Answering today’s “10 Questions” is author Anne Perreault. Anne has lived an exciting life, traveling and living in a variety places around the world since she was a young teen. This and her interesting careers are reflected in her writing.
Linda Covella: Welcome Anne! When and why did you decide to become a writer?
Anne Perreault: I never thought I’d be a writer. I always had stories floating around in my head and I loved to read, but the writing part always caused me issues. I had given up on that years ago. It wasn’t until I homeschooled my daughter, I found the books for her age group lacking. So I decided to write a story for her. That started it all. It took 12 years to finish and when I was done, I just couldn’t stop writing.
LC: Wow, that is some impressive perseverance!
What is your writing process: where do you write, how often do you write, are you a full-time or part-time writer, do you outline or do you plot as you go, etc.?
AP: I’m very thankful to be home full time. I teach my youngest, who is in high school now. It still leaves me a lot of time to write. I don’t have a set time. If I feel like it, I write. I don’t outline plots in any detail. The story comes to me in full and I just jot down notes to remind myself, such as character descriptions and such, and basic outline. I find that as I’m writing, the story changes and becomes something totally different than I had thought it was.
LC: Where do you find your inspiration for your stories? Do you draw from your own experiences?
AP: I do draw from my own experiences but not all. Sometimes a story idea just pops into my head and I ask myself how in the world it got there. For example, I wrote about human trafficking, something I had to do a lot of research for. I also like to incorporate my travel experience into some of the stories. I’ve been all over the world and I love plopping my characters into exotic backgrounds. I’ve lived in Dubai, which has come up in my series The Royal Skater Chronicles. My experience in Pakistan appears in my next novel, due out next month.
LC: You’re lucky to have traveled so much. And I love stories that take place in different countries. As a reader, I learn a lot about and appreciate cultures different from my own.
Who is one of your favorite characters from your story(ies), one that you enjoyed creating and writing about, and why?
AP: I like all my characters, but my favorite would have to be Jacqueline, a young skater. Her story started it all. It has been with me in some form for nearly 30 years and so I’m partial to her. But my quirkiest character would be the mechanic Tiffany from my story, Running the Good Race. She just made me laugh a lot.
LC: And I see from your Amazon bio that you love to skate! Do you incorporate (or inadvertently find) any of your own personality traits into your characters?
AP: I suppose it’s only natural to do so. I try not to but I guess my humor comes through.
LC: Do you find your stories are more plot driven or character driven? Please explain.
AP: I would say they are character driven. Each character has to go through a lot of development and comes to a place I feel I can safely leave them to their own devices. For example, the story about my skater, Jacqueline, is definitely character development. She grows up right in front of our eyes and tackles the challenges life presents.
LC: Did you read much as a child?
AP: Uh… yes. When I wasn’t reading, I was making up stories.
LC: How important do you think reading is for writers?
AP: I really can’t say. I didn’t start writing until later in life.
LC: Who are some of your favorite authors and/or books? What draws you to them?
AP: I love and write Christian Fiction. I love the way the characters need to tackle the challenges. What draws me to them is the development and the resolution.
LC: Anything new in the works?
AP: I have a new book coming out next month. It’s a story about a young woman who finds herself in a precarious situation as she travels in a foreign country. It’s called, What if…
LC: Thank you, Anne. It was a pleasure having you on my blog!
You can connect with Anne at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/intothelightfiction/
Website: https://intothelightfiction.weebly.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnePerreau5
Instagram: anne.perreault.92
Linda Covella, Author 