R2R: Where do you get the different inspiration for your stories?

AA: I honestly don’t know! Ideas pile into my head all the time. Then story characters start freeloading in my head too. The idea for my novel, Dollhouse, began during a trip to the forests in which the book is set. But as to why a story of the supernatural resulted from that trip, only the forests themselves really know I think….

R2R: What is your favourite book series?

AA: Lord of The Rings is my most favourite ever book series. When I was a teenager, my sister bought the first book but never read it. I started reading it one day and thought it was total rubbish. But then I kept reading and got hooked. The series has everything – romance, horror, dystopia, magic, the supernatural, life-and-death struggles – and just master storytelling.

R2R: What do you do to clear your mind to write?

AA: I have so many different story ideas continually filling my head that I can’t think straight! Sometimes I try taking a walk on the beach or a run on the treadmill – I’ve only just starting running and it does feel amazingly good. Other days, I sit on my butt and eat chocolate until I’m in a writing mood….

R2R: Who is your favorite author?

AA: My favourite author is George Orwell. I read 1984 and Animal Farm when I was seventeen and it changed the way I think. From his work, I grew to love dystopian fiction and to question everything around me in the world – and never to take things at face value.

R2R: What makes a good writer?

AA: I think the most important thing for a writer (of fiction) is to be a good storyteller. It’s not about age or experience – it’s simply about the art of telling a story in a way that hooks a reader and keeps them turning pages.

Apart from that, it’s about gluing your bottom to a seat and writing! Writing is hard work and takes oodles of patience and drive. Also, a good writer never believes their writing is the best it can be – he or she is humble enough to realise writing is a process of continually learning and growing.

R2R: Do you think any review good or bad is a good review?

AA: That’s a great question, and an important one. I believe that any honest review is a useful and valid review. An author can’t take comments on their work personally – it’s a big wide world out there and different people have different tastes. If people read ‘out of genre’ they might especially dislike your book, and an author should take that into account.

I’m probably a little weird in that I enjoy any comments on my book – they all offer differing perspectives.

From a business point of view (which writing a book is) I will say though that indie authors can face greater difficulties when starting out.

Books that begin with a big marketing campaign will attract hundreds of very positive reviews – and the negative reviews that come much later may not affect them too much. But an indie book is likely to start out with zero reviews and no marketing campaign, and if the first readers to read and review are those who happen to not like the book – those poor reviews could really affect the book’s viability (before it got a chance to reach readers who might love it).

R2R: What’s your favorite candy?

AA: If it’s Christmas, then I love Candy Canes! We decorate the tree with them, but they never last long enough to still be there by Christmas Day! All year ’round, chocolate is definitely my weakness.

R2R: Do you have any books coming out soon?

AA: I’m currently writing Dollhouse 2 and I’m planning on having that out by December 2012.

I’ve loved answering these questions, and thanks so much for having me on Read 2 Review!

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Be sure to check out Anya Allen at the following locations…

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