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Anne Brooke Interview

Posted on 24 July 2006. © Copyright 2004-2024 WriteWords
A longer version of this interview is available to WriteWords Full and Community Members.
Click here to learn more about becoming a member.

WriteWords talks to author and publisher Anne Brooke, who WW regulars will know as HollyB.

Tell us something about your background.

I write poems, novels and short stories (although I've made a recent decision not to write any short stories for a while in order to concentrate on the novels, as it was beginning to get rather overwhelming). My poetry can be quite dark, and sometimes violent, and comes from a different space entirely to my other work. I've written five novels and am currently working on my sixth, "The Gifting", which is my first fantasy novel, parts of which are showcased on site in the Novel 1 Group. Two of my novels, "The Hit List" and "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice" (both comedies) are available, with a third (in the dark, gay psychological thriller genre - if that exists!), "A Dangerous Man", being published by Flame Books later this year. It's proving very hard to sell my fourth novel, "Maloney's Law", (also in the gay crime genre) even though it's been shortlisted in the Harry Bowling Novel Awards and the Royal Literary Fund Mentorship scheme, and longlisted for the Betty Bolingbroke-Kent Novel Prize. It's surprising how disheartening that is, in spite of some success in other parts of my writing life - as "Maloney's Law" is a novel I feel particularly connected with. My fifth novel, "Thorn in the Flesh", is currently out with my agent, John Jarrold, for his thoughts, and has just been longlisted in the Debut Dagger Awards.

I don't think I could spend all my life being completely involved in the writing world, as it's quite hard. As a result, three days of my working week are spent in the Student Care Services department of the University of Surrey, where I'm involved in committee minuting and website maintenance. I find it difficult to have two lives but I suspect it does keep me sane. In writing terms, I also edit novels for friends on an occasional basis (I find I'm much sharper with other people's work than I am with my own!) and I'm also involved as a director in new publishers, Goldenford (http://www.goldenford.co.uk), by whom "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice" is published.

How did you start writing?

I've been writing poetry since my early 20s (I'm 42 now) when I was going through a particular bad time emotionally. The only way of getting through it, I found, was to put my feelings down in verse. It wasn't great (at
all!) but it helped keep me alive. After things got better, I kept on writing poetry, eventually joining an Adult Education Poetry Group, and then started to send my work out to small press magazines. I've been published in a few now, but the poet's dream of a commercial collection has so far eluded me. That said, I did publish my own collection, "Tidal", in 2004 in order to raise money for my church. Much to my surprise, that raised about £400. During 2000, I went through another bad time - as did my husband, who was made redundant that year - and found I simply couldn't write any poetry at all. I moaned about this (and other things) to my mother so much that, one day, she lost her cool and told me just to write prose, if I couldn't write verse any more. I took her at her word, and "The Hit List" was started. Looking back, it is very much a "first novel", but it was where I was at the time and I'm proud of that. It also has its comic moments, which I'm proud of. Having started with prose, I was hooked and kept on going. By the way, the poetry came back in the end.



Who are your favourite writers and why?

A whole range of these! I love Jane Austen for her subtlety and wit, Murakami for his sense of humanity, eccentricity and style, the poet Neil Rollinson for his passion and commitment, and Gerard Manley Hopkins for his unique and urgent sense of God.

How did you get your agent/first publication?

With a great deal of effort! I learnt very quickly that nothing comes easy in this game. I discovered from the Writewords site and from writing magazines that John Jarrold had become an agent and was particularly interested in crime and fantasy. I sent him the MS of "Maloney's Law", and he agreed to take me on. I have to say the MS had been very much "round the houses" by then, and he was the last agent I was intending to submit to before going down the self-publishing route once more. But, in spite of his enthusiasm and its various shortlistings, we've been unable to sell it one year down the line. In terms of my first publication, this was a poem called "Roses" (about my husband) which was my first ever acceptance. It was published in "Poetry South" and I have to say that I'd had (and continue to have) so many rejections by then that when I opened the letter I couldn't understand why they'd forgotten to write the phrase, "No thank you, but thank you for thinking of us …" I had to get my husband to check that what I was reading was real.


What's the worst thing about writing?

The knock-backs. Boy, how they floor me. Yes, they do. No matter how many other marvellous things are happening, one rejection can make me feel like it's simply not worth it and I have no abilities whatsoever. That may of course be my manic-depressive tendencies speaking but, my goodness, those tendencies can make themselves known in no uncertain terms when they wish to. And I dread the moments when I have no idea where my characters or storyline are going, and I'm floundering around like a gaffed salmon on the bedsheets (to misquote Wodehouse). That's hell too.

And the best?

Oh, those rare moments when I'm rocking and can't stop typing, not even to eat. When a poem goes well and the blood starts singing, or when a scene I'm working on (usually the sex or violence scenes, I have to say …) just flows and my head is buzzing with it. When I can hear the character's voice in my head and know they're part of me and I of them. Oh, that's good. And when somebody says they enjoyed something of mine they've read and I choose to believe they're not simply being nice.

Tell us what kind of responses you get from audiences\ readers.

People tend to say good things (when they say anything at all) about my poetry, which gives me the energy to keep on trucking. In terms of the novels, "The Hit List" gained mixed reviews, with some people enjoying it and some hating it - so that was difficult to handle. Still is, if I'm honest. With "Pink Champagne and Apple Juice", the reviews and responses have been positive so far, but I must admit I'm waiting for that bad response to come through - I'm nothing if not pessimistic at heart! In terms of the first ever response to my prose, I have to say that the first agent I ever directly showed my work to back in 2001 said I was "unpublishable, unmarketable and unreadable." That really floored me and I was too stressed and unhappy to write anything for a while. With the help of Guildford Writers' Group (http://www.guildfordwriters.net) and my husband, I got over it, but it still rankles.


Breakthrough moment?

Getting my agent, John Jarrold, last year. That made me feel as if I might make some sort of a career from this writing game, one day. And when Flame Books accepted "A Dangerous Man" earlier this year, hell, that felt good.




A longer version of this interview is available to WriteWords Full and Community Members.
Click here to learn more about becoming a member.






Comments by other Members



Nik Perring at 17:04 on 24 July 2006  Report this post
Great interview. Thanks Anne.

Best of luck with The Gifting.

Nik.

Account Closed at 18:06 on 24 July 2006  Report this post
Thanks, Nik - I need all the luck I can get!

A
xxx

Jubbly at 18:20 on 24 July 2006  Report this post
Great interview Anne, it seems with you timing is everything, very interesting how so much has ecsalerated so quickly.

Julie
x

<Added>

escalated, even. I've subconsiously picked up my five year olds pronunciation.

Account Closed at 18:32 on 24 July 2006  Report this post
Thanks, Julie! Have probably peaked now, however, and am on the slippery downward slope! Still, at least I'll pick up speed ...

==:O

A
xxx

disandland at 20:23 on 24 July 2006  Report this post
Thanks Anne for a great interview and the reassurance that we all suffer the slings and arrows

Di
xx

Account Closed at 21:16 on 24 July 2006  Report this post
Thanks, Di - much appreciated (still dodging those arrows ...!)

A
xxx

tiger_bright at 05:57 on 25 July 2006  Report this post
Wonderful interview, Anne! Inspirational, honest and with real resonance for WW members. I'm keeping everything crossed for you for The Gifting.

Tiger

Account Closed at 06:32 on 25 July 2006  Report this post
Ooh, thanks, Tiger! Better get on with writing the thing then ...!

A
xxx

Dele Campbell at 11:22 on 25 July 2006  Report this post
Really encouraging interview, Anne, it's really great to read that the lonely doubting space of rejection exists for the seasoned traveller as well as us novices.

Thank you for sharing with such exhilarating honesty.

Dele

rogernmorris at 11:29 on 25 July 2006  Report this post
Wonderfully honest interview, Anne. Very refreshing. I hope you find a good home for Maloney's Law soon. Are you carving out a niche with gay crime material?

Roger.

Nell at 11:33 on 25 July 2006  Report this post
Anne, a great and gutsy interview - you're an inspiration.

write from the heart or the gut - whichever does it for you. Sod the market and what it might want. Write only and always what moves you. I believe that with everything I feel.


Hear Hear!


Nell x

smudger at 14:32 on 25 July 2006  Report this post
Hi Anne,

Enjoyed the interview and found it very inspiring. Good luck with your current projects.

Tony


Account Closed at 16:41 on 25 July 2006  Report this post
Dear Dele, Roger, Nell & Tony - many thanks for your comments - much appreciated!

Ooh and, Roger - maybe my "niche" is in unpublished gay crime novels??

==:O

A
xxx

anisoara at 16:54 on 25 July 2006  Report this post
Really interesting interview, Anne. I feel that I know you better now. (If I weren't so far away I'd certainly attend the Goldenford evening at Ottakar's in October.)

xx Ani

Account Closed at 21:02 on 25 July 2006  Report this post
Thanks, Ani! On the night I'll think of you there in spirit and feel better!

:))

A
xxx

Shika at 15:25 on 26 July 2006  Report this post
Great interview, good to find out more about you and I also love your poetry. All the best. S

Account Closed at 16:43 on 26 July 2006  Report this post
Thanks, Shika - hope you're well btw!

A
xxx

EmmaD at 21:46 on 26 July 2006  Report this post
Anne, coming late to this, but what a great interview. Big respect for being able to keep so many irons in the fire. Looking forward to seeing A Dangerous Man out there on the shelves!

Emma

Prospero at 04:23 on 27 July 2006  Report this post
Hi Anne

Half way through Pink Champagne and Apple Juice. It fairly rattles along doesn't it. Great fun. I really like Uncle John.

The writing life is tough, but if you are one of those poor benighted souls who just has to keep doing it, well I guess you just have to keep doing it.

I always feel sorry for those poor sods of atheletes who beat themselves bloody for years and then get beaten by somebody a fraction of a second faster.

I think I'll stick to writing, there I might just have a chance.

Best

John

Account Closed at 07:43 on 27 July 2006  Report this post
Dear Emma & John - many thanks for the good wishes! But shelves? shelves?? Ooh no, missus, I don't think I'll be seeing any of thoose this side of the revolution!!

Glad you're liking Uncle John, um ... John - he's quite fond of you too(!), and will be calling round, using his stage name, any day now - so please stock up on champagne (appropriate colour) and cucumber sarnies ...

Interesting thought about the athletes too - certainly makes our life seem a bit easier!

:))

A
xxx

<Added>

Thoose? Thoose? Heck, it was a rough night last night!

:))

old friend at 08:02 on 31 July 2006  Report this post
Hello Anne,
A very good interview with an honest writer who has her feet firmly on the ground.

Sensible statements that reveal something of your true personality - and 'a nice one' comes through. You add a great deal to WW through your being a Member, thanks.

By the way, are you any good at DIY?

Len

Account Closed at 17:52 on 31 July 2006  Report this post
Dear Len - many thanks for your lovely comments - much appreciated! I'm afraid I'm hopeless at DIY though - I once nearly electrocuted myself while trying to unplug the oven!! Hadn't realised I should have turned it off at the mains - doh!...

==:O

A
xxx

Dee at 18:58 on 01 August 2006  Report this post
Smashing interview, Anne. Very refreshing. Good luck with everything.

Dee

Account Closed at 11:32 on 04 August 2006  Report this post
Thanks, Dee! Hope your stuff is going well too - looking forward to getting my hands on TWH as soon as it's out.

A
xxx

Beanie Baby at 15:06 on 04 August 2006  Report this post
Brilliant interview. Very proud to know you Anne and feel I know you even better now. Good luck with The Gifting and thanks for taking time out to show us the real you.
Beanie

Account Closed at 20:10 on 09 August 2006  Report this post
Thanks, Beanie - sorry I didn't pick up on your comment before, but thank you so much for the support.

Huge hugs

A
xxx

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