Would you like to tell me a little about yourself and how you got interested in writing?
I live in a condo that has a marvelous city- scape view and complimenting the rooftops, and glass fronted towers during the day and lights at night are the fields that stretch to the horizon. And when I turn in any direction, I see sky. I watch sunrises (in the winter) and sunsets in the summer. It is the perfect mix of urban and expanse for me. I confine my writing to my office because I pull books and papers and then drop them to move onto the next piece of research.
Could you tell us about your new novel out and what inspired the story?
Moving On A Prairie Romance is about when life throws you a curve and the dreams you were dreaming are no longer possible. Anna and Nick both have to grieve their pasts and make a decision to Move On toward a different life and different dreams. I believe that this is a universal experience. The parents dream of a child and as the child develops they notice that their child doesn’t react that same as others, they need to decide how to leave one set of dreams and move onto another. The same happens when a relationship fails or physical health changes or we lose a job or we realize a fortune we didn’t expect. These events change our view of our present world and we as humans, adapt the very best we can with the support systems we have around us.
This is Anna’s first view of the place she has come to change:
“The windows were dirty and the exterior paint cracked and flaked. This was just the place she needed if as they say, your environment reflects your state of mind. Maybe in this place they would get off her back. She locked the doors to ward off thieves from her black suitcases piled in the car. What was she thinking? The street was empty. Besides, a battered guitar case shared the passenger seat with empty water bottles and take-away food wrappers, so it looked as if someone had already rummaged through her belongings.”
Later when Nick is in this cottage with her they have this conversation:
“She was drawn to the large windows that revealed waves washing onto the shore while his voice rose and fell in the background. She jumped when he spoke from behind her. “Looks like you’ve got a big job to make this old man’s house a place you’d want to live.” He had picked up a ship in a bottle and held it to the light.
She stood with determined confidence. “They say work is good therapy.” She felt a pang of intuitive kinship with him again. She smiled, “Do you ever wonder if they really know what they are talking about?”
Nick raised his hand and gently touched the side of her face, turning it towards him. He looked deep into her eyes as if he was searching for recognition. “Yeah, they’re probably just a bunch of clowns who think up euphemisms to confuse the rest of us.”
Both Anna and Nick have to find their way out of their old dream that won’t work and into a new one.
When I was very young I know I repeated the things I heard from the grown up talk around me. I don’t know if I hid or if I was just there paying attention. I know I wasn’t malicious but I enjoyed re-telling the stories. I read as much as any child who had siblings and enjoyed playing outdoors. I used the school and public library for our reading until I had a summer job. I remember one house our family moved into where the previous owners left behind boxes of The Hardy Boy books and other children’s books as well as a set of Books of Knowledge. That was a treasure. I enjoyed reading books about families and children who overcame challenges. I have a memory of lying on the floor all curled up and crying while I read.
I would love to know what authors you admire and your top two favorite books.
I admire Richard Armour for his Twisted Tales from Shakespeare. I love to laugh when I learn.
I admire Amy Hempel for her short short stories. I have her The Collected Stories where she tells a big story with the smallest amount of words she can.
I admire Tish Cohen for the inside out girl. I cried. Dreams changed and needed to change again.
Are there more books in your future? If so, could you tell us about your current project?
Yes, there are more books in my future. I have one almost ready to begin submission rounds. I would like to put all of my short stories in a collection and I very much want to write Rapid Reads for Adults as published by Orca Books Publishers of Canada or Quick Reads which are published in the UK. These are books that help adults fall in love with reading.
Okay, I like to include a very important question here. What kind of chocolate do you prefer, lol?
My favorite chocolate is a chocolate mint patty. I like the two flavors that are separate on your tongue.
You can visit me at my webpage: www.annettembower.wordpress.com.
Do you have other places we can find you on-line? Please provide links.
It is available to purchase: www.xoxopublishing.com , www.allromanceebooks.com , www.bookstrand.com , www.amazon.com XoXo Publishing™ is hoping to have their books on Kobo in March and Nook later in the year.
Moving On A Prairie Romance is a G-rated, one flame, sweet contemporary romance in a small package of 119 pages from cover to cover and under 68,000 words. It is published by XoXo Publishing™ and was released on Christmas Eve, 2011.
Thank you Debra Jayne for having me as a guest on your blog.
