Ivy’s Vine

Blog Book Tour: Anthony James Barnett

September 20th, 2008

I have wanted to interview an author for this blog for a very long time and I was very lucky to get Anthony Barnett to agree.  He is a charming, talented writer with a great sense of humor, and I can’t wait to read more of his work.  Without further ado, I give you an interview with Anthony Barnett.

Tell me about yourself.

Well my background was in process control engineering, so I guess writing was my escape from reality. I had my first short story published way back in 1994 and have been lucky enough to be accepted regularly ever since. I’ve had my stories published in magazines, international competitions, summer specials, and international newspapers, broadcast on radio and recorded for ‘Talking Newspapers’.

Tell me about your book.

WITHOUT REPROACH, is about deception, and self-torment, the battle between the self-importance of man and the inner strength of woman. It’s a story of forbidden emotions and murky secrets. It started as a mystery, but because it explores relationships, the media have hi-jacked it and called it a ’steamy novel’.

Jenny, a young English woman inherits a half-share in a hacienda and riding school from Spanish artist, Juan García, a man she has never met, never heard of, and to whom she is not related. The other beneficiary, Juan’s half-brother, Eduardo, believes her to be gold-digger. Jenny’s problems escalate when she arrives at the hacienda only to discover the villa is strangely familiar even though she is sure she has never been there. The story hinges on her ordeal of discovering what has gone on and why, and of fighting off Eduardo who wants the inheritance for himself.

What inspired you to write this story?

Someone I knew received an unexpected inheritance, which I found fascinating. It set me wondering what might happen if it were stretched to the limit.

Your book is geographically sweeping. How did you research it?

As with all things, Ivy, it’s better to write about what you know. I’ve lived in the places I’ve written about, so research was minimal, only amounting to checking facts.

Your plot is very rich. What went into structuring it and writing it?

I’m one of those authors who plan stories before beginning to write. I make detailed notes on each character’s physical and mental attributes. I even cut pictures from magazines, to become main characters – that way I don’t forget what they’re supposed to look like.
On the same tack, I also cut out dress and clothing details from adverts and catalogues, to make sure descriptions and materials are correct.

There is a lot of delayed information that builds reader curiosity, but how did you plan when to reveal what information?

I suppose the experience writing for magazines honed my writing. I’ve always been an advocate of revealing things in dribs and drabs. I trickle facts and secrets instead of letting it all out of the bag in one lump. Once again, I think because I plan the novel, it helps me to know at what point information should be released.

What helped you most in learning the craft?

In the early days, I read numerous books on creative writing. I believe you have to get to grips with techniques before letting rip with words. It’s one of the things I preach on my blog ‘Tell Me a Story’, and on Yahoo Answers. Artists, actors, dancers, all study for years if they are serious, why should writers be different. I also think writing short stories for magazines, was important to my learning curve.

What did you learn from the process of writing and selling a book?

Not to be impatient. It’s a slow process and easy for a writer to become disheartened. I think it comes as a surprise to most writers to find they need to become a promotion agent once the book is in print. Most publishers have no publicity budget for new writers. You have to get off your seat and do it yourself. It can be painful, very time consuming. Author, Steve Weber, tell us that out of 150,000 books released each year, 100,000 will sell less than 100 copies. The author has to actively promote in order to become successful.

What advice do you have for new authors just starting out?

Don’t let rejection slips discourage you, it’s par for the course. I think it’s encapsulated quite neatly in the saying, “What do you call a writer who won’t give up – published.”

What is the biggest pitfall you see for someone breaking into print?

The competition. There are so many good writers out there; it’s difficult getting your work recognized. It’s no use being as good as your favourite published author; you have to be better. You have to establish your own voice, be different.

What are your plans now? Do you have another book in the works?

I certainly do. I’m partway through a sequel to WITHOUT REPROACH, and have another two novels in rough draft. However, I’m quite busy with promotion, so writing is on back burner. Readers keep pressing me though, so I guess I ought to get around to finishing the sequel soon.

You can find out more about Anthony at http://anthonyjamesbarnett.co.uk.

Entry Filed under: Blog Tour, Reading, Writing