 5 to comfort my baby brother. As I grew older writing was a way to create an escape from what life brought to me.
Your book, Wifey is book 1 of ‘The Graham Boys’ Series; are there more books to the series and when?Yes. There are 3 books planed in this series. The second Indian Falls Is already in the works.
Collaboration of Romance and thriller, and compiling it into one genre is a difficult task that many authors refrain from, what made you choose this genre, that too for your debut novel?This genre was the one that captured my heart as I began reading.
The title: Wifey is intriguing, what was the reason or inspiration behind this?Wifey was her nick-name, What I wrote about nick-names in “wifey “ is a very real thng in my family. Her name was her name given to her by those that loved her.
Do you follow a particular structure, or rely on stream of conscious while writing?As for following a structure I do have a loose outline and characters breakdowns but my stories always just present themselves. So do my characters.
The romance between Reese and seventeen year old Molly, is there some level of real life truth attached to the fiction?There is and there isn’t. The love was about life’s path bringing two people together, It started as two people needed comfort and champions in their lives.
We noticed, that the protagonist: Molly’s passion is music; do have inclination towards music as well?While I love music and believe it’s a doorway to the soul. I have no real musical talent… lol It never stopped me from singing my heart out much to the dismay of my family. You see I have been particially deaf most of my life, (I hear funny) It also makes me tone deaf and very loud. Family trip in our car were full of song and laughter… One has to keep their sense of humor.
What was your favorite book as a child?I had two The Black stallion by Walter Farley…. (hehehe adventure) and The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart (Romance, my first, along with adventure).
What are the future projects that you are working on?I will be staying with this genre however there are several “real life” coming of age stories I might share.
Do you intend to follow the same genre in writing or do you have something entirely different in store for us?Writing and getting Wifey publish was a journey. I knew nothing about what I was doing. The hardest part was getting beta readers to read it and get back to me in a timely manner. The publishing was an exercise in self growth. A challenge to my self growth too. I am now learning about marketing. The whole experience has been a learning process.
What are the difficulties you faced while writing or getting Wifey published?Writer’s block gets all writers from time to time we all deal with it differently. When it hits, me I will take time to focus on other things needed for the book, like doing research or planning the cover. Sometimes I will talk about my book and characters with my friends. I don’t let the block become an issue or try and force the writing. The story sort of presents itself to me. I try and keep an open mind.
Do you have something specific to say to the readers, or to the aspiring writers?I try not to moralize or preach to the choir in my stories. I write to escape. That being said; what story out there has nothing to say? I do like to present an HEA, give hope, set a premise for dealing with things in life. I like opening the door to all walks of life. Without the differences in life we have a utopic society that is dull and boring. I like survivers, I like strength in the soul. I like the challenge of seeing life with an open mind.
Finally, how do you promote your work? Have you been aided by Allauthor in the promotions, and would you recommend this platform to your friends?Promoting and Marketing my book is again another learning experience. I use social media a lot. I ask my family to help too! I have several other venues for local promotion I am working on. Getting your name out there is a must. Yes I am using Allauthors, and I have also promoted allauthors to other writers. My experience has been positive and informative. The site is promoting my book too. They also seem to be available for any questions I have.
