Thursday, December 15, 2011

Interview with guest author Rose Anderson!





Hello everyone!  A good friend and fellow author Natasha Blackthorne interviewed me not too long ago and she had the most fascinating questions.  They really made me think as a writer and a reader.  I found I wanted to know the answers to these questions from other authors as well.  Which brings us to our guest author today.  I am excited to welcome to Not Enough Time in the Day, author Rose Anderson.  




Rose, what types of characters appeal to you the most and why?
First off Tammy, I’d like to say thank you for having me.


Above all, I like writing well-rounded or well-appointed characters who wear masks. I suppose it was growing up with movies like Zorro, The Count of Monte Cristo, or the Scarlet Pimpernel, even Batman to some degree. We have these wealthy playboy-type men who outwardly have no substance whatsoever, are cads, or just generally disinterested in the serious events around them. But in truth, they’re driven men to fight injustices, or right wrongs. As a reader I find a character with a dual identity to be very compelling. As a writer, I love the challenge of creating what is essentially two personas within the framework of the one. 

Why do they appeal to me? The thought of the reader knowing the secret before the hero or heroine does appeals to me because it makes for a very convoluted story by adding another layer of depth. The story has to move forward of course, but when you’re hiding a truth such as this, the storyline is enhanced. One of the best romance stories of this sort, in my opinion, is Kathleen Woodiwiss’ A Rose in Winter

I have found that there is a lot of me in the characters that I write.  Do you find the same?  
Like me, my characters are always socially responsible. They have a great sense of right and wrong, and are compassionate. Since I appreciate wit and intelligence, they tend to be witty and smart. From this very same personality bank, I also create really crafty, really bad, bad guys. I’ll go so far as to say they become the counterpoint to all that is good about me. The few bad guys I’ve created possess evil genius along the lines of Sherlock Holmes’ nemesis Professor Moriarty. And it all comes out of my head. LOL I wonder what that means? 

How are they not like you?
How they’re not like me?  Well, they’re not shy and held down by immobilizing shyness like I’ve been my entire life. They play instruments I never learned, gone places I’ve never been, done things, had careers and experiences I’ve only dreamed of. And they do it with panache!

Do you find that you write stories with recurring themes? If so, why do you think you are drawn to these kind of core issues?
I’m very detail oriented so I love the challenge of making impossible concepts possible and implausible scenarios plausible. As far as core issues go, I really enjoy writing conflicts. Especially battles between good and evil or where right triumphs over wrong. To me that’s the best thing about creating literary worlds. Authors have control over weighty issues and are able to change negative situations to positive outcomes. The real world doesn’t always allow for that. Freud might say I had a god complex. <grin> It’s a heady thing though. I get frustrated by things -- environmental issues, political garbage, societal woes and ills. In my fictional worlds, I can virtually eliminate them. So I do. 

Now let's switch gears a bit.  As a reader, what kinds of fiction interest you?
I enjoy historical fiction and historical romance. I really love the evocative potential of history for details: sights and smells, clothing and accoutrements, mores and attitudes, language and outlooks. I especially enjoy time travel stories where the hero/heroine is thrust into these foreign scenarios and must adapt. I also enjoy mysteries.

Who are some of your favorite authors and why do you think they appeal so much to you?
All-time favorites are the ones who write in rich detail. Like I mentioned above, I’m very detail oriented. Giving me details for my mind to extrapolate with is like handing me individual paints for one of those paint by number canvases. I find the richer the detail, the better read for me, because I can fully immerse my senses in the story. Authors who’ve given me the paints with which to see their story’s world are Michael Crichton, Ken Follett, Diana Gabaldon, Kathleen Woodiwiss, JK Rowling, Sue Monk Kidd, Jane Leopold Quinn, and Alice Walker. I’ll read anything they write because I know I’m in for a cerebral treat.





Who is your favorite all time hero? Why do they resonate so well with you?
Outside the family of men in my four-year-in-the-making, yet-to-be-published, series, I’d have to say it would be one James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser (Outlander). Jamie is by far the hero I love the most, though in a pinch I’d take Anthony Mallory (Tender Rebel), and Christopher Seton (A Rose in Winter).  :)  To me Jamie is the perfect hero, he’s strong and brave, kind and compassionate, sexy as all hell, and sensitive and tender like a little boy on the inside. I love that in my heroes. It makes them very real to me.

Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Rose!  How can readers and fellow authors connect with you online?
I’m just about everywhere in my quest to become a known author. Here are several of my links. I’d love to hear from you.
My page at my publisher's site: Siren-Bookstrand_RoseAnderson   
My book trailers:  MusesWritingTablet
Yes I tweet, let's be friends! @roseanderson_  (notice the _  at the end) 
And we can be friends here too! Google+ Circles (I'm not on Facebook)
You’ll also find my many small satellite blogs on various author sites. My books can be found at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Books-a-Million and dozens of online booksellers too.


3 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me today Tammy. Your questions managed to uncover a bit more about me. "Freud might say I had a god complex." God complex?? And that "evil genius bad guy" stuff...where does that come from?? LOL :)

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  2. We are all a bit of good and evil I think and as writers of COURSE we have a God complex! LOL

    Please stop in anytime, Rose. This was a lot of fun!

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  3. What's wrong with a God complex? Jehovah

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