Interview With Anne Holly and Her Book: Unwrapping Scrooge

I absolutely love discovering new authors as some of you may know and I really enjoy a good chick lit or contemporary romance so when Anne offered me a chance to read her novella Unwrapping Scrooge I jumped right on it.

I mean a holiday story and romance wrapped in one? Who wouldn't want to read it?

And I most definitely wasn't disappointed in it at all, in fact my only complaint would be that the book wasn't longer. I really liked reading about Kale and Molly and enjoyed their journey together as they discovered what they wanted and one another.

  This was the perfect quick holiday read. Just enough romance and spice to leave you wanting more but also leave you satisfied at how it ended.

So I am equally excited to be able to post an author interview I did with Anne about her work and any upcoming work she may have in store for us and also and little about Anne herself.

Anne Holly is a Canadian writer of romance and erotic-romance, as well as a mother and teacher. She is the author of the novel Strings Attached, which was described by The Romance Reviews as “a classic contemporary romance.” She has been published by Wild Horse Press, Decadent Publishing and Rebel Ink Press, and in 2012 by Pink Petal Books. Anne’s work is characterized by its unusual heroes, sweet/spicy balance, witty dialogue, responsible citizenship, and its positive, optimistic nature. She has found a particular niche in holiday romance. You may visit Anne at her blog or website, or find her on GoodReads, Facebook and Twitter  (@anneholly2010). Sign up for her newsletter here. Email her at anneholly2010@gmail.com.

Q: How long have you been a writer for? Was it always something you wanted to do?

A: I started writing very young, so I don’t remember when, exactly. The first crushing criticism I recall was in the fourth grade, so I know it was before that. In high school, I started to publish a little and enter contests – I wanted to be a writer then. I wrote a terrible novel in the eighth grade. Had some success in senior high. But then university came, so I moved away from it. Then I got back into it during a time when I didn’t know what way to go in life. I wrote my novel Strings Attached then, in 2001 or so. But then I was accepted to an MA program, so I put it away and didn’t look at it again until 2010, when I finished my PhD, and again was wondering where I was going. I re-wrote it, edited, polished it up, got the school girl out of it, and sent it off. It was accepted (released in May 2011), and that was that. Now, I divide my time between mothering, teaching at a university, and writing.
 

Q: How many books do you currently have written?

A: I have nine titles released, two more under contract for 2012, and several more in draft form. A few older ones that are technically written, but I’ll never publish. Those were just practice books.

 

Q: What made you decide to write mostly novellas versus full length books?

A: I never officially decided that. In fact, there were a couple times when I decided not to do any more short works. But, opportunities kept presenting themselves, and stories came to me, so I did them. I am primarily a romance novelist, so I always return to that – but they take longer to write and much longer to release, so the short ones keep coming out while the longer ones are still in various states of preparation. Short ones are fun, and readers seem to like them, but my goal is to release at least one full length a year, at least, and write one or two every year.

Q: Any plans to write another full length novel?

A: I have! I have a full length at about 65k coming out summer of 2012, and I just finished one this fall, and have several planned to write next year.
Q: I really enjoyed both Kale and Molly's characters. How do you come up with new characters for each book you write? Are any of them based on people you know?

A: Thank you! I love Kale and Molly, as well. As to how… I’m not sure, really. The characters usually come to me before the plot, so they’re sort of like imaginary friends, if that doesn’t make me sound too crazy. I see aspects in them from people I know, including myself, but I’ve never written a real person’s story directly. Sometimes their looks and mannerisms are inspired by actors I enjoy. Mostly, I consider them as if they were people I’d just met, and I convey their story of how they ended up the way they are, and how their stories end.

Q: I always enjoy knowing what other authors like to read genre wise and what some of their favorite books are so, who are some of your favorite authors and books that you have read in the past?

A: I read pretty much everything that comes to me. I teach, so I read a lot for that, fiction and non-fiction, and I also read for pleasure. I love biographies, especially Golden Age of Hollywood life stories. I like Graham Greene, and Shaw, and Dickens. A lot of Victorians, Thackeray and James, including a lot of poetry. And the Monsters of Romance, i.e. Jane Austen and the Brontes. I re-read those writers every Christmas. I read some chicklit, especially from the nineties, and some “dudelit” (as I call it). In terms of modern romance, I like anything, all sorts of subgenres, though longer contemporaries are my favourites. My favourite in romance is LaVyrle Spencer. But, for the most part, I am open to anything. My mother, her sister, and a couple other women are part of an informal book sharing network, from which I benefit, so I read whatever she sends me – romances, true crime, murder mysteries. I love getting a big old box of random books from her in the mail. I always find surprises in there!

Q: And lastly, are there any upcoming books in the works?

A: Just this week, I got a novel accepted for summer 2012 release – a novel about two single parents, one an ex-cop who’s returned to university, and the other a prof who has sworn off love forever. Naturally, she changes her mind on that. In fall 2012, I will also celebrate the paperback release of my five-story holiday shorts series. I have a paranormal short in draft that I will be editing this winter. I just finished writing a novel about a movie star and a screenwriter, and have started one about an ex-kiddie star singer who’s trying to straighten his life up. My website has a complete list of all my projects in various stages of production – I’m always working!

 

Thank you for reading Unwrapping Scrooge, and thanks for having me for a visit!

Thank you so much Anne for giving me the opportunity to read and review your book! I will definitely look forward to reading more of your work in the future and I am so happy for you that you will soon be releasing a full length upcoming novel!! Congratulations!