26 August, 2020

#Interview with Ann Swann, #Author of Telephone Road - @ann_swann #Suspense #Thriller



About the Author:




Ann writes about women mostly. Women who start out as uncertain victims and wind up as self-saving heroines. Along the way there are often Prince Charmings, sometimes they help the women, other times they simply have to get out of the way. Strong women aren’t always born that way. Often, it’s a learning curve. Sometimes they are forged in fire.







Ann on the Web:
Website * Publisher * Blog * Facebook * Goodreads * Twitter



Interview with Ann Swann



When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?

I started writing stories in a spiral notebook as a young teen. Romance, mostly. The scary stuff came later.

What inspires you to write?

I’m inspired by everything. It could be a word, a phrase, an article on a news site, or even a quick glimpse of a rocky creek as was the case in my best seller, STUTTER CREEK.

How did you come up with the idea for your current story? 

TELEPHONE ROAD was inspired by news articles about women who were stalked and killed. Unfortunately, there are so many. I wanted someone to get revenge!

Are there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?

I have many unpublished stories both finished and unfinished. Some are in print, from long ago before I got my first computer (yes, I’m that old), but most are digital files on my iMac. Hundreds, probably.

What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?

I think my favorite scene in Telephone Road is when Marlena and Jimmy connect at the Settlers Day carnival. They go through a spook house and begin to fall in love. Later comes the town-square dance, very old fashioned, and they both realize there’s no turning back.

Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?

I read all the time, both fiction and nonfiction. My favorite place when I was growing up was our small-town public library (a close second was the public swimming pool). After being read to when I was small—Mother Goose and all those Grimm’s Fairytales—
I started to seek out books like AESOP’S FABLES, Rudyard Kipling’s JUST SO STORIES, and from there it was a natural progression to Mary Stewart’s CRYSTAL CAVE and her Merlin Series, Alfred Hitchcock’s short story collections, Edgar Allen Poe, John Steinbeck (one of my favorites for novels and short stories), Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Jeffrey Deaver, Mary Karr … I think I’m a little eclectic. I also like biographies and women’s fiction.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Read a thousand books, write a million words. Learn from the masters. The Art of Writing, The Elements of Style, and On Writing, are some of my favorite books on the subject.

What would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?

In my head, I sort of picture Marlena as the girl next door, kind and well put together. Who would play her? Maybe India Eisley with her dark hair. Jimmy would probably be well-played by Tanner Buchanan, and the bad guy, Preston, would be played by the almost too-handsome Toby Nichols. It’s so much fun casting characters in my head … I could go on and on. Hmmm … I’d need a real rakish character to play Dash. Who would fit the bill?

If you were to be stranded on the famous deserted island, what three things would you carry?

On a deserted island, I would want a sharp knife, maybe even a machete, to open those pesky cocoanuts; a ton of fabric because I sunburn easily thus would not want to run around naked all the time; and a solar-powered Kindle loaded with a million books. Could I ask for a boat, you know, to come home when I grew weary of the solitude?

How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?

In my free time, I have a favorite walking trail. It’s a bit secluded on our large university campus—guess that’s where I got some of the ideas for TELEPHONE ROAD—and I like to have my iPhone with music and audiobooks. It’s very relaxing and good for mind, body, and soul. Then there’s my handsome hubby … he’s always involved in my free time. We love the drive-in movie near our home. Sitting out under the humongous West Texas sky, stars twinkling, watching a good movie on a fifty-foot screen, sharing a bag of popcorn, nothing sweeter. It’s the little things that make life worth the struggle, you know?

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?

My bucket list is simple: travel the USA, especially the east and west coasts (East in the fall when the trees are changing, west anytime (the pacific coast highway is calling my name, I can hear it). And I also want to visit Great Britain. Those castles and standing stones fascinate me. After that, I would love to see the fjords of Norway, The Taj Majal in India, the Pyramids in both Egypt and Mexico, and oh, let’s not forget Canada, Australia, New Zealand (I hope I live to be a hundred, else I’ll never be able to cross all these places off). 

What do you have in store next for your readers?

I have so many projects in the works. First is the sequel to TAKERS: Apocalypse in Eden. That is my only self-published book. The sequel will be called SEEKERS: Apocalypse in Eden. I’m also working on a vampire novel with my daughter, the novelist Sara Harris. And I have a women’s novel started (with characters so close to me they almost speak with a Texas twang). Then there is the short-story anthology that I’ve been working on for eons … and then I will do a sequel to TELEPHONE ROAD. You’ll see why when you get to the end, it isn’t a cliffhanger, I don’t believe in those (except within the book from chapter to chapter), but it’s sort of an early-reader request to know more.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?

I love hearing reader’s thoughts and opinions. Please feel free to contact me on any of my social media sites.



About the Book:





Stalked, assaulted, and left for dead, Marlena thinks her life is over. Then she meets Destiny and they decide to take matters into their own hands. For these two, justice has a new meaning. It's called revenge.








Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon

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