Anne-Marie Conway

Meet The Author:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I started writing from a very young age – long letters, sometimes 20 pages, when I lived abroad (way before e-mail.) My parents used to say reading them was like having me in the room chatting and I think that’s the ‘voice’ I’ve ended up with. About five years ago I started writing short comedy sketches for the children’s theatre company I run and somehow that grew into the idea to write a much longer story.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

The first book that really made an impact on me was about a group of children taking part (unwittingly) in a secret experiment to modify their behaviour. I don’t remember what it was called, but on the last page they have managed to escape and are walking down the street and you think they’re fine but then the traffic light turns red and they are all compelled to start dancing (they had been conditioned to dance every time they saw a red light). It was very creepy! Apart from that, the MALLORY TOWERS books by Enid Blyton were my absolute favourites, and I read them over and over again. My eight year old is reading them now!

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

I was hooked almost from the moment I wrote the first word. I did have time to write during the day as I work part-time, but that wasn’t enough. I wrote nearly every night, stopped watching TV completely and became the worst kind of book-bore to my poor nearest and dearest. (I can just imagine the therapy sessions in the future when one of my children asks, ‘Why was Mum’s book more important than me???’).  I was also hugely naive thinking it would be easy to write and easy to get published. That was quite good in a way because it meant I was able to enjoy the process.

However, I soon wised up when I started to send the manuscript out and received one rejection after another. At that point I sent it to Cornerstones - a British literary consultancy - for a general report and basically, on their advice, scrapped half the book and more or less started again. When I was almost through that rewrite I entered The Times/Chicken House Writing Competition and was shortlisted down to the final five. This was the first real endorsement of my writing and it was SO exciting. I didn’t win the competition but it really spurred me on (not that I was ever thinking of giving up, to be honest). Once I’d been shortlisted I sent my book off to agents again and received quite a lot of interest, but Sarah was the agent I’d set my heart on.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

It was very difficult to get an agent before I was shortlisted in the competition. After that it was easier to get people to look at my work. To be honest, it was a rollercoaster. You receive some positive feedback and then three more rejections and then some more positive feedback and so on.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I write in my office at the top of the house, listening to the radio. I’m very, very lucky because I only work two days a week (plus Saturdays running my theatre club) so I have three free days to write. I do most of my writing in the morning when I’ve dropped my two boys at school, stop for lunch and then read through what I’ve done. I then waste loads of time reading blogs and other material online, which often results in me feeling like everyone else’s work is brilliant and mine is rubbish so I really have to stop doing that! I get ideas ALL the time – whole paragraphs sometimes - and have to write them down immediately as however vivid they seem at the time I always forget them! I don’t have to look very far for inspiration – I’m writing about real, everyday people; mums, dads, children, neighbours, teachers etc, so my inspiration is all around me.

Can you tell us about your next book?

My next book is the second in the STARMAKERS series, POLLY PLAYS HER PART. Polly is struggling to accept the fact that her dad has had a baby with his new girlfriend and then she discovers her Mum is going to live in Spain for a year. Rejected and dejected she finds herself sucked into a computer game until the game becomes more important and more real than anything else in her life.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

I’d say the very best advice is to hold off on sending your work out until it really is the best it can be. Of course it can always be improved even as it goes to press, but I was very impulsive and found it so difficult to contain myself. As a result, I kept sending out work that wasn’t ready. You often get just the one chance and you really should be doing everything you can to maximize that chance 110%.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

My main character, Phoebe, was so fully formed in my mind that I found it difficult to bring the supporting characters to life. I had to invent stories for them and flesh them out and this didn’t come as naturally to me as writing my main character. I’ve also had to learn not to hang on to stuff, however precious it might feel. Once it’s gone and the chapter/section reads better you soon get over the loss. Apart from that, it’s as I said above - rewriting and rewriting until it’s the best you feel it can be.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

There are many authors of adult literature I would love to meet, but as far as children’s authors go, my favourites at the moment are Laurie Halse Anderson and Michael Morpurgo. As for inventing a character…I love Mr Gum [created by Andy Stanton] - writing him must be so much fun.