The Nova Scotian Ranting Book Reviewer: My Interview with Anna Bishop Barker

When did you first realize you wanted to become a Writer/author?

I have been writing down thoughts in journals and such since I was a very young child. I don’t know that there was ever a “decision” as such, to write. The thought to actually do something formal has been brewing for several years.
Where do you get your ideas for your book?

A lot of this first effort came from things that I am familiar with or from stories that I like to read. For example, the dogs in the book reflect my own pets. Most of it just fell into my head without a lot of rhyme or reason.
What kind of things do you enjoy when not writing?

Reading, reading, READING. I also love movies, hanging with my grandkids, cooking and hanging with my cyber-friends.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Just the one so far. I will say that I love these two people in the book, and they will always be special, both because they were first and because I really like them as “people”.
Do you have any suggestions to help others who have a passion for writing?

I will give the advice that I was given – WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. And read a variety of authors, decide WHO you want to be, what is your voice. And don’t do it if you are looking for fame and fortune. Writing is art and it has to come from the soul and the heart and the gut. If your motivation is money, you may become proficient but you will NEVER become GOOD.
What do you think makes a great story?

For me, it’s always all about the characters. You can draw me into nearly any genre, make me believe anything, if the characters are done well.
Which Writer/Authors inspire you?

In romance, Cristin Harber, Kristen Ashley, J. R. Ward, the late Harlequin authors Penny Jordan and Anne Mather. Overall, Stephen King, Thomas Harris, Virginia Wolff, Sylvia Platt, Charlotte Bronte, the incomparable Jane Austen.
What are you working on at the moment?(optional)

I’m not quite ready to divulge a lot, but it’s a story with a bit more angst than the first.
What genre are your books?

I would say romantic suspense with a military/black ops angle.

What drew you to the genre you write?

I want to write the types of stories that I like to read. Those with some adventure and/or suspense but at their heart, they are love stories.

Which Actor/Actress would you like to see portraying the lead character from your most recent book?(any book you like)

Karl Urban and Sarah Rafferty. They are actually my character muses.
Do you write full-time or part-time?

That’s an interesting and hard to answer question. I work 50 hours a week in a “traditional” job, but in my spare time, if I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing or jotting down notes or dictating into my phone. So I guess the short answer is, part-time. The real answer is – who knows?
What is the hardest thing about writing?

Editing and, then, letting your baby go when it’s “finished”.

Any tips on how to get through the dreaded Writer’s block?

This will, I’m sure, jinx me, but I haven’t had one yet.
Do you read much, and if so who are your favorite Authors or genres?

I read like a fiend. All of it.

Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

Just that my greatest hope is that my stories do for others what good stories do for me – take me away, make me cry, rant, fall in love and make the harshness of reality just a little bit better.