A warm welcome to our next author in our Saturday Special!

Welcome Anne Barwell 🙂

Tell us a bit about yourself, please

Hi, and thanks for hosting me. I’m a Kiwi author, and I live in Wellington, New Zealand.  I share my home with a ‘naughty tortie’ cat, Kaylee. I’m also a grandmother and looking forward to meeting my newest granddaughter in December. I work in a library in my day job, and play violin in a local community orchestra.

I’m a member of RWNZ and co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance Writers.

As part of Saturday special, I’m giving away an ebook copy of On Wings of Song, my WWI story.

– KU

– 1914 Christmas Truce

– WWI

– Enemies to Friends to Lovers

– Slow Burn Romance

 

Blurb:

A chance meeting they never forgot.

 

Six years after meeting British soldier Aiden Foster during the Christmas Truce of 1914, Jochen Weber still finds himself thinking about Aiden, their shared conversation about literature, and Aiden’s beautiful singing voice. A visit to London gives Jochen the opportunity to search for Aiden, but he’s shocked at what he finds.

 

The uniform button Jochen gave him is the only thing Aiden has left of the past he’s lost. The war and its aftermath ripped everything away from him, including his family and his music. When Jochen reappears in his life, Aiden enjoys their growing friendship but knows he has nothing to offer. Not anymore.

 

Author’s note: This story was originally published in 2014 by another publisher. This edition has some added content, and uses UK spelling to reflect its setting.

 

Buy Link: Amazon

What got you into writing?

I’ve made up stories for as long as I can remember, starting off with fanfiction although it wasn’t called that back then. I got impatient waiting for the latest book in a series I was reading so, together with school friends, we made up our own version of what happened next.

When I got my first computer back in 2000, I came across online fanfiction, and thought I could do this! And I did.  Then a few years later, decided I wanted to write my own characters and their story and wrote my first book.

What book(s) have you written?

I have 16 books written, although because I’m in the process of republishing my backlist only 7 out at present.  Two of those – Sunset at Pencarrow, and The Harp and the Sea were co-written with Lou Sylvre.  I also wrote The Sleepless City series – paranormal/urban fantasy – with Elizabeth Noble. I wrote books 1 (Shades of Sepia) and 3 (Family and Reflection), and she wrote books 2 and 4.

Slow Dreaming is a Wellington set short novella. On Wings of Song is a WWI novella. I’ve just started repubbing my Echoes Rising WWII story, with Shadowboxing on preorder on Amazon with a release date of 8th November.

After that I’ll be working on republishing Prelude to Love (contemporary romance), and my Dragons of Astria (high fantasy with dragons), and Hidden Places (contemporary portal fantasy) series.

I have two first drafts of the first two books in my Sleepless City spin off series written, so aiming to publish those next year.  Rosebound is the first of my Kiwi Psi series, and Double Exposure, which continues Ben and Simon’s story from The Sleepless City, is the first Pōneke Shadows book. Both series take place in New Zealand, as I think there needs to be more paranormal/urban fantasy set here.

What genre do you write in?

I write in serveral genres, with my favourites being fantasy, in all its iterations, and historical with a leaning towards WWI and II, and the time periods around then.  Sometimes they cross over, but usually that’s subtle and more of an easter egg as vampires get around!

What drew you to the that genre?

I’m going to focus on historical for this question as my newest release is a WWII historical.  I love exploring the past, and being able to drop my characters into situations that are harder to get out of because of the lack of modern technology. I also like the differing—yet in some ways disturbingly similiar—mindsets of previous times. My MM couples living in WWII are never going to be able to publicity admit their feelings for each other, and for the most part hide their relationship from their friends and family too.

My characters in my WWII series are in way over their heads, out of their comfort zones and in enemy territory, so they’re having to find the strength within themselves, and each other, in order to survive.

As I research these stories, I find all sorts of interesting things, and often they end up driving at least part of the story.

Do you have prefered tropes?

Hurt/comfort, found family, psi powers, fish out of water.

A book that changed you…

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.  I blame her for my love of fantasy, and obsession with anything Celtic and Arthurian.

What do you read for fun?

Anything that looks interesting. I write a lot of reviews, and love reading so usually have at least a couple of books on the go.  One I’m reviewing, and a hardcopy I’m reading during breaks at work. I’m also a huge graphic novel fan, and in particular anything Bat family related.

A book you wish someone would write…

There totally needs to be more psi powers out there. And more WWII stories – one of the reasons I started writing Shadowboxing back in in the late 2000s is that I couldn’t find an MM WWII action/drama to read. Now, there’s a few of them out there which makes me happy. Give me a paranormal historical with time travel and I’d be estastic.

What are your pet peeves (in books or otherwise)?

Lack of consquences, especially when someone is injured and then a very short time later is perfectly okay.  Historical inaccuracies. While I realise it’s often difficult to find out the smaller stuff, somethings make me cringe. I watched a movie a few years back set in WWI, and the characters were talking about the Spanish Flu in 1914, and one handed the other antibiotics that hadn’t been invented yet!  Thinking I probably wasn’t their target audience as I’ve read far too much about that time period.

Do you have a secret (or not so secret) talent?

Not really. I’m a musician, does that count? As well as playing in the orchestra, I’ve been a rehearsal pianist for musical theatre and the gang show. I was a music teacher for 10 years…  I usually have a knitting project on the go too. At present it’s lots of baby/children’s knitting as my daughter went through my knitting book with sticky notes and labelled the ones she wanted.

What is the first LGBTQIA+ book you read?

So long ago I can’t remember for sure. It was either the Adrien English series by Josh Lanyon or the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling. ZAM Maxfield’s St Nachos series was around that time too.

What are your thoughts on audiobooks?

I love listening to them, especially in the car and out walking, but sadly doubt I’ll ever be able to afford to get one made for my own books.  It’s difficult trying to find someone who does a decent Kiwi accent too.  Although I must admit my preferred format is still a hardcopy book.

Do you have a favorite place for reading?

On the bed with a cuppa, and a cat on my lap.

Do you have a subject that’s extra close to your heart?

Music. I usually have a character, or two, in my books who are musicians, and music often plays a part in my stories.

This makes me smile…

This is my cat, Kaylee.  She’s nearly 16, and my kids and I chose her from the SPCA when she was a kitten, shortly after we moved into this house. My current cat at the time, Buttons, was less than impressed.

 

Thanks again for the opportunity to stop by.  You can find me online here:

Website & Blog—Drops of Ink: http://annebarwell.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anne.barwell.1

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/annebarwellauthor/

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/annesbooksandbrews/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anne-barwell

Sign up for my newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/39edaba3e3ad/annebarwellauthor