ANNE CARTER1. Tell us about yourself.
I am a writer. I am also a mother, a wife, a sister, a mother-in-law and a grandpigma. I am a bookkeeper, a reader, a photographer, a lighthouse nut. I am a fan of chocolate, LOST, Rob Thomas and sunshine. I despise small minds, prejudice, being cold and licorice. I enjoy classic rock, cosmo martinis, big epic films and concerts at the Greek Theater. I am a lover of books containing romance, mystery, adventure and heartache. I’m a traveler who’s been to London, Singapore, Barcelona and Edinburgh. I’m also a traveler who would visit New England, Provence, the Black Forest and Alaska. But most of all, I am a writer.
2. I heard that when you wrote Point Surrender, you spent time in a lighthouse. Is this true?
Absolutely true! Dimick Lighthouse in Port Townsend, Washington, is where I met my muse while finishing the last four chapters. There is no better inspiration that a real lighthouse!
3. What was your inspiration behind Point Surrender?
Only that I’ve been a lighthouse fanatic for many years, and have been writing for many years, and it was bound to happen eventually that I’d set a story in one. The cover art is a photo of Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon, which was the physical inspiration for the lighthouse in the story. Lighthouses are mysterious, romantic, have auras about them. They affect people in many different ways. Lonely, possibly haunted, or maybe they are protectors, guardians, sign posts. All good fodder for mystery & romance—with a ghost or two for good measure.
4. Do we have the pleasure of reading about Case and Amy in future books?
Case and Amy do appear in the second book in the “lighthouse trilogy” (see below), especially Case who is one of the hero’s BFF’s. :)
5. Now, I understand you have a new lighthouse book coming out soon called Cape Seduction. What is that about?
Here’s the blurbo: “In 1949, up-and-coming starlet Darla Foster goes missing after the release of Cape Seduction, a tragic romance filmed in a California lighthouse. Now, sixty years later, the long abandoned lighthouse is causing trouble for its present-day owners. Has the sexy, eccentric actress returned to avenge her stolen life?”
The story bounces back and forth between 1948 and 2008 in alternating chapters. Of course, both storylines converge in the end...
6. So when did you actually begin writing?
You mean, today? It was this morning. Oh, before? It was in 8th grade. I took a creative writing course and just never stopped. Short stories mostly, but today I have seven completed full-length novels (and an 8th nearly done).
7. When were you first published?
In 1996, my first short story appeared in THEMA Literary Journal. I was paid, too! My first full-length work was IN TOO DEEP, published in 1998, in ebook. First paper book was STARCROSSED HEARTS, September, 2001.
8. What is your proudest achievement in writing?
Tough question. I am proud of everything I do. That may sound a bit cheeky but those who write know what a tremendous accomplishment it is to get to “THE END.” I believe CAPE SEDUCTION is my best work yet.
9. Are you working on anything right now?
Yes. A bizarre and out-of-the-box romance that takes place in the world of 1980’s glam rock n’ roll. Subject matter may be too intense for children and the narrow minded.
10. Any advice for aspiring authors?
Read lots, write more, and familiarize yourself with the aspects of marketing. Because when you get your contract, that’s when the real work starts.
11. Where can readers buy Point Surrender? When and where can they find Cape Seduction?
POINT SURRENDER is available at Amazon, BN.com, various online booksellers and may be ordered from your favorite brick and mortar store. All of my books are available as electronic versions for your Kindle or other ebook reader at Fictionwise.
CAPE SEDUCTION will release later this month from Echelon Press in “e” format, trade paperback due out in May, 2010. Watch my website for the news! Visit me at http://beaconstreetbooks.com.
