*~Author Interview With Annie Woods~*

There have been so many positive reviews on First Came Forever and everyone I know (including me) loves the story. Did this positive feedback take you by surprise? Were you nervous about the publishing process?

Oh my gosh, I was so nervous! Having your book published is like sending your child off to school for the first time. I’ve been living with the characters in the book for years now, so I actually think about them as real-life-persons, like my children or old friends that I wish the very best for. So it was so devastatingly nervous to have the book published and wait for the readers’ reactions, hoping that they would love Erica, Sasha, Tyler and all the others just as much as I do.

But it’s such an amazing thing to share your story with others, and getting positive feedback is just magic! I love the bookworm community and all the wonderful contacts; I’ve gotten so much love and support and encouragement, it’s just unbelievable! (This is also the reason why I started my “Sunday spotlight”-series on my blog, where I try to share and return some of all that love and support I’ve received by shining some light on an amazing blogger, bookstagrammer or other lovely book community person every Sunday.) And I’ve really found some amazing friends, found some true kindred spirits, like you, Dani! I can honestly say that getting to know you is one of the absolute highlights of having my book published!

How long has it been since you first started writing and created your own stories?

In a way the answer could be “always”, or at least as long as I have been able to write… When I learned to read a whole new world opened up to me. I can still remember the feeling of being blown away. So, reading has always been a big part of my life, and soon (I think already in first or second grade) I started to write my own stories. But I never thought I could be a writer, so I went on to study other things and pursued another career, and never really did a serious attempt to write. I guess I didn’t believe enough in the story or in myself… So First Came Forever is basically the first fiction I’ve written. When this story came to me, I felt that it was so strong that I just couldn’t let it go but had to try and write it down.

Who inspired you to become an author?

I really have to say thanks to my parents for opening up my eyes to the wonderful world of books, by giving me books at an early age and by always coming along to all bookstores I dragged them to. In school I also had some wonderful teachers who encouraged me a lot. And then there was my grandmother who was a painter, but who’d never dared to follow her dream and instead only painted ”for fun” at home, who taught me the importance of being brave enough to pursue your dreams. But I’m a late bloomer, so it took me quite a long time to really do that… I guess that you could say that it was the story itself that inspired me to dare to write it down!

The feeling when I held the first copy of the book in my hand was so overwhelming, I can’t even try to put it into words. I wish so much that I could go back in time and tell the younger me to believe in myself and pursue my dream to write much sooner, not to wait this long to do it.

What is the hardest part of writing?

I think that the hardest thing is to deal with a writer’s block. I’ve had a few of those, but I try not to worry too much about it (easier said than done though…) and allows myself to take a break from writing when I feel a block coming up. Instead I try to get some new inspiration from reading books and watching movies. And I also use running as a way to clear my head and get new inspiration.

Another hard part in writing a sequel, when so many have loved the first book, is that you are afraid to disappoint the readers. It was so much harder writing the second book than the first one, I have really struggled with writer’s blocks and anxiety this time.

Are there any authors that have inspired your love for writing?

Oh, yes, there are so many amazing authors out there! I love YA authors like Rainbow Rowell, Marie Lu, Cassandra Clare, E. Lockhart, contemporary authors like Maggie O’Farrell, Curtis Sittenfield, Nobel prize winners like Toni Morrisson, Nadine Gordimer, Doris Lessing… And an all time favorite is Joyce Carol Oates. I also have to mention Stephenie Meyer, since the Twilight series was the series that really opened up my eyes for the YA genre, even though I’m not sure that I would love the series quite as much if I reread it now.

What is your favorite book? I know this can be a difficult question for readers!

Right now the two books on the top of my mind is The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue by Mackenzi Lee and Carry On by Rainbow Rowell; I’m so in love with these books and the characters! But if I have to choose one “life-time” favorite book, it would have to be the Harry Potter series. To me, those books are pure book perfection! The way J.K. Rowling has created a whole universe on her own and all the characters that you love and carry with you in your heart forever. With Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling has also helped so many troubled and lonely children, giving them hope and bringing them joy, it’s utterly amazing. There’s even a research study proving that the Harry Potter books help children to be more accepting of LGBT persons, so the books are literally making the world a better place.

If you could give young writers (who’s dream is to be published) a piece of advice that has anything to do with the writing process, what would that be?

The best advice I can give is to believe in yourself and never give up on your dream! And to just get into the habit of writing, a little bit every day. It’s really the hard work and actually putting the words in your head down on the paper that makes you a writer. Writing down the initial concept is so much fun, then after that it is basically just a lot of hard work… But just keep in mind the story you want to tell, and that you will get to share it with others when the book comes out, and it will be so worth it all!