What would you do if a phantom needed your help? Would you run screaming into the night, or would you enlist the aid of your best friend and wade right into the ghostly fray?
Find out what happens when you read THE PHANTOM PILOT.
2. Who is your ideal reading audience and why should they read your book?
Anyone from 10 to 100. It isn’t too scary for the younger end of YA, but since it is set in the 1960s, baby boomers enjoy it, too. (according to the reviews)
3. How did you come up with the title of your book or series?
My editor made some suggestions. I was just going to call it Stevie-girl!
4. Who is your favorite character from your book and why?
Oh, I think Stevie and Jase are about equal. One is as neurotic as the other. But for names, I like Jelly Wardlow…he’s just a bare mention.
5. How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you?
The shadow man is my least favorite. He’s the one who caused … oops, no spoiler here!
6. If you could change ONE thing about your novel, what would it be? Why?
I would have made it longer because it is only novella length, thus, only in ebook form. However, my publisher surprised me and is including it in the print version of Book Two, The Phantom Student! So you’ll get two books in one.
7. Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series:
I think the fun (or funniest) fact is that the setting is based on a fictionalized version of my hometown when I was a child. We had the requisite haunted house, too.
8. What other books are similar to your own? What makes them alike?
I think they are similar to the old mystery stories I grew up with…The Secret at the Lake, or The Hidden Room, things like that. The setting is a big part of the story, as is the relationships between the characters.
9. Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?
I can wiggle my ears! And carry a tune fairly well.
10. How can we contact you or find out more about your books?
Here is my Amazon central page: http://tinyurl.com/6wl3oe2 and here is my blog www.annswann.blogspot.com That’s where you will find snippets of upcoming releases as well as free short stories and random thoughts.
11. What can we expect from you in the future?
The Phantom Student will be out in late September. It is published by Cool Well Press. They are also publishing a couple of my YA shorts in the anthology Campfire Tales due out in October. Look for Skeleton Rock and The Blister Bear. I also have a Contemporary Romance coming out at the same time. The title of it is All For Love and it will be published by 5 Prince Publishing.
12. What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
Tell everyone about it, blog about it, and leave me a review on Amazon. Also feel free to comment on my blog or FB page and let me know how they feel! facebook.com/annswann.author
13. Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?
Yes! Get a few trusted beta readers to help with editing before you ever send it to a publisher. Make sure it is as close to perfect as possible, then just research to find out which agent or publisher looks for your genre and start contacting. Twitter is wonderful for finding small press publishers.
14. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Speaking of Twitter, follow me @ann_swann I love to chat.
15. And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and tantalize us:
Prologue from The Phantom Pilot
It was the late 60s. The Beatles had washed across America like a British tsunami, Vietnam was a grainy, green and black dose of unreality on the evening news, a bunch of hippies had taken over San Francisco, and there was a heck of a rainstorm pouring down on Woodstock. But I didn’t know all that then.
I was a little bit lost, looking for something. I swear I didn’t go looking for a ghost…well, okay, maybe I did. But I didn’t expect to find one. Heck, I was just a kid. I didn’t expect much of anything.
Chapter One
I was twelve years old, standing knock-kneed in pigtails and ripped denim in front of a haunted house, trying to dig up enough courage to go inside. But I was terrified. I’d read the books and I’d seen the movies on Shock Theater. No matter what, you don’t go inside the spooky old house. No matter who dares you, no matter what lures you. You do not go in.
Hand trembling, I opened the door.
*****
Thank you Ann for taking part in my Author Spotlight
interview! I hope your writing continues to flourish and we hope to see more of
you in the future.
*****
If you or an author/illustrator you know is interested in being interviewed, feel free to send me an email at jejoescienne@yahoo.com
*****
If you or an author/illustrator you know is interested in being interviewed, feel free to send me an email at jejoescienne@yahoo.com
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