Interview with Ann Durand:
Hi Ms. Durand. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about your latest book.
“A Promise to Keep” is a romantic suspense about a schoolteacher who falls in love with the man of her dreams, but one day after professing his undying love for her, he disappears. If that weren’t bad enough, she learns he is wanted for murder. Stunned and disbelieving, she sets out to find him and unravel the mystery surrounding the charge. Her quest takes her on a reckless chase from a small town in California to the jungles of Mexico. Danger lurks everywhere for this determined heroine, but her love drives her forward.
I found the story very easy to write, and it felt like I really knew the characters, though they are all fictional. I embellished one character with more nasty traits than a shark with a toothache. “She’s a real piece of work,” my husband says about her. My mom expressed surprise to meet this character in the novel and was worried that I might have known someone like her in my life. I had to promise my mother that the character was just an invention, a figment of my imagination! I have never met this character in real life, and I hope I never will!
- What can we expect from you in the future?
I love to write, so I would say, in general, expect more books! I am currently working on a romance sci fi with a working title of Silver Gate. You can read about it and an excerpt at my website, TRI-Studio.com. There is also an excerpt for “A Promise to Keep”. I love to hear from readers and I do answer my email. You can email me from the Tri Studio Authors website or use AnnDurand@TRI-Studio.com.
- Why did you decide to write romance novels?
Love makes the world go round, doesn’t it? What else could motivate us to meet all the challenges we face in a single day? It’s got to be love! Immersing ourselves in a good romance novel is one way stir up all those emotions and FEEL. I’ve always loved curling up with a good romance book, like those by Nora Roberts. Books have felt like my friends over the years, and one day, I got the urge to write one. I wanted my readers to experience strong emotions, like I do when I read a good book.
- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
Good question. A lot of what I write about are ideas that I pull out of the air; I create people that I’ve never known and events that have never happened to me. Yet these people and events are threaded with my own feelings. I imagine, what IF this happened to me, what would I think? Or what IF this person were real…how would I feel about them? So in that sense, I bring myself and my personality to the process.
- Do you feel humour is important in women's fiction and why? ?
Yes, especially if there’s a lot of tension in the story. We need to laugh in real life when the going gets tough, and we need that in a story, too. Women, in particular, can experience a lot of covert tension in their lives--the kind that lurks just below the surface as they put on a happy face to please their bosses and sweethearts. When a story makes them laugh, particularly when they identify with the character, their tension will often dissipate. It’s very empowering.
- What does your husband/wife think of your writing?
My husband supports my writing. Sometimes we discuss the characters together, and he presents a wish list for what he’d like to happen in the story. I always consider his thoughts because he is, after all, my first reader. He also edits each chapter as I finish it. It’s great to get the masculine perspective and helps me keep the story balanced and believable.
- Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.)
My husband and I have four children together, all of them grown and out of the house. The youngest daughter graduated from college a year ago, and is working in San Francisco. Another daughter works in LA, and a third one is married and moving south to LA soon. The oldest, a son, is also married, and they have a baby boy, our first grandchild. My husband and I now live in San Diego with our cat, Ginger. She’s a great cat and knows many neat tricks, like opening cupboards and doors. There has been talk of starting a cat circus.
Besides reading and writing, my hobbies include painting murals and teaching. My most recent murals were done at Children’s Hospital in San Diego. For years, I taught elementary school, and now I volunteer teach science to fourth and fifth graders at a school near us. It’s a lot of fun.
- Who, if anyone, has influenced your writing?
Nora Roberts has influenced my writing quite a bit. Many people enjoy her books, and I think I know why. Her heroes and heroines are strong characters who are always ready to do the right thing, no matter what the personal cost. And there are no helpless, cowering wimps in her stories; they all have big hearts and spicy minds! Plus the action is non-stop. Once you’re in full swing, hang on for the ride! I love reading her stories because they really get me in the mood to write.
- Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?
I am a member or RWA and the Museitup Club, in addition to a number of writers list groups at yahoo. The Museitup Club is a critique group, and has been a tremendous boost for my writing. You have your very own dedicated audience who offer that valuable resource that you may not get anywhere else: FEEDBACK! It’s useful stuff, and I’ve used my group to really help me polish some of my pieces. Every writer I’ve ever known personally has their blind spots, and it’s been necessary for them to submit their work to other people in order to learn about what they cannot see for themselves. The downside to a critique group is that you have to wait for your turn to roll around before you can submit, and that can feel like a long time. However, when it does happen, you have four or five people commenting on your work, and that’s wonderful.
- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
I’m one of those strange people that start a story with a “what if?” I find an idea that intrigues me, then I just start writing. For “A Promise to Keep”, I wondered what it would be like if you fell in love with someone, then went over to see them after work, and they were gone, vanished, poof! That led into other ideas, and before long, I was creating an outline. I didn’t start with one though. So I guess you could say a condition comes first, then the characters and setting, and then the story.
- Any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Yes, I do have words of encouragement for unpublished writers. It’s a beautiful dream to want to share your work, and I would tell you not to get discouraged, because there’s a lot of “soul-shredding” out there, as Piers Anthony put it. Find a small group to share your work and keep at it. Read, write, share and learn; do this over and over. This tenacity will pay off as you improve in the skills of your craft. And remember, you don’t have to publish a novel the first time out the gate. There are numerous opportunities to submit short stories, poems and essays to contests and eZines. The epublishing world has much to offer aspiring authors.
- What question would you love to answer that I didn't ask?
I’d just like to say thank you for this opportunity to chat with you. I’ve enjoyed it very much. Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead! I hope all your dreams come true.
Thank you very much Ms. Durand, for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Author Links:
Ann Durand
RaH Links:
Interview Reviews
Purchase Links:
Buy Ann Durand Books
