Where were you when you heard you had won the Lesfic Bard Award?
We were in New York, having a grand time with my sister and her husband. Periodically I ducked in and out of Social Media, but didn’t get a chance to post much. Fortunately others did and tagged me!
What was your reaction?
Obviously, I was thrilled. It’s always a good feeling to learn that other people have a positive reaction to what I write. I had such a fun time writing Georgetown Glen and had hoped others would enjoy the book.
Where were you born?
Galesburg, Illinois
Where did you grow up?
Illinois
Do you have any siblings?
Two sisters and I am the quintessential middle child.
What were your parent’s professions?
My mother was a special education teacher and my father a child psychologist (yes, that did create an interesting childhood for us).
Why do you write?
I started because I was bored when I lived apart from my wife, but I continue to write because there are those loyal readers who periodically remind me my books have touched them for various reasons. I like the idea that when I’m long gone, I’ve left a little part of myself for the world to discover.
What do you think makes good writing?
I believe if an author can create characters, a story, or a world that captures my attention and makes me care about what happens or keeps me up at night to read one more chapter, that is good writing. I also believe good writing either deviates from the formula or has an interesting twist—something that I remember versus same old story and plot.
What is the first piece you ever wrote?
Love Forever, Live Forever is my debut novel. It’s a paranormal book that wasn’t a great seller. Who knew that at the time paranormal wasn’t a big seller!
When you are writing each novel. Are the experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Sometimes the scenes or experiences are frightening close and other times they are complete fiction. However, there are always scenes, events, or characters that are based on my life or people I know. None of my books are 100% fiction without taking something from my life.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I try very hard not to go back and think about what to change after I send the final draft for publishing. I have severe enough OCD during the editing process where I go over the book a minimum of five times at each stage and there are four editing stages the book goes through. If I don’t put those limits on myself, I’d never complete a book because I would always be changing something.
What is the hardest part of writing a book?
The sex scenes.
What is the easiest part of writing a book?
Usually the first thousand words.
Do you think a book can have too much detail it? Do you think it can detract from the story?
I tend to write in a style that I enjoy most and that means I’m not heavy on scene details because I can get bored easily with too much detail. This is probably why I’m not very good at the details and is an area I should put more focus into. I truly admire those authors who provide the level of detail that puts a person right inside the scene where they can almost hear, see, touch, smell or taste the detail created.
Do you have any writing rituals? And can you tell us about your writing discipline.
No rituals, but I find I write best in the mornings or the middle of the night.
What is your greatest fear as an author?
That people don’t tell me the truth and are just being kind when they provide positive feedback.
Who do you have fans compare you to (other authors)?
Not sure the readers compare me to anyone. I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing.
What are you working on now?
The second book in The Next Generation Series which is a spinoff from my San Diego series that is in the universe of The Organization.
How do you keep your different characters separate in your mind?
Typically the two main characters are very different from one another, so it is easy to keep them separate.
Do you write full-time or part-time?
Very part-time
Have you written any other novels in collaboration with other writers?
I wrote The Organization with the late Erin O’Reilly who was my mentor and I’ve written several with Ali Spooner. I love writing with Ali. She keeps me motivated.
Where do your ideas come from?
Dreams, social media, news stories, life in general.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
I am a total pantster…I never know where I am going to take a story. I start with a vague idea and off I go.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A physician.
What genres do you normally write in?
I have tried just about every one. I even wrote one short story that would be considered erotica (way out of my comfort zone). Although many of my stories have humor in them, I’ve never written what I might consider a true romcom.
What genres do you typically read?
I read everything, but my least favorite is probably heavy erotica where there isn’t much story and mostly a collection of sex scenes. I enjoy graphic sex scenes, but if there is too much I tend to get bored and start skimming.
What was the craziest thing you’ve ever done when it came to a storyline in your book?
Toss between writing about a person who can brings dreams to life or writing myself into a book as the author of the book that the Book Witch uses to bring the characters to life. And then I created a question of what was real…were those characters truly a figment of the author’s imagination or an alternate reality?
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I do hear from my readers quite a bit and that’s what keeps me writing. Some have been very poignant messages.
Tell us about your new release.
Politics of Love is the second book in the San Diego series and would be considered a political thriller. There is a lot of action rolled inside a love story or visa versa…a love story embedded into an action packed plot. I’ve brought back some of the favorite characters from my The Organization because who doesn’t love badass women?
What kind of hero/heroine is in your current book?
I don’t have just one heroine…I have several.
What are your favorite character traits that you cannot resist?
Shy, nerdy, intelligent women
What part of the female physique captures your attention?
Smile
As an author and essentially the “creator” of your character, do you find yourself attached to her/him in a personal way?
Some I am more attached to than others. For whatever reason, the characters is my debut novel show up in several short stories and the characters in The Organization show up in several other books. I can’t seem to let them go, especially Val who is an especially complicated character.
Tell us what kind of heroes/heroines you prefer to write about.
I like to write about confident, strong women, both physically and emotionally. But I also like to write about humble, shy, nerdy, intelligent heroines who grow into their strength but don’t start out that way.
Does your hero/heroine, take after you? Or is she/he someone you wish you could be?
Don’t take after me at all, but I am not sure I would wish to be them either. I think they’re more the kind of woman to fall in love with.
Out of all your books, do you have a favorite?
I have several that are special to me for different reasons. Locked Inside, Unconventional Lovers and Sculpting Her Heart are probably my favorites.
If you could do a DREAM job (other than writing) what would it be and why? Have you used it in any of your stories?
I used to think being a librarian would be my dream job…but not anymore with all the pressure on librarians with the ridiculous book banning currently going on. Yes, there was a librarian in Out of This World.
What kind of jobs have you have in the ‘real’ world?
Switchboard Operator, Pre-school Teacher, Telemarketer, Nurses Aide, Bartender, Cocktail Waitress, Breakfast Cook, Dishwasher, Office Manager, Resident Hall Director, Adjunct Professor and Human Resource Executive.
If you could rewrite a CLASSIC novel as a lesbian fiction novel, which would you choose and why?
East of Eden. I loved John Steinbeck growing up and I thought his novels had such depth.
If you could meet anyone famous, PAST or PRESENT who would it be, and why?
Michelle Obama. She’s an amazing woman who is not only kind and compassionate, but intelligent and funny. I think she would be an extremely interesting person to talk with.
Is there anything in your life you would delete? Anything you would replay?
Only one thing…I would have flown to Florida sooner and spent more time with my mother before she died.
What were you like at school?
Very shy and awkward.
Were you good at English?
I was a good student in general.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Three months.
Do you ever get writer’s block?
All the time! It was what inspired one of my novels. Inspiration Takes a Vacation was born out of a very dry spell where I joked about it.
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
I read all the time and I can’t list my favorites because I have too many.
For your own reading, do you prefer eBooks or traditional paper/hard back books?
Definitely ebooks because I don’t have to lug around a ton of paperbacks.
Do you proofread/edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?
Both. I have editors, but I also go over my books to make sure nothing is missed or at least the obvious typos don’t remain.
Do you let the book stew – leave it for a month and then come back to it to edit?
Affinity’s editing process lends itself well to leaving the book while it is in the hands of each level of editing.
Did you do a press release, Goodreads book launch or anything else to promote your work and did it work?
I have a mailing list and send something out whenever I have a new release. I also blast all the different Facebook groups. I also have a weekly blog. Something brand new for Affinity is the Triple A (Affinity, Ali and Annette) Podcast: On the road to good storytelling. We will do this once a month and post on our new YouTube channel — @TripleAStorytelling
Did you get interviewed by local press/radio for your book launch?
I wish!
Pen name vs no pen name? What was your rationale?
I have a pen name because when I worked as an HR Executive I wanted to keep that life separate. Now that I am retired it really doesn’t matter.
Besides writing THE END, how do you KNOW a story is over and you should conclude it?
I don’t write The End and honestly no story is ever completely done…I could always write a short story or a spinoff, but most of the time I choose not to.
What do you think of the ‘explosion’ of available titles for the Lesbian Fiction Reader that have come onto the market vs say 5-10-20 years ago? Is this a good thing or bad?
Good….I love the variety.
Are you a quiet person or verbose in person?
Quiet, but I can play the extrovert when required.
Is there something in life you wish you had been braver about?
I wish I had started writing before my mother passed. She was an avid reader and I wish she would have had the opportunity to read something I had written.
Do you consider yourself successful at this thing called writing? What makes you think that?
By most people’s standards, probably not, but I’m satisfied with what I’ve been able to accomplish since I began writing. I’ve one more goal to meet before I die. I hope to reach the #1 spot for either Lesbian Romance or Lesbian Fiction. I’ve done it is the smaller categories, especially in new releases, but only reached #2 once.
If you had a time machine would you go forward or back in time and why?
I would go back in time to before my mother died and redo that time.
Toe ring or belly button ring if you HAD to have one?
Toe…ouch on the belly button. Nope not piercing anything but my ears.
Have you ever stolen anything?
A piece of candy from one of those open bins when I was three. Got a spanking for it and never stole again!
Is there one scene from your book that is the most memorable?
I’m guessing that most people would say the very first scene of Locked Inside.
What is the one thing that surprised you about becoming a published author?
How hard marketing a book is.
Read more about Annette Mori and order her book here.
E-Book: https://bit.ly/43RS7lp
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3KWsVBv
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