Today I have the pleasure of speaking with author Anny Cook. Thanks for being here today Anny, welcome to FAR!

To start, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

A little bit, huh? Well, I’m a wife, mother, grandmother and retired. In December my husband and I will be married forty years. I’ve moved over forty times, lived in several states, and worked at numerous jobs. Now I finally have the opportunity to do what I really want to do—write.

Cherished Destinies, the third book in the Mystic Valley series is due out in November from Ellora’s Cave. Can you tell us a little about the story?

Cherished Destinies is a two-for-one story about twin brothers, Arano and Arturo. Both have private griefs and difficulties that they must overcome to reach true happiness. Arano loves an abused woman, Silence. He must exercise patience until they can finally mate. Arturo is recovering from an assault and rape. Ban, his potential lover must teach him that he can love again. Both stories intertwine. I think that they’re sexy, gentle romantic stories.

Is Cherished Destinies a stand alone book or should the books be read in order?

There is sufficient back-story in each of the books for a reader to read them in any order. However, I personally have found that series books work best when read in order. That’s a personal quirk with me.

What is the hardest aspect of writing a series?

Details, details, details. How do you overcome it? I have a glossary, timeline, character lists, maps, recipes, … everything is kept in a notebook so that I can check back. Ultimately, I may even re-read the previous books to check facts.

How do you keep your ideas fresh and imaginative?

Oh, wow. Well, I’ve waited a very long time to finally have the opportunity to write so I have more ideas bubbling around in my head than I have time to write. If something really captures my imagination, I write a brief synopsis and put it in my To Be Written file. I have about thirty ideas in there at the moment.

If you could be invisible for one hour, what would you do and where would you go?

I think I would go to a mountain top that I used to climb and just sit there. Maybe watch the deer and squirrels and whatever passed me on the trail. I’d just enjoy the complete quiet.

You also have Winter Hearts, the first book in your new Ardent Angels series, coming out in December. Can you give us a sneak peek at this book?

Quill, a shape-shifting angel is also an undercover agent for the government. On one of his jobs, he meets Unity, an accountant who has discovered some dirty dealings by her company’s executives. She’s abducted and destined for a white slavery ring when she escapes. Quill is her protector and of course they fall in love. But there are numerous difficulties to solve, not the least of which is explaining exactly who and what he is.

Where did the premise for the Ardent Angel series come from?

I wanted to write a shape-shifter story, but found the idea of wolves and cats a little boring. So I was kicking around ideas in my head and thought well, why not a shifter that could morph into any animal he wanted to be? Then of course you have to come up with a reason he would have that ability… so I came up with my angel family. They’re hard working middle-class angels assigned to the back woods of Tennessee.

Where would you say that you get your most creative ideas?

Um, you know, I wish I could tell you the answer to that, but I have no idea. I just sit down to write and stuff happens. I do a lot of “what if?” That’s what happened with Chrysanthemum. Originally, I set out to write a perfectly straight forward trilogy about three sisters who travel to Camelot to find Knight husbands. In the first three paragraphs the story took a sharp turn off the track and before I knew it I was way off in the deep, dark woods. I just finished the third book in the series, Daffodil and I have to share a little secret—I never found my way back to the main road.

Many writers occasionally hit a roadblock in their work. What do you do to avoid them, or, alternatively, to break through them?

I write something everyday, even if it’s just my blog http://www.annycook.blogspot.com because writing everyday is paramount. Once you quit writing it’s harder and harder to go back to it. I also try to work on some project everyday for a minimum of five hundred words. Usually, once I get started, I end up with quite a few more than that.

If you were a dessert, which one would best describe you?

I think I’m probably a s’more. Sweet and friendly.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

Well, if readers are interested in a peek at the valley series, I have a book released on September 26th, Everything Lovers Can Know, that’s a quickie look at the parents of the characters in the main series. And I would also like to mention that Dancer’s Delight, the first book in the series was released by Cerridwen Press, Ellora’s Cave sister mainstream press.

Thank you so much for spending time with me today Anny!

Readers be sure to check out Anny’s website at http://www.annycook.com/

Interviewed by: Tammy