Author spotlight interview-Joanne Anderton

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Author spotlight interview-Joanne Anderton

June 10, 2014 by donnamareehanson

I’m pleased today to bring you and interview with the lovely and talented Jo Anderton. Jo is going to tell us about her new book, the follow up from Debris and Suited.

Jo Anderton

Hi Jo, can you tell us a bit about your new novel?

Guardian is the third book in the Veiled Worlds Trilogy, and the final step in Tanyana’s journey. The official blurb is:

“The grand city of Movoc-under-Keeper lies in ruins. The sinister puppet men have revealed their true nature, and their plan to tear down the veil between worlds. To have a chance of defeating them, Tanyana must do the impossible, and return to the world where they were created, on the other side of the veil. Her journey will force her into a terrible choice, and test just how much she is willing to sacrifice for the fate of two worlds.”

Unofficially, I’d say Guardian is about sacrifice and love. And the ending still makes me cry.

Jo can tell us a bit about yourself (where you live, how long you’ve been writing, previous publications etc)

I live in Sydney, with my husband and pets, and I’ve always written. Even as a kid I used to tell myself stories, and eventually decided I should try writing them down instead of just keeping them in my head.

Apart from the first two books of the Veiled Worlds Trilogy, Debris and Suited, I’ve also published a short fiction collection The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories, which won the 2013 Aurealis Award for Best Collection.

Tell us a bit about why you write speculative fiction.

Because I can’t help it. Seriously, I’ve tried writing not-speculative fiction and it was so hard. It’s what I love, it’s how I think, and it is definitely how my writing brain works. All my ideas come with unusual worlds and/or magic systems attached to them. I usually blame my Dad for that. He brought me up on a diet of Tolkien and Star Trek and I can’t thank him enough.

Your novel is a third in a trilogy. Are we going to see more of it in future?

No plans at the moment, but there are possibilities. No story ever really ends, does it? And if this story did continue, I know the direction it would go. But for the moment, I’m excited to be working on new projects.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on a new book currently called The Bone Gardens. It’s young adult, it’s science-fantasy, and heavily influenced by the movies of Studio Ghibli (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and Princess Mononoke in particular). Flying gardens of bone and toxic flowers, never-ending desert, steampunk cities, genetic engineering. That kind of thing. And I’m loving it!

What is your writing process? (planner, panster, write every day, write sporadically, writers block etc).

I think of myself as somewhere in between a planner and a pantser. Before I start writing I always know the beginning, the end, and a few important plot points in between. I’ve learned that if I know too much of the story before I start writing it, I get bored! The joy in writing is telling myself the story, learning about the characters, and living it all as it happens. This usually means my first drafts are a wreck, and I have to go back and do significant rewriting, but that works for me too. The most important thing is to enjoy the process, and love telling stories!

I make sure I do something every day. Even if it’s not much — if I come home from work exhausted or my lower back can’t handle sitting in a chair anymore, I don’t beat myself up about it. Even a few words, or some blog posting is better than nothing. I have at least one full-time writing day a week, and most of my holidays are actually for writing J

What do you prefer drafting the story or revising and reworking?

Ha, my favourite part of the process is usually NOT the part I’m doing! If I’m writing a draft I long for revision, when I’m revising I long to be writing something new. The grass is always greener, you know?

But my overall favourite part is the planning — when an idea is fresh and new and full of potential and I can get swept away in it.

What part of writing do you find hardest?

Knowing when to stop. I’m terrible at working out when a story is done. If it was up to me, no story would ever be done, and I would probably tinker with them for eternity. This is why we have publishers and deadlines.

What do you plan to work on next?

The sequel to The Bone Gardens. I think it’s called The Fiery Skies and it’s been waiting very impatiently for me to pay attention. Soon, my precious. Soon.

Here is the cover of Guardian followed by some links to where you can find Jo on the web.