Please
welcome Annalisa Russo to the blog today. Her new release, An Angel Healed, is available at all online retailers.
Annalisa, do
you plot or let the story unfold as you write?
I
find using plotting cards to let the story unfold helps when you have to delete
or add a scene. In the past I used an outline, but find the cards a great deal
more flexible. You never know where your characters will take you!
Do you have
trouble saying goodbye to characters?
I
fell in love with a character from the first book in the Cavelli Angel Saga,
Seth Truitt. He’s twelve in the first book and a “newsie” (a boy who hawks
papers in the 1920’s). I couldn’t let gooooo of him, so the series that started
out as a trilogy, turned into a Saga where, in the fourth book, Seth returns to
Bellaluna, the Cavelli ancestral home as an adult. I don’t know what he’s been
up to since he left, but I’m sure he’ll eventually tell me.
What tips
would you give a new writer?
Write,
write, write! After you send off the query letter, start another book. The
first thing an editor will ask if she is interested in your book is “What else
do you have for me?”
How did you
come up with the title?
The
Cavelli Angel Series is based on the love stories of three brothers, Michael,
Raphael, and Gabriel Cavelli. Their mother named them after the archangels—and
angels they’re not! The titles are An Angel’s Redemption (Michael’s
story), An Angel Healed (Raphael’s story), and Angel Lost, Angel
Found (Gabriel’s story). I’m writing Gabe’s story as we speak. I hope it
will be available in late summer.
I love this! What a great concept.
I love this! What a great concept.
How much of
the book is realistic?
Since
I grew up in an overpopulated, second generation, Italian family, the Cavelli
Angel Saga books mirror my youthful experiences even though the stories occur
in a different time period—the 1920’s. Family values don’t change, sibling
loyalties and disagreements remain the same, and the love of parents for their
children is timeless.
What are
your current projects?
Besides
writing the third book in the Cavelli Angel Saga, I’m taking notes for a
Christmas story that has been rolling around in my head for a long time. It’s
finally coming together, and I’d like to get it down on paper soon.
And now let’s
get a little personal…
Who do you
see as a hero in your life?
A
quiet boy in the sixth grade who was the only one to stand up to the class
bully. I’d say all of my heroes have some of the same qualities as that boy.
What did you
want to be when you grew up?
I
wanted to be a teacher. Period. So I became one and then left teaching after a
divorce because I couldn’t support my three children on a teacher’s salary.
After I had an empty nest, I went back to the profession and taught fifth grade
math. Go figure.
What is your
favorite drink?
I
make pretty good hot chocolate and there is nothing better than the middle of
winter in the Midwest, a roaring fire, a good book, and hot chocolate (with a
splash of Bailey’s) topped with whipped cream!
Are you fun
to go on vacation with?
Yes,
I’m flexible, adventurous, and like nothing better than new places. I have a
file of torn out magazine articles for when I’m able to indulge myself.
From
my childhood: polenta with sausage in tomato sauce and homemade ravioli, And,
from my Nonna’s table, the soup of the day that mysteriously has yesterday’s
leftover vegetables in it. Cooking is a hobby of mine, and I have a knack for
knowing, by reading the recipe, if it will be worth making.
You can find
out more on Annalisa by going to her website: www.annalisarusso.com
And follow
her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RussoAuthor
Purchase her
books on Amazon
No comments:
Post a Comment