Welcome to the Chapter One Conference Twisted Blog Tour! For the past few weeks, the Chapter One Conference Team has been mentoring young writers through the process of authorship and publication. Today I have the absolute pleasure of interviewing one of my mentees, the incredibly talented Anne Brees! Her short story, Onyx, will be in the Chapter One Conference anthology, Twisted: Short Stories by Young Writers.
What beautiful secrets and story gems lie behind this chilling cover, you ask? Well, here's a clue:
From dueling families to an insane asylum, these short stories are... twisted.
During the autumn of 2016, the team behind the Chapter One Young Writers Conference mentored two talented young writers through the publishing process, giving them a head start on becoming the successful authors of tomorrow. Now, read the stories on which these up-and-coming writers worked, along with four by the Ch1Con mentors themselves.
Each of these stories comes with a twist. You'll never see what's coming next.
Intrigued? You can get your very own copy for yourself, digital (here) or paperback (here).
Onto the interview!
1. Hi Anne! Tell us a little about yourself!
Hi! I'm a high school student who loves writing novels, reading every book I can find, playing piano, and eating more chocolate than I should.
2. What do you like to write? (Novels, short stories, poems, etc.)
I write mostly novels. Whenever I try to write short stories, they always seem to turn into novels. I hope that someday I figure out the secret to writing poetry.
3. That's awesome! (I can totally relate with the poetry thing). What's your writing process like? Any special rituals?
I wish I had a normal writing process. (I would probably be a lot more productive if I did.) Usually my writing process is just me forcing myself to put my hands on the keyboard and hoping for the best.
4. If you could describe your short story in just three words, what would they be?
This is a cruel question. :) Family decides all.
5. What's your favorite book/series, or a great book you've recently read? And if you could live within any fictional world, which one would it be?
It's impossible to pick a favorite, but I just recently finished the Crooked Kingdom, the second book in the Six of Crows series. It was as amazing as Leigh Bardugo's books always are. I wish I had her talent to create such intricate plots and lovable antiheros. I also love the Raven Cycle, with its amazing realistic characters and unique take on the supernatural. I'd love to spend a day with Blue and the Raven Boys in Cabeswater. (The Henrietta of The Raven Boys sounds a lot safer than the Ketterdam of Crooked Kingdom.)
6. Oooh, I love the world of The Raven Boys too! What's your top piece of writing advice for others starting out as writers?
KEEP WRITING. Every writer says this, but that's because it's true. It can be really frustrating to just write and write and not get any validation or success from it, but that's because you are still growing. When I first started writing, I wanted to be published right away as all writers do. Now, I'm so relieved that my first works weren't published. (Thinking about some reading my old manuscripts makes me want to cringe.) While it may be frustrating, you have to grow as a writer and try a bunch of different things until you find the ones that work for you. So just keep writing.
Thank you so much for letting me interview you, Anne!
Everyone else--pick up your copy of Twisted and check her story out!
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