Indie Author Interview with Anne Leigh Parrish - Author of the Short Story Collection Our Love Could Light the World.
"Anne Leigh Parrish is in possession of such precise prose, devilish wit, and big-hearted compassion that I couldn't help but be drawn into the hijinks and mishaps of the Dugan family. I found myself one moment laughing out loud, and the next, overcome with emotion. I'd compare these linked stories to those of George Saunders, Elizabeth Strout, or perhaps even Flannery O'Connor, if Parrish's voice weren't so clearly and wonderfully her own." - Ross McMeekin, Editor, Spartan Literary Review
Interview with Anne Leigh Parrish
 |
| Author Anne Leigh Parrish |
Anne Leigh Parrish: I'm a fiction writer – I'd say strictly except for the fact that I had one non-fiction piece published almost ten years ago. I've been writing since my late twenties, when I gave up a career in economics consulting to pursue fiction. I've published around thirty short stories both in print and online, and I've got two story collections out.
Who are your favorite writers, your favorite books, and who or what are your writing influences?
Oh, that's easy! As the reviews come in about my new collection, Our Love Could Like The World, I'm compared to those favorite writers – Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, and Alice Munro. My favorite book, which I'm re-reading now, as a matter of fact, is Faulkner's The Sound and The Fury. I also adore Raymond Carver, and have been compared to him, too.
When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
At a very young age, actually. When I was six, my family lived for a while in France. My parents were professors at Cornell, and they took their sabbatical at the same time. Anyway, my mother had family there and they rented a charming property out in the country during the summer. My French had gotten very good, the result of total immersion, no doubt, and I gathered my cousins around me and told them a long, rambling story about the perils of walking barefoot in the grass and coming across an angry bee. The adults were charmed, or so they said, not only because of my excellent accent, but my apparent ease with spinning a yarn then and there.
"I've learned not to sweat the times when I'm not very inspired [...]"
Tell us about your writing process. Do you have a writing routine?
It's changed a lot over the years. I used to very methodical, and outlined everything, and wrote a first draft, then revised that and so on. Now, if I have an idea, I just go with it for a while, revising a little along the way. I've learned not to sweat the times when I'm not very inspired, and know it's okay to take a little break, because sooner or later I'm hard at it again.
What do you find easiest about writing? What the hardest?
I don't know that I find anything terribly easy about writing, to be honest. And as for what's hardest, I'd have to say it's thinking – knowing – that I've written something really good, that others have admired or awarded, but which doesn't sell all that well.
Anne, please tell us a little about your Book 'Our Love Could Light the World'.
This is a linked story collection about one family, the Dugans. They live in upstate New York in a fictional town called Dunston, which bears a marked resemblance to my hometown of Ithaca. This book falls into a strange world between a traditional short story collection, where each piece is different, with different characters and settings, and a novel.
.jpg "Our Love Could Light the World (Anne Leigh Parrish)") |
| Click to Read an Excerpt |
What inspired you to write the book?
The first story is actually the last piece from my first collection, All The Roads That Lead From Home. It was really a matter of wanting to spend more time with these characters, of falling a bit in love with them and their raucous insanity.
Who do you see as your target audience and where can we buy the book?
Readers of literary fiction, who enjoy dark humor with a slice of redemption. Also people who like to read about family dynamics.
How would you describe the success of your book so far? (Sales, Awards, Reviews)
Well, it was chosen as a Finalist in this year's International Book Awards, and has had some dynamite reviews, both of which I'm extremely proud. However, in terms of actual sales, not much has happened. Then again, the book's only been out a little over a week as of the time of this writing, so naturally I'm hopeful that that situation will vastly improve.
How long did it take it to write the book?
About four or five months.
Please, tell us where you self-published the book.
This is a somewhat tricky question. The publisher is a relatively new venue called She Writes Press. They're a "hybrid" press, where the press partners with the author. The author bears the publishing costs and makes all the design decisions, but the press can turn down a submission. The woman who runs the press, Brooke Warner, has been working hard to get the publishing world to see She Writes as something other than a strictly self-publishing enterprise, with limited success.
"[...] hire an excellent proofreader to clean up your manuscript "
How smooth went the self-publishing process? Any issues? What are things to look for when self-publishing a book?
Working with She Writes has been good. They have an excellent design team. My book is beautiful, both inside and out. My advice for anyone who wants to self-publish would be two things: First, hire an excellent proofreader to clean up your manuscript, and also hire an excellent cover designer. Then be prepared to spend whatever it takes on self-promotion, which often means hiring a publicist to find appropriate advertising sources for your new book. In fact, I posted an entry about this very subject on my blog. You can view it at: http://anneleighparrish.com/spend-and-spend-well/
Did you hire an editor and/or Cover Designer for your book?
As I said, the cover designer was someone provided by She Writes. In terms of editing, there really wasn't any. My book was considered by She Writes as a "track 1" manuscript which means all it required was proofreading.
"[...] don't try to self-publish anything until you've really learned how to write."
Can you give some tips for other Indie Authors regarding the writing and self-publishing process?
This may sound ridiculously obvious, but don't try to self-publish anything until you've really learned how to write. Publish a few short stories (or poems, or essays) first. See what it's like to be vetted and assessed by a third party. Then, when you have your book and it's everything it should be from an artistic standpoint, learn how to market yourself. Book stores used to fill the role of introducing readers to authors. Now that so many books sell online, readers have no idea what a good book is, or specifically, why they should read yours. This is where a publicist can really help.
Are you working on another book project? Can you tell us a little about it?
Yes. I'm in the final stages of a novel called Acts of Concealment. I entered the first chapter as a stand-alone short story in the Jack Dyer Fiction contest, sponsored by Crab Orchard Review. The story was chosen as one of two Finalists, and will appear in their forthcoming summer issue. The novel presents four generations of one family's women and their experiences with religious faith, doctrine, obsession, denial, and love.
Are you planning to move forward as an Indie author or are you looking forward to have one of your next books to be traditionally published?
Well, I think I'd like to find a traditional publisher, but not necessarily a small press. My first story collection was with a small press, Press 53. I had no control over the production or design. This book came out with a hybrid press, where I bore all the production costs and made all the design decisions. So I think I'm ready to try a traditional approach.
Where do you see the book market in 5 or 10 years? Will there be only eBooks and will book stores disappear like record stores disappeared?
I don't think book stores will disappear, but I don't see them recovering their market share, either. What I do see is the continuing rise of the self-published author, which in turn will create a huge economic boon to free-lance editors, designers, and social media experts.
Do you write full-time or do you have a day job?
I write full-time.
How can readers connect with you?
Through my website: www.anneleighparrish.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnneLeighParrish or on twitter at www.twitter.com/AnneLParrish
Thank you very much for the Interview, Anne.
About the Book Our Love Could Light the World
.jpg "Our Love Could Light the World (Anne Leigh Parrish)") |
| Click to Read an Excerpt |
You can tell from the empty bottles lying under the bush out front that alcohol is an issue in the household—and all things considered, you can hardly blame the wife for leaving one day.
Without her at the helm, the rest carry on the best they can. Their strong sense of family keeps them going. They help—and in some cases, rescue—each other as they struggle for a better life. And while they never follow the rules, or completely conquer the adversity with which they’re faced, they do manage to meet their challenges—and even earn some much-needed respect. Along the way, they might even make you proud.
Set in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, the twelve linked stories of Our Love Could Light The World depict a dysfunctional family that’s messy and rude, cruel and kind, and loyal to the end.
- "[...] The characters comprising the Dugan family are so relatable. We all know kids like the Dugans. Heck, at one point or another, many of us were kids like the Dugans. So, the characters in the book come across as real, relatable, and painfully honest. To me, that was very endearing. I really cared about these characters; I wanted them to succeed.
Most of the stories deal with dark, heavy subject matter; divorce, alcoholism, emotional neglect, abuse. Yet throughout the book, I often saw a glimmer of hope, and an odd kind of humor. The book was a quick, easy read, mostly because it was so engaging. Fans of short story collections will appreciate the book, but I think it will also appeal to fans of novel length contemporary literature as well." - Reader Review
Links to the Book
Link to the Paperback Our Love Could Light the World with Excerpt on Amazon
Link to the eBook Our Love Could Light the World with Excerpt on Amazon
No comments:
Post a Comment