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Friday, 18 January 2008
Getting to Know Annette Gisby

Annette Gisby the person:

1. What three words do you think describe you as a human being?

Shy, anxious, kind.

2. How do you think others would describe you?

I really have no idea how I seem to other people! I'm quite shy in real life as opposed to writing, so that probably comes across.

3. Please tell us what you are most passionate about outside of writing.

Reading and spending time with my husband, John.

4. Do you have any pets?  If so, introduce us to them.

None at all, unless you count the collection of over on hundred cuddly toys, mostly penguins and bunny rabbits with the odd teddy bear thrown in for good measure.

5. What is your most precious memory?

The day John proposed to me while we were on holiday in Portugal. It was my twentieth birthday and he gave me a porcelain bridgroom doll in a top hat and tails which was holding a little bag with a piece of paper in it. Inside was a poem, with the last line to be spoken out loud, which John did on bended knee, "Will you marry me?". It was very romantic. I still get a soppy smile on my face when I think about it!


6. What is your most embarrassing memory?

Always getting picked last for sports teams at school. I was hopeless at sports, I'm not athletic at all.


7. If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing with your life?

Probably running a bookshop or a travel agency.

 
8. In two paragraphs or less write your obituary.

The library and the book shops will miss her dearly.

Annette Gisby the writer:

9. Can you describe the time you realized you were indeed a "real" writer?

When I'd finished my first novel and typed the words "The End" on it. Even if I never got it published, I'd written a book and for me that was quite an achievement.


10. What is going on with your writing these days?

I haven't been very well health wise lately so my novel writing has fallen by the wayside a little, but I'm keeping in practice by writing fanfic. It's mostly Harry Potter fanfic these days, but I have also written X-Files and Lord of the Rings as well. I did the National Novel Writing month in November, which was quite a struggle, but I did manage to get past the 50,000 word count. Of course, that one is nowhere near ready for publication yet! It's a fantasy novel called The Chosen which I do hope to get published some time later this year. I'm also working on another suspense novel called "Shutterspeed", again with my health not being the best, my original muse has not been working well these days.


11. What are your future goals for your writing?

I would love to be able to earn enough so that John could give up his job so he could write full time. Then we could both live wherever we wanted. That place would probably be New Zealand.

12. Can you describe a typical writing day for you?

I normally wake up, check my emails and things like that. Then I have breakfast before starting any writing. I seem to write better when I'm not hungry, LOL! I write a bit of fanfic in the mornings for an hour or so, then switch to some original stuff. Some days I will be researching things either for my fanfic stories, original novels or for my newsletter, which I try to put out every month but sometimes it doesn't work out like that!

I do the housework and cooking in the afternoons, then a bit more writing and surfing before John gets home and we have dinner together. John normally uses the computer at night, but he got me a mini-laptop, so we can both write at the same time now!



13. Why do you write?

Because if I didn't I'd go mad! There are all these stories and characters in my head that just don't go away until I've written them down.


14. What writer most inspires you?  Why?

There are a few, not just one. They would be Stephen King who writes great stories without lots of flowery language, Sheri. S. Tepper, who writes wonderful SF stories which don't get too bogged down in lots of technical detail at the expense of the story. Barbara Wood who always has strong heroines, Lyn Flewlling whose work inspired me to try my hand at writing fantasy.


15. How do you define your writing?

It tells a story. I tend to write quite fast moving stories, you won't find a lot of extraneous description in my books, LOL! I think of myself as a storyteller first and foremost.

16. In one sentence-what do you want people to say about your writing in fifty years?

That was a brilliant story.


Annette Gisby the details:

17. Can you tell us where to find more information on you? Website?  Blog?

My main website is http://www.annettegisby.n3.net
For fanfic (under the pen name Eriador117) http://www.hpfandom.net/eff/viewuser.php?uid=898
My newsletter blog: http://community.livejournal.com/roseshadows/

My fanfic is more explicit than my books, and most of it contains slash relationships, male/male usually.

18. Is there a place where readers can reach you?

They can email me at annette.gisby@which.net

19. Can you list all your book titles so people can look for them?

Silent Screams (novel)
Shadows of the Rose (short story and novella collection)
Drowning Rapunzel (novel)
New Zealand with a Hobbit Botherer written with John Gisby (humour/travel)


20.  For new readers-what can they expect when they read your book(s)?

I hope they'll find an interesting story with sympathetic characters. There's usually a bit of romance as well, but I don't think they fall into any one particular genre. I read lots of different genres, so I tend to write them as well! Or even combine a few :)

In conclusion:

21. Take as much space as necessary to speak to our readers-what would you like them to know about you and your writing?

When not writing or reading, I can be found playing The Sims2 on my computer, which can be quite an addictive wee game. It's almost like playing virtual doll houses. I sometimes try creating characters from my books in the Sims to see how they might look as an illustration. Despite being female, I'm also quite a fan of gadgets and I play RPG (role playing games) on Playstation2. It took me about 140 hours to finally fnish Dragon Quest and I'm still working on Final Fantasy XII along with Suikoden V. I'll be quite some time I think! Supposedly, you're meant to like them more if you're male. I play them a lot more than John does!

I like to travel to different places, even though I get very travel sick. I've even been sick on a bicycle! I find different places help spark imagination, especially walking along deserted beaches or in woods. I love the sea, but not being in a boat on the sea.

We went twice to New Zealand on holiday and loved it so much we'd really like to live there.

And if any readers would like to try a bit of my work before deciding if my style is right for them, I've got a free ebook sampler (PDF) here:
http://www.lulu.com/content/20706


Posted by joyceanthony at 12:01 AM EST
Updated: Thursday, 17 January 2008 11:02 PM EST
Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink

Friday, 18 January 2008 - 11:43 AM EST

Name: "Marvin Wilson"
Home Page: http://www.myspace.com/Paize_Fiddler

Great interview, you both. Annete, your description of John's wedding proposal is one of the most romantic I've ever read or heard. Have you written that (or a version of it) into any of your books?

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