Straight from the Mouth of 'Tanner Builds a Block Tower' Anita Banks

Anita Banks is the newly published children's picture book author of Tanner Builds a Block Tower from Wee Creek Press. She lives in North Alabama as a wife, mother and grandmother.  She is preparing now for retirement by chasing her dream of full time writing. Visit http://www.anitabanks.com

Find out about her book on Amazon.

Questionnaire:

Thanks for letting us interrogate you!  Can you give us a go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author?

It has been my secret dream since junior high school, when I was in a creative writing class. A dream that was buried when life and family took over.

Tell us (we won’t tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be?  I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?

It is all too new for me, everything is exciting and fun. The demands  have been adjusting my time, since I already have a full schedule, to make writing a priority. That has been the hardest thing to do. Some days it just doesn't happen.

Which route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down on what’s that like?

Savvy Authors was having a pitch contest and I pitched my story to an editor for Wee Creek Press, Melanie Billings. They are a small traditional publisher. She asked to read the story and then made the offer. 
  
Woohoo. I was excited to say the least, that was September last year, and the book is now available this June, on Amazon and B&N.   

Tell us for real what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your book written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?

My children are grown with their own families, so I didn't have that to  contend with. I kept my writing a secret from everyone I knew, until I got the offer from the publisher. So everyone was surprised about my accomplishment.

This is for plant lovers. Are they actually still alive?

Plants, yes. But I can only keep African Violets alive. Everything else I've tried doesn't make it.

In writing your book, how did you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing dinner or your boss calling you saying you’re late?

What was the craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?
Keeping the secret, when I wanted to share what I had been up to. But my fear, and self doubt plagued me to keep silent.

How about the social networks?  Which ones do you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?

I'm still learning how to use them. My day job keeps me busy for nine hours each day, it's hard to devote the time I would like. Alas, the dream for full time writing. Twitter is what I am trying to figure out.

Book sales.  Don’t you just love them (or lack of?)?  How are you making the sales happen for you?

It's newly released. So here's hoping for success.

What is one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?

I did it!!!!!!! Dreams can come true!!!

Okay, too much sugar for you today!  Here’s a nice cup of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves roll in.  Now…can you tell us what you love about being a published author and how all those things above doesn’t matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t have it any other way?

It is such an accomplishment, that's so hard to explain.


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