Ask the Author: Ann Howard Creel
Answered Questions (11)
Ann Howard Creel
Thanks for writing and for your kind words about my book. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate your letting me know!
Ann Howard Creel
I'm lucky in that I rarely experience writer's block, but when I've been stumped on something, I take a break from the ms., read a good book, and spend time with friends. In my novel that comes out in 2018, I was looking for a plot twist idea, and I found some good help online. When I need an idea for a new book, I research the history of an area to find out if something resonates with me. Thanks for your question!
Ann Howard Creel
It has to be Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy.
Ann Howard Creel
Hello and thanks for writing. I set the book in La Junta because of its proximity to a German POW camp. I did travel there and met with some local people, who helped me with certain questions I had. I was living in Denver at the time.
Ann Howard Creel
Some of my favorite MG books are the classics: ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS, A WRINKLE IN TIME, THE GIVER, TUCK EVERLASTING, MISSING MAY, SARAH PLAIN AND TALL, and BELLE PRATER'S BOY. For some lighter fare, I love all books by Claudia Mills.
Ann Howard Creel
While I was staying in the seaport town of Highlands in New Jersey, I discovered that the area had been a hub of rum-running during Prohibition. I thought it could make the basis of a good novel, and then I thought, What if the story is about a young woman who gets caught up in rum-running? After I did some research and found out how exciting and dangerous the activity was, I knew I had to write this book. Thanks for your question!
Ann Howard Creel
The ideas always drive me. If I think I have a good premise I just sit down to work. The first draft is the hardest, but once I have that down I find that revision is the most fun and creative part of the process.
Ann Howard Creel
My advice is to study your craft. Take a creative writing class, join a writer's group, and read lots of books. Write a first draft and then revise, revise, and revise. Ask other writers to give you feedback on the book and avoid asking friends. If you're stuck, seek a professional editor to help you.
Ann Howard Creel
That's easy--being able to write!
Ann Howard Creel
While I was visiting Highlands New Jersey I discovered the vivid history of the area and learned that it had been a base of rumrunning operations from offshore boats to the coast during prohibition. An obscure story about one of the local rumrunning boats made Frieda's story come alive in my mind.
Ann Howard Creel
I'm working on a new book with a working title of An Uncertain Season that will be published in August of 2017 about the lives of three women living in post-1900 Storm Galveston, Texas.
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