Author Interview with L. Anne Carrington

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L. Anne Carrington is a writer whose previous work has covered topics from fiction to news stories, human interest features, and entertainment reviews. She wrote The Wrestling Babe internet column for seven years, is a former music reviewer for Indie Music Stop, and pens several other works which appears in both print and Web media.

Currently a staff member of Authors on Show, a literary website which showcases new authors as well as features news and information by and for aspiring and published writers, Ms. Carrington is a former cosmetologist, actress, and retail employee/manager whose upcoming first novel, The Cruiserweight, received an Honorary Mention in the 2010 Paparazzi Publishing Sports Theme Book Awards in the Best Book - Misc. Sports category. She also received the 2010 Paparazzi Publishing Best New Sports Author Award.

The Cruiserweight is scheduled for release in paperback in late 2010/early 2011 by Night Publishing, and currently available for download on Smashwords.

 

Tell us about The Cruiserweight in a few sentences.

It’s wrestling, romance, life’s ups and downs of two main characters, cruiserweight wrestler Brett Kerrigan, and wrestling journalist Karen Montgomery, both together and as separate people.

How did you come to write this particular book?

I noticed there’s a lot of non-fiction accounts on the market about wrestling, but never recalled any fiction work. I wanted to do something different from the mainstream romance; something people would tend to notice, quirky yet fun.

Where is your novel set and why did you make these specific choices?

Karen’s job and home are set in Pittsburgh. I chose this location because I was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania. I always loved this city and the changes it has gone through over the last few decades. Brett travels all over the world, but his first home base is Los Angeles (where he feels uncomfortable and out of place most of the time), and then moves to Orlando to be closer to another job later in my book.

How long did it take to write your book?

From July 2008 to September 30, 2010, a little over two years.

How much revision of your MS did you do before you sent it off?

So many times, I lost count. During some points, I was ready to scrap the entire MS. Something kept me going, however, and I’m glad I put in all of what seemed at the time to be endless revisions.

Who designed The Cruiserweight’s book cover?

Tracey Washington (also known as Irin) is the creative genius behind it.  She’s a 20-year-old Communications/Media major and aspiring graphic artist. We’d gotten acquainted on of all places a wrestling message board. She’d done graphics for other members and I’d admired her work. Tracey and I bounced ideas off each other until the final cover was produced. It needed a few minor tweaks to meet publisher standards, but overall, I love it. It captures The Cruiserweight’s story so well.

Tracey does have a blogfolio online at http://pixelvalkyrie.tumblr.com/  You can also follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/pixelvalkyrie.

How did you find your publisher?

I hope this doesn’t come off as pompous, but in a way, I guess Night Publishing found me. I posted The Cruiserweight’s first chapter on their sister site, Night Reading, earlier this year. Night Reading not only has a voting system from readers each month where they decided which writer gets a deal with Night Publishing, but also Night Publishing’s staff hand picks others to offer deals. I was contacted in August with an offer, and without elaborating further, accepted.

Night Publishing is an independent publisher based in the United Kingdom, not a vanity publisher, as some have assumed. Night Publishing is also the business publishing arm of Valley Strategies Ltd., a business consultancy arm of the Mud Valley strategy and brand marketing community. Night Publishing’s goal is to sign 50 authors by the end of 2010. At last look, their roster is up to 42 writers. I’m honored to be part of such a fine brand.

What qualities make a successful writer?

Being thick-skinned, that is, open to accepting everything from constructive criticism to rejection to the occasional bad review. Not everyone is going to love you, and that’s fine. Discipline is also a good quality, along with remaining level-headed once you become successful. Most of all, being supportive to fellow writers; no one likes a “diva/divo” type, even in the writing world.

Do you think writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?

I’d like to think it’s a combination of both. Even the most gifted writers can benefit from newly acquired skills.

To what extent are grammar and spelling important to a writer?

I find both very important. A writer can be the most brilliant storyteller with excellent prose, but even one misspelled word or grammatical error can kill the entire book.  These are where reading, editing, re-reading, and re-editing, plus getting honest feedback, are most critical, at least in my opinion.

What single piece of advice would you give to writers still hoping to be published?

Never give up. No matter how much one wonders if the process of trying to be published is worth it, questioning their own talents, and the frustration we all tend to feel during submission after submission (and stacks of rejection letters as a result), there’s someone out there who’s will eventually give you a chance. It may not be a million-dollar contract (and really, those are a rarity nowadays), but someone will find your manuscript fascinating.  There’s also been a few writers who initially went the self-published route, only to be picked up by a traditional publisher later, so there’s hope for almost anyone.  In any event, never think you’re good enough, and don’t take rejection slips personally.

Are you involved in other projects?

I do some freelance writing, and presently working on a jewelry design project that will work in line with my novel. One of my articles, An Overview of Causes of Hearing Loss and Deafness, was recently licensed by Internet Broadcasting, a company that is the leading provider of Web sites, content and advertising revenue solutions to the largest and most successful media companies. I’ve done guest blogging for a few sites, and always open to appear on other sites/blogs.

I’m also part of the administrative staff of Authors On Show, a site that features both published and unpublished authors, a weekly flash fiction contest, features on those who have supported the website, and other items of interest.  My roles on AOS are those of weblog manager, entertainment reporter/columnist, and writing the Monday feature which reports the latest author happenings, SEEN This Week.

How can people buy your book?

The Cruiserweight isn’t yet available in book form; however, downloadable versions may be found on Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/5954

Do you have a website, social network site, or blog that readers can visit?

My website is http://www.lannecarrington.com/, which contains additional information about me and my book. There’s also pages on current news and upcoming appearances, which are updated on a regular basis.

I have a blog, The Book Shelf, where I blog on book, author, and other literary-related topics, as well as give a brief review on a chosen Book of the Week each Monday. The address is http://newandgoodreading.blogspot.com/

For reference, I only have two Twitter accounts. The first is my main account, http://twitter.com/#!/lacarrington1, and the other is for my book, http://twitter.com/#!/TheCWNovel. All my other real social network accounts are listed on the homepage of my website, and if there’s anything else (unless I mention it) in my name, they’re fakes and posers.