Greetings, noters!
It’s official! Summer has finally arrived, although I never would have guessed it based on the dreary, cool weather we’ve been having lately. It’s made it tricky to work outside, but June has been productive, nonetheless. My agent is preparing to query a new series I’m tinkering with; after finding a 2-year-old manuscript on my computer and bringing it up to date, I’m really excited to see where this one leads. As I begin to plan “what’s next in my writing world,” I am definitely looking for new ideas and inspiration.
I’ve also been having a blast as co-host of The Bookish Hour, a YouTube live stream interview series. Yup, live stream! It’s not as scary as it sounds. It’s been great to connect with so many readers and authors in real-time. We’ve had some amazing special guests already, and the fun is just getting started! If you’re interested in listening to or watching our past episodes (the web series also makes for a great podcast), you can check us out here.
My Make Note of series has also connected me with so many great authors that I would probably not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.
Without further ado…
A Bit About the Author: Anne Louise Bannon is an author and journalist who wrote her first novel at age 15. Her journalistic work has appeared in Ladies' Home Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Wines and Vines, and in newspapers across the country. She was a TV critic for over 10 years, founded the YourFamilyViewer blog, and created the OddBallGrape.com wine education blog with her husband, Michael Holland. She is the co-author of Howdunit: Book of Poisons, with Serita Stevens, as well as the author of the Freddie and Kathy mystery series, set in the 1920s, the Operation Quickline series and the Old Los Angeles series, set in the 1870s. Her most recent title is the current stand-alone, Rage Issues. She and her husband live in Southern California with an assortment of critters. Visit her website at AnneLouiseBannon.com.
Anne, thank you so much for stopping by Noteworthy. With all the books you’ve written and are writing, it’s an honor to have you share your time with my readers and me. Tell us, what novel made you first fall in love with reading?
Oh, that’s a tough one. Truth be told, I can’t remember when I didn’t love to read. I had one fave called Key to the Treasure, about three kids searching their grandparents’ home for small treasures left by another ancestor. That was one of the first books with chapters that I read on my own. Then there was Charlotte’s Web, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach… And the list goes on. And on.
You know, Key to the Treasure sounds so familiar! It’s really tragic that I cannot remember all the books I read during my childhood. I recall little snippets of plotlines, but most of the time, the names fail me. So many wonderful adventures to be had, though. Speaking of adventures, how did your writing journey begin?
My writing journey more or less began with a school assignment to write a short story when I was in the fourth grade. The story was horrible, but very imaginative, with a jungle adventure. After that, I was 15, daydreaming relentlessly and realized that if I was going to get away with daydreaming relentlessly, I’d better start writing my stories down so that I could pretend I was doing something. Next thing I knew, I had my first novel. Which was also horrible, but it taught me a lot.
Writing a book at 15 is quite the accomplishment! When did you first feel like an “author?”
I’m not sure what you mean by feel like an author, but I do love signing my books.
For me, I first felt like an author when I was invited to talk to a 2nd grade class about what it was like to write my debut, The Ducal Detective. That’s when the “writer to author” metamorphosis really clicked in my mind. Switching gears, how did you begin writing your latest book, Death of an Heiress? What did the process look like?
In terms of my process, I actually began the book back in 2017, when I was writing book two in the series, Death of the City Marshal. I’d seen an ad in the local newspaper of the era about a man announcing that he was not going to pay for his kid’s credit anymore, and I started wondering. That ad produced a character in City Marshal, Lavina Gaines (her real name). But Lavina turned out to be a very different young woman than I’d anticipated.
The thing is, much of my writing work is done in my head long before I sit down and get anything onto the screen. I started the actual writing on Death of an Heiress in 2021, after noodling around twenty different scenarios, reading newspapers from the era, looking around at what else was going on in Los Angeles in 1872.
I also tend to start writing a book, then get stuck around chapter four, and have to start an actual outline, which I plot on a calendar.
The more books and series I write, the more I realize an outline is a true lifeline. I used to be able to sit down at my computer with no notes and write a book, but now, I need that outline to help me get across the finish line. What was the biggest challenge or struggle that you encountered while writing Death of an Heiress? How did you overcome it?
COVID Brain. I was in a phase where I was completely scattered and it was really hard to do the mental work that I needed to do to get writing. I did lots of walking, though, which almost always gets me writing, and just kept working on it. I also decided that I wanted the book done by a certain date and blocked out a couple of weeks where I could focus on it and just write.
I’m very glad you found a way to navigate such a tricky and unsettling situation. Being with your characters must have been a bit therapeutic, in a sense; it most certainly was for me. Which of your characters is the most fun or easiest to write? Who is the toughest? Why?
Maddie Wilcox will always be one the easiest of my characters to write because her voice is so solidly embedded in my head. But I also have a lot of fun writing her two friends Angelina and Regina, neither of whom feel any compunction to behave or speak properly.
Honestly, the toughest characters for me can be the bad guys. I find it hard to get into their heads. Also, some African American characters can be hard because I am acutely aware of the cultural differences and I want them to be both human, yet treat them with respect.
Your honesty is greatly appreciated, Anne; treating cultures and people with respect is so very important. Words matter.
Now, it’s the portion of Make Note of where we have some fun. Anne, what word or words can you never spell correctly the first time around?
That’s a rather long list. Sigh. Presence, license, and others with a similar spelling. And a whole host of other words. I have gotten alarmingly dependent on my spell checker.
Sometimes, I’m so wildly off with a spelling that even my spell checker can’t save me. Not even a hint! What are three things that are always on or near your writing desk?
Pens (and lots and lots of them), my toys, and whatever second screen I’m using in addition to the desktop’s double-wide monitor. Right now, it’s an iPad Pro, but it could just as easily be my Linux laptop or my Android phone.
Wow, Linux, Apple, and Android — you’ve got your operating system bases covered! What is your favorite, can’t-live-without writing tool or application?
Right now, I’m loving the new version 3 of Aeon Timeline. Using calendars has always been my favorite way to outline, and you not only can do that, but it also keeps track of things like character birthdays and how old they are.
And I cannot say enough good things about the Passion Planner. I’ve had both the paper and the digital versions – I totally love how I’m able to customize the digital one. The planner is all about taking your dreams and your passions and turning them into reality. I love how the company does business. And the product is gorgeous!
I love learning about new applications that help with writing. My readers definitely know this, but I’m a total techie and I love being able to do so much via the computer. All right, for our final question, you want to take a vacation. What character do you enlist to plan the trip and be your travel companion? Why?
Dang. There is one character I’d love to have on vacation with me, but he won’t be introduced until the end of my next fiction serial, Just Because You’re Paranoid, book nine in the Operation Quickline series, which doesn’t start on my blog until August 5. Let’s just say that Sy is the ultimate tourist. He always knows where the best restaurants are, and he loves seeing everything.
Oooo, now that’s a great teaser if I’ve ever read one! Anne, thank you so much for sharing your writing insights with my readers. Noters, check out Death of an Heiress, available wherever books are sold!
Death of an Heiress: It starts when the inheritance that Lavina Gaines was to receive is stolen by her brother Timothy. Then an old Indian healing woman is murdered. Winemaker and physician Maddie Wilcox wants to find the person responsible for Mama Jane's death, but is also occupied with another killer - the measles.
When Lavina's friend Julia Carson dies trying to rid herself of a pregnancy, Lavina asks Maddie's help finding the man responsible for Julia's child. Soon after, Lavina is killed and her murder bears an uncanny resemblance to that of Mama Jane's. The only motive Maddie can find involves Julia's death, which is not the sort of thing one talks about. Not only that, Lavina’s nether garments are missing.
How does a proper lady in 1872 get the answers she needs to stop a killer determined to stop her first?
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/death-of-an-heiress
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=9AtvEAAAQBAJ
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-of-an-heiress-anne-louise-bannon/1141254895?ean=9781948616218
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/death-of-an-heiress/id1619307081?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ls=1
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Heiress-Anne-Louise-Bannon/dp/1948616211/
VRoman’s Bookstore: https://www.vromansbookstore.com/book/9781948616218
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/14104/9781948616218