Why I Write by Anni Rose

My blog guest this week is Anni Rose, author of Recipe for Mr Ideal published by Choc Lit Publishing. Anni is going to tell us a little about why she writes …

Hello Morton, thank you for inviting me on to your blog today.

Why do I write? Good question. I should perhaps say that I write for me, no one else, which is why at times it can feel a bit self-indulgent and I can feel guilty when the housework starts to pile up around me. But it’s a great way to escape and very cathartic. I find, I can get rid of so much angst, just by writing about things that have bothered me. Writing them down and seeing how a character deals with them, often clears my head.

Years ago, I heard Ian Rankin talk and he said he thought if he wasn’t a writer he’d probably be in prison, because anybody who upset him in real life he would kill off in a book. I haven’t killed anyone in a book yet, but there are a few unpleasant characters along the way, who get their comeuppance.

Many years ago, I read, “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron and for quite a few months wrote three morning pages every morning. That was a lovely and freeing experience and often an idea or way forward would emerge from those pages that would inspire my writing later in the day. Nowadays, if I get stuck on how to advance the story, I often turn off all my electronic devices and go back to my A4 lined pads and write three pages in long hand.

These days I’m not disciplined as to when I start writing. I try to think of it as a job and be at my desk by 9:00 a.m. with a large mug of tea. I like to think I’m going to sit and write for a whole morning during which time I will produce a thoroughly polished chapter that will be wildly engaging but, of course, that rarely happens. I should probably admit I am the master of procrastination. An email can arrive that suddenly becomes the most important thing in my world, so much so that I have to deal with it immediately. Or there’s a meal to cook or desk to polish! But when I do get going, I can lose myself in my story and that is an amazing feeling.

Quite often, when I start a book, I don’t know exactly where it’s going, I normally have the characters’ names and maybe an idea that I have jotted down in a notebook because I think it might be fun to explore. Then comes the brainstorming and research. For my current work in progress my character is trying her hand at different things – so lately, I’ve needle-felted a March hare, taken a ride on the Velocity 2 zip wire in Wales and done a laminated dough course, all in the name of research and now I’m searching for a glassblowing workshop locally. I couldn’t quite manage pole dancing classes – I’ve got a dodgy hip! For Recipe for Mr Ideal – there was quite a lot of Say Yes to the Dress episodes that needed watching! And having been a registrar, I had lots of inspirational weddings to revisit.

I love it when characters develop. It can almost be like spending a day in the company of old friends. Writers talk about their characters coming to life and I guess, as writers, we all hope that will happen. You spend so long with these people that you need to care about them. I’ve had characters who have had complete personality changes, as I get to know them better, in some cases, they’ve changed names. You get close to them for the duration of the book and it is sometimes difficult to let them go. One of the things I love about writing a series is that characters who often start off as secondary characters in one book, can develop to such an extent, they need their own stories told.

It’s been great to talk to you today, Morton, thank you again for the invitation to visit your blog.

About Anni Rose

Born and raised in Berkshire, Anni emigrated to Wiltshire six years ago, where she lives with her husband, sister and two dogs.

As a child, she could usually be found either reading or writing fiction, producing reams of stories over the years.

On leaving school, the need to earn a living sort of got in the way and her writing was limited to financial reports or employees’ handbooks, but a local writing course and an encouraging group of writing friends re-ignited the fiction flame many years later and Anni went on to have several short stories published in various magazines.

Anni would describe her writing these days as mainly modern romantic stories with a healthy dollop of humour thrown in. Away from writing Anni can usually be found behind a camera, walking the dogs, enjoying one of her husband’s curries or one of her sister’s bakery treats.

You can catch up with Anni on her website www.anniroseauthor.co.uk, on Twitter – @AnniRoseAuthor, or on her Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/anniroseauthor

About Recipe for Mr Ideal

Would you settle for Mr Less-Than-Ideal for a chance at happily-ever-after?

Registrar Maddie Winter has overseen enough weddings to know that marriage is not just for Christmas (or Valentine’s Day) – it’s for life, and regardless of whether the ceremony involves specially trained owls, dinosaurs or the police, it should be only the beginning of a story that will end in happily-ever-after.

Saying that, Maddie’s own married life is far from perfect – her husband, David, is more interested in his phone than in her, and when he suddenly walks out, Maddie’s long-held beliefs are put to the test.

Except Maddie knows David was never really her ‘Mr Ideal’; that was sweet, funny, motorbike-riding Josh Diamond – although obviously not that ideal, as he did dump her to move to the States. Even so, when Josh unexpectedly rides back into town, Maddie begins to wonder whether her happily-ever-after could still be to come …

Book 4 in the Recipes for Life series but can be read as a standalone novel.

Book buying links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/40GjhKh

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3I9KON4

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/recipe-for-mr-ideal-anni-rose/1142938464

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/recipe-for-mr-ideal/id6445286285

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/recipe-for-mr-ideal

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Anni_Rose_Recipe_for_Mr_Ideal?id=Ve2nEAAAQBAJ&gl=GB

Choc Lit Website: https://www.choc-lit.com/?post_type=dd-product&s=Recipe+for+Mr+Ideal

You know the more I learn about Anni Rose, the more I think we could be sisters, as we share so many common interests. Anni was very kind to me last year when I lost my mom – she took me on a lovely outing to the confetti fields in Pershore, Worcestershire. It’s a pity we don’t live closer to each other or I think we would be sharing regular outings. Good luck with the book, Anni. Mx

Thank you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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