Fast Friday Indie Interviews: Anna Chant

Anna Chant

Tell me about yourself, Anna?

I’m a freelance writer, tutor and mother of three from the English Riviera. I studied history at the University of Sheffield, giving me a lifelong passion for the subject. I have particularly fallen in love with the European Dark Ages – that fabulous period where legend and history collide. Earlier this year I published ‘Kenneth’s Queen’, a tale of the rise of power of Kenneth Mac Alpin, told from the point of view of the unknown woman who must have been at his side. The often unrecorded and uncelebrated women of the Dark Ages hold a real fascination for me and I aim to tell the stories of as many as possible!

Tell me about your current Book: 

The Girl from Brittia
When she finds herself cast aside, Princess Edlin of the Suff Anglii, Daughter of the Wolf of Wotan must lead an army overseas , or else her life may prove worthless.

Meet Procopius’s Island Girl, Britain’s greatest unsung heroine!

From the mysteries of the sixth century, discover a story that has it all – a beautiful, brave princess, several handsome princes, the wickedest of wicked step-mothers, an ambitious king, superstition, curses and environmental catastrophe!

The Girl from Brittia – As a high ranking Wolf Child of Wotan, Edlin sets high standards in her expectations of a husband. Her dismissal of all possible suitors has her family in despair.

A Varni Prince – Radigis and his family live in fear of their powerful Frank neighbours over the River Rhine. He is desperate to make an alliance that will keep his people safe.

When Edlin and Radigis meet on the shores of Suffolk, it is love at first sight and their future seems bright. But when Radigis returns home to prepare for his bride’s arrival, he finds sinister events are afoot. The might of the Frank King Theudebert and his beautiful sister Theodechilde force him into a heart breaking decision.

Back in Brittia, Edlin must survive disgrace and danger greater than she has ever known. And as disaster spreads across both lands, she reaches a fateful decision of her own. With the support of her devoted brother Wehha, she realises she must take drastic action to have any hope of the happiness she deserves.

What are you working on now?

I have just started on a timeline of another Dark Age Woman – a princess who marries often and takes a firm hand in shaping her own destiny.

Where is your favorite place to be when you write?

I do nearly all my writing on the family computer in my dining room. But I wrote part of The Girl from Brittia while on holiday in the place where a large part of the story is set – that was magical!

What is your favorite Website?

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/ I love reading the stories and forums on Unexplained Mysteries. I usually end up scaring myself witless!

Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01E46V162
                 http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B01E46V162
Blog: https://darkagevoices.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkagevoices
Twitter: @anna_chant
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15188873.Anna_Chant

Images that Inspire

Quotes of the Week

The first draft of anything is shit.
—Ernest Hemingway

A good style should show no sign of effort. What is written should seem to be a happy accident.
—Somerset Maugham

Never confuse the size of your paycheck with the size of your talent.
—Marlon Brando

No one can write decently who is distrustful of the reader’s intelligence...
—E.B. White

I'll give you the whole secret of short story writing. Here it is. Rule 1: Write stories that please yourself. There is no Rule 2.
—O. Henry

Sometimes a flat-footed sentence is what serves, so you don’t get all writerly: “He opened the door.” There, it’s open.
—Amy Hempel

The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer.
—Billy Wilder

Nothing teaches you as much about writing dialogue as listening to it.
—Judy Blume

There is no such thing as simple. Simple is hard.
—Martin Scorsese

Tuesday Tips: First Readers

I have heard a few new authors say, "My first draft is final draft." and later they wonder why the only person to buy their book was their Mom.

If your goal is to write a book that is commercially successful it has to have more than just good spelling, grammar and punctuation. All of those are important but there is more to it.

If you have the best story in the world and the spelling, grammar and punctuation is bad, it won't sell. If all those things are perfect and your story sucks it won't sell either.

A really good editor will fix technical issues but how do you fix the story? I use First Readers.

After I make the story as good as I can I send it off to my editor for her polish. Then I print a set of Red Pen Proofs. These copies go to my First Readers.

When I call them Red Pen Proofs that is a literal name. The First Readers mark them up. Make margin notes and give me advice on story, characters, plot, settings and everything and anything.  Then they return to proofs with notes. Some people call these people Beta Readers or Alpha Readers. I won't split hairs about defining these names of rolls.

When you work on a book for a long time, you get too close to it and may not see obvious issues. First Readers are a huge help.

How do you find them? That's the hardest part. I start with friends and family. Don't be offended if they can't help.

Friendship levels:

• Friends help you move.
• Real friends help you move bodies.
• True friends will read your manuscript.

I also recommend finding readers in your writers group. It's best if they are fans of the genre you write. The more well-read they are, the easier it is to avoid tropes and obvious errors. You need people that will be brutally honest. Your mom will always say it's wonderful. After you have written a few books you may even be able to find a fan willing to give you honest feedback prior to publication. Listening to First Readers will make your story better. It's like reading reviews from the future and being able to fix the issues before you publish.

They will give you feedback. Be honest with yourself. You can take some advice and not other advice. Don't be so close and proud that the story suffers.

Make it easy for them to give you feedback. Sit with them over coffee and chat about it. If you can get them all together at once you can discuss it like a book club. I also think a questionnaire can help.

When it's done, I give them signed copies as a thank you.

--Listen to your First Readers. They are usually right.

Read: X

This week I read X by Sue Grafton.

Here is the description from Amazon:

X:  The number ten. An unknown quantity. A mistake. A cross. A kiss.

X:  The shortest entry in Webster’s Unabridged. Derived from Greek and Latin and commonly found in science, medicine, and religion. The most graphically dramatic letter. Notoriously tricky to pronounce: think xylophone.

X:  The twenty-fourth letter in the English alphabet.

Sue Grafton’s X: Perhaps her darkest and most chilling novel, it features a remorseless serial killer who leaves no trace of his crimes. Once again breaking the rules and establishing new paths, Grafton wastes little time identifying this sociopath. The test is whether Kinsey can prove her case against him before she becomes his next victim.

--I enjoyed X but have the feeling the story is not over. Recommended.

Just sayin...

Book Signing

Had an excellent time last night at the Great Writers Right Here event. I sold a lot of books, met some fellow authors, and I even met a few fans.

I think one of the reasons I sold so many books is because I accepted Credit Cards. It was easy to set up and use. Anyone can do it. The cash goes right into and back account you specify!  Click here if you want to set it up for your next book signing or yard sale!

I also sold a lot of Kindle and Audible books by having handy QR codes so visitors could easily find them!

-Fun stuff. Thanks to everyone that came out!