www.susannebellamy.com
  • Home
  • Books by Susanne Bellamy
  • PRINT BOOKSTORE
  • Under the Dark Moon
  • About Susanne
  • Editing Services
  • All the World's a Page
  • Data Protection Information
  • Subscribers Only

ALL THE WORLD’S A PAGE Starring:_Annie Seaton

6/7/2013

11 Comments

 
Picture


Welcome Annie, and thanks for treading the boards with us today!

1.      What prompted you to write a series and how does Italian Affair fit into the body of your other work?

Holiday Affair, the first book in the Affair series, started its life as a standalone book. My lifelong dream of writing a contemporary romance came to fruition with this book, and I hadn’t really given any thought to the other characters.

I am a panster through and through (although my editor is slowly beating that out of me!) so my characters lead me along.

Tom, the middle brother in Holiday Affair needed to find his happy ever after and I mulled over his problem and what sort of woman he would need to fall in love with, to complete his happiness.

Now, for those of you who have read Holiday Affair, you will remember Tom as a bit of stuffy, stitched-up, list-making man, as one reviewer of Italian Affair described him! (actually it was you, Ms Bellamy, from memory!) Tom needed someone who was free-spirited, who could tease him, but who would also fall in love with the wonderful man he is.

Inspiration came to me through a very dear friend and I have dedicated Italian Affair to this friend, Melissa Lulham who  told me how she had discovered her birth grandfather on Lipari Island. Brianna Ballantine was born in that moment. Free spirited and with an urgent need to find a husband in four days, she meets Tom on the plane on the way to Italy. And that is where their story begins.

I can’t give away much information for Outback Affair as it will be a spoiler for Italian Affair but needless to say, there was someone else there who needed a happy ever after as well. You will need to read Italian Affair to figure that one out!

2.      How long did this book take to write?

Italian Affair took me a few months to write as it my editor had to agree with how I had developed Tom’s character. You know how contemporary romance loves to present the alpha male? Well, my editor wanted him to be a little bit more alpha. I will always remember my editor’s comment when I added the scene when Tom was checking out Brianna’s butt at the airport. She loved it! I had to tweak him a little bit to make him less stuffy and more fun. As I did that, I fell in love with him myself!

3.      What do you like about writing a series?

As a romance reader for many years, I loved revisiting characters in connected novels. Essie Summers was particularly delightful to read as she slipped in characters from her earlier books,and you could see the satisfying lives the characters lived after the final kiss in their story. Contemporary romances are so short, writing a series allows you to develop layered stories and deeper characterization.

4.      What do you consider are the biggest challenges in writing a series?

I don’t work with visuals at all. I have no Pinterest (which I know you love, Susanne!) and no time lines or plot lines on my desk. Everything is in my head. So I have to be extremely careful to get names, relationships and dates right and ensure the continuity is there.

5.      What is the nicest comment you have had on your writing?

Recently I have been overwhelmed by the lovely comments, and five star reviews of Italian Affair which has made me very happy. I am delighted to see that readers are loving the story and the characters as much as I do. If I had to choose... it would be...

‘Annie Seaton’s writing is lyrical and emotive and her characters real and warm. I’m loving this series. I just wish her writing could keep up with my reading!’

6.      What are you working on now?

I have completed three books since Italian Affair. Outback Affair, Worth the Wait and Dangerous Desire  are all in various stages of edits and cover design, and will be released later this year. At the moment I am writing a paranormal contemporary called Hot Rock which is taking me way out of my comfort zone. It is much raunchier than my earlier books but the characters are leading me places I have never been before in my writing. It will be published in the Covet imprint of Entangled Publishing in February 2014.

7.      Would you like to share an excerpt from your writing or a photo or music link that inspires you?

Hot Rock is a time slip novel  about seventies music and music festivals.

The Frampton Comes Alive album was the single inspiration for the story. I listen to the CD over and over again as I am driving and scenes and dialogue come to me. (Very hard to write them down when holding a steering wheel!)

These lines from the song Lines on my Face gave me the concept for the whole story:

Ice in her eyes, frozen tears could never be a surprise
You can't erase a dream you can only wake me up
My mind is turning slower, never to accept defeat
It don't matter where I stay I still got a house to heat
I saw where you came from
I called out your name but there's no answer


The buy links for Italian Affair - are on Annie's Books Page
or on Amazon here.

Picture
Annie loves to hear from readers at: annieseaton26@gmail.com

Her website is
http://www.annieseatonromance.com/
and her blog is at
http://annieseaton.blogspot.com.au/

You can find her on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/AnnieSeatonAuthor
and
https://www.facebook.com/annieseaton26

and Twitter
https://twitter.com/annieseaton26
11 Comments
Susanne Bellamy
6/7/2013 11:45:02 am

Delighted you could appear again, Annie, and thrilled this is on the release weekend of 'Italian Affair'. I hope your pre-release orders are booming. It's a wonderful donation of all these 'pre' royalties to breast cancer research. Thanks for sharing with us this weekend!

Reply
Annie Seaton link
6/7/2013 01:04:25 pm

Susanne, the last month has been tough...losing a cousin, and a girlfriend just last weekend to cancer. Funding for research is needed so this is just the little bit I can do to help. Pre-order royalties till Monday will go to the Kim Walters Choice Program

Reply
lily malone link
6/8/2013 11:30:56 am

Hi Annie & Susanne
Do you know, this interview really surprised me Annie. I was sure from what I've seen of you on FB and your blog, that you would be a 'plotting' writer through and through. What you say about visuals and post-it notes etc resonates with me (especially when I see the wonderful flow charts and spreadsheets and structured thingos people post from time to time). I don't use any of those things. My books are all in my head. They start that way and they finish that way, but so far, it appears to be working well enough.
Best of luck with Holiday Affair and the other WIPs you have on the table.
Thanks Susanne for another lovely Sunday interview.

Lily M

Reply
Susanne Bellamy
6/8/2013 03:24:24 pm

I agree, Lily. Don't know how Annie does it but she juggles multiple stories brilliantly and seamlessly. And I love how she's exploring different genres of romance. It's exciting to watch the evolution of such a strong writer!

Reply
Annie Seaton link
6/8/2013 04:34:02 pm

Hi Susanne... thank you for your kind words. It has been an exciting journey and I have loved every minute of it! You don't want to see what I juggle inside my head.. I look at it as going to visit different people's houses. You know who lives where and what they like and what they do!

Annie Seaton link
6/8/2013 04:31:18 pm

Hi Lily... I'm a panster through and through! I find it so difficult to provide synopses and proposals for my future books. I just don't know what is going to happen until the characters develop. In a way it is how I live life... things just happen!
Annie

Reply
Juliet Madison link
6/8/2013 04:02:07 pm

Hi Annie and Susanne! I hope your mind gets a break when you sleep, Annie, with all those plots and characters racing through your mind! I, personally, need to write things down, but that's not to say I don't still have everything racing around in my mind too - I do! I guess keeping notes and having outlines gives me the security of having something to refer to, and I like to 'see' my story coming to life before I write it.
It's interesting how differently writers work, but whatever you're doing, I'd keep doing it as it seems to be working! :)

Reply
Annie Seaton link
6/8/2013 04:35:42 pm

HI Juliet...it is interesting how we all work differently...and no.. my mind is also active while I sleep. I have amazing dreams most nights!

Reply
Jenn J McLeod link
6/12/2013 03:03:34 pm

Hello Amazon Queen, Annie. Always amusing and so very generous. You are the hardest working author I know. see you soon. Thx Susanne, for sharing Annie with the world!

Reply
Coleen Kwan link
6/17/2013 11:34:02 am

Congratulations on the new release, Annie. I'm glad I'm not the only author who sometimes has to make her heroes more alpha :)

Reply
Annie Seaton link
6/17/2013 12:56:44 pm

I'm getting better at it, Coleen!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Story elements surround us every day, from new places to a favourite piece of music or an odd moment witnessed in passing that becomes a scene in our work. On this weekly post, fellow authors will share some of what inspires their stories and their lives. Sit back and make yourself comfortable with the drink of your choice as the curtain rises. 

    Archives

    June 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    December 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Categories

    All
    Contemporary Romance
    Devika Fernando
    #motorbikes #queenofspeed #GWGibson #romance
    Multi-cultural Romance
    Seduced In Spain
    Susanne Bellamy

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.