So let's learn a little about Annette. I love the little comment she added at the end of her bio about camping. LOL
.jpg)
Annette left high school after two years to obtain her GED and attend Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. There she earned a degree in journalism before working as a reporter and editor for newspapers in Missouri and Kansas. She earned a bachelor of science in nursing in 1994 from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked as a registered nurse in hospitals throughout Missouri, Alaska and Washington for 18 years before returning her focus to writing
Annette recently completed her middle-grade novel, Bone Girl, and is hard at work revising her steamy contemporary romance, A Year with Geno.
She is the mother of four children. The oldest just graduated from the University of Washington; the youngest just graduated from kindergarten. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. She loves libraries, basset hounds and bakeries. She does not camp.
You can follow her
writing at www.Annettedrake.com.
She welcomes correspondence at: Write2me@annettedrake.com.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
For me, wanting to write is just
another way to indulge my love of stories. I worked as a journalist from 1988
to 1993, then went back to school and became a registered nurse. Along the way,
I’d sneak away from my family and write my stories. Earlier this year, I found
myself unemployed. Surprise! I focused solely on my fiction writing. I finished
and revised Celebration House, then was lucky enough to find a home for it.
Thank you, Tirgearr Publishing.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Like all authors, I dream of
quitting my day job and writing full-time. I’m not there yet, so I’ve set a
goal for myself to write two books per year. It’s the stopping and starting
that does my writing in. I started building Celebration House in 2007, finished
writing it this year and was signed a contract in April. I started writing Bone
Girl in September, 2011, and I finished it this year. The book I’m working on
now – A Year with Geno – I started writing in 2006. My goal is to finish it by
the end of this year.
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I sneak away to my office – the
spare bedroom – and shut the door behind me. I open my pages and listen to the
voices of my characters. The goal is 1,000 words per day. I also like to stop
with an idea of where I will pick up the next day. Something akin to a preview.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I play the fiddle badly. I have a
horse whom I like to visit and tell all of my secrets. I have a tiny garden in
our backyard where I like to spend time, taming unruly tomato plants. Simple
pleasures, really.
What’s your favorite movie?
The move I can watch over and
over again is Steve Martin’s Bowfinger. I just think it’s hilarious. When I
have a bad day, I watch that movie. It never fails to lift my spirits.
How many books have you written?
Which is your favorite?
I’ve written two novels, one
chapter book and too many picture-book manuscripts to count.
What do you think makes a good story?
It’s all about the characters for
me. Lately, I’ve been reading the books of Kristan Higgins. She’s an amazing
writer, but one of her books didn’t resonate with me. I realized it’s because I
didn’t like the main character. That was an eye opener for me. No matter how
great the writing, how delightful the secondary characters, if I don’t love the
protagonist, then I don’t love the book.
What is the best part of writing for you?
It’s that moment when an idea
sweeps over me. I stop what I’m doing and either put fingers to keyboard, or
pen to paper, and write down every single aspect of the idea. It’s like I’m
flying through the emotions of the characters that inhabit my mind. I love
those moments. Such a rush. For example, my editor suggested that Celebration
House become a trilogy, with the second book focusing on Beth and the third
book telling Melanie’s story. One day while driving to my day job, the idea for
how the third book ends came to me. I got to work and ran to my desk and jotted
down every single aspect of that dark moment that I could remember. I only hope
when it comes time to write that scene, I’ll be able to read my own
handwriting.
Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...?
Celebration House featured
subjects close to my own life – cardiac nursing, restoring a house, and the
Civil War. I would guess that for many new authors, the first book may be more
autobiographical than their later work. I found this very thing to be limiting
while writing my current work, A Year with Geno. The answer was to turn my back
on my own history and give my characters free rein. I told myself, this isn’t
your story. It’s Caroline’s story. I’m hoping that will help me.
Tell us about your latest book.
Celebration House is the story of
a woman who leaves the bustle of Seattle and returns to a small town in central
Missouri to restore an abandoned antebellum mansion. Her dream is to open the
home to the public for weddings, class reunions and corporate events. Because
of her health struggles, she has the ability to see and communicate with the
dead. This is a useful gift because the original occupants still live there,
including a handsome Civil War soldier.
The book is a paranormal with
romantic undertones. Like all of my books, the focus of the story is my main
character, who is determined to realize her dream. In this sense, it’s not a
“romance” by definition, though I hope readers will enjoy the relationship
between the two main characters.
Blurb:
Carrie Hansen spent her life caring for cardiac
patients. Little did she know she would become a patient herself. After recovering from her own heart surgery, she realizes
she has a special gift: the ability to see and talk with the dead.
Now, with her new heart failing, she leaves the
bustle of Seattle behind and returns to Lexington, Missouri, the small town
where she spent her childhood. Here, she sets out to restore an abandoned
antebellum mansion and open it as a venue for celebrations.
Carrie’s work is cut out for her. The 150-year-old
Greek revival house is in need of serious repair. Her sister, Melanie, tries to
bully Carrie into returning to Seattle, predicting “her little project” is
doomed to fail. Finally, Carrie’s health gives out on her, requiring emergency
surgery.
But she will not give up. Carrie’s unique gift
allows her to build relationships with the mansion’s original occupants,
especially Maj. Tom Stewart, the handsome Civil War soldier who died a hundred
years before Carrie was born. He encourages and comforts her, though not in the
physical way they both desire.
Then there’s the builder of the house, Col.
Bartholomew Stratton. If there’s one thing this 19th century horse trader
cannot abide, it’s the living trespassing on his estate. He delights in scaring
these intruders away, even if they are paying guests.
Will Carrie finish restoring Celebration House or
will it finish her? And how can she plan a future with a man who has only a
past?
Excerpt:
Driving
up to the house, Carrie smiled. She loved the long driveway, the poplar trees
on both sides. Behind the trees, the fences had fallen into disrepair. Just one
more thing she’d have to fix. She parked her car alongside the house and
stacked her groceries and camping gear on the front porch. Seeing a small barn
behind the main building, she decided to explore and see if there was room to
park her car inside.
Carrie opened the door and stepped
inside. Sunlight streamed in through the dirty windows. Even though the barn
had been vacant for years, she smelled hay and horses.
Looking to her left, she saw a man
shaving. He was bare from the waist up, his chest finely proportioned, lean,
and muscular. His arms were powerfully built, and his right hand remained
steady as he scraped the white soap from his angular jaw. His dark blue uniform
pants were tucked into black leather knee-high riding boots. He stood at least
six foot tall, and though Carrie hadn’t made her living in the carnival, she
guessed he was probably younger than her, likely in his mid 20s. He peered
intently at a small mirror tacked up on one of the barn walls. She waited to
speak until after he’d finished the last swipe with the ivory-handled straight
blade and had dipped it into the basin of soapy water.
“Good morning.”
He turned towards her suddenly, his
expression an equal mix of surprise and annoyance. He dropped the razor and
grabbed his shirt off a nearby nail. He turned his back to Carrie and pulled it
on.
“Yes. Do you see me?”
“Yes, but I believe I have the
advantage. I am dead. You are not.”
“I’m sorry to intrude on you. I’m
Carrie Hansen,” she said, stepping toward him and extending her hand.
Without even thinking, he reached to
shake her hand but his passed through hers. They both jerked back.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to
intrude,” she said.
“You surprised me. That’s all. We
don’t get many visitors out here, especially living ones who can see us,” he
said, putting his blue uniform coat over his shirt and buttoning the long row
of brass buttons. “I’m Maj. Thomas Stewart, at your service,” he said, bowing
formally at the waist.
“I am sorry I startled you. I
sometimes forget that ghosts aren’t accustomed to being seen.”
“How may I be of service to you,
Miss Hansen?”
“Where can I find Col. Stratton? I
need to speak with him.”
His dark blue eyes showed his
puzzlement. “The living do not go looking for Col. Stratton. What business do
you have with him?”
“I bought this house, and I intend
to live here.”
Buy link:
Last question, where can readers find you?
Website: http://www.annettedrake.com/
Email: Write2me@AnnetteDrake.com
Annette's book sounds brilliant - thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words, Amanda.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, Annette. You know we loved this story from the moment you submitted it to us, and wish only the best for you and the story.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book. Of course I might be a little prejudiced. I bought a Nook just so I could read this. Basically I am a mystery fan but this book really was excellent.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. Can't wait to check out Celebration House!
ReplyDelete