Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Julie Anderson lives in south London and Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. She is the author of three books, two novels and a collection of inter-linking short stories and regularly contributes non-fiction to web-sites, her own and others. Her work can be found on a number of academic courses. She is Chair of Trustees of the Clapham Book Festival, the annual celebration of books and reading in south London and curates literary and story-telling events across the capital.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ‘The Silver Rings’. It is the sequel to ‘Reconquista’, which was long listed for the Mslexia Chidren’s Novel Award 2016. I was inspired to write the story which became ‘Reconquista’ by the first visit of my god-son to our home in Jerez de la Frontera. I wrote about this at http://thestorybazaar.com/the-godmothers-tale/. Southern Spain is such a melting pot of historic cultures, Christian, Jewish and Muslim and has much to teach the modern world about how people from different cultures and faiths can live together ( and what happens when they do not ). My young heroes experience the best and the worst of this in the 13th century Reconquest of the Muslim south by the Christian north.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write early in the mornings, closest to sleep, as I often find my unconscious mind works away when I am not aware of it and comes up with all sorts of resolutions and ideas for my story. Otherwise, I am quite disciplined and meet my daily/weekly word targets.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to list here. Classic authors I constantly return to are T.S. Eliot, Charles Dickens and Shakespeare, while modern authors I read are Hilary Mantel, E.Annie Proulx and Margaret Attwood. I’m a sucker for a good old-fashioned adventure story and still read Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexander Dumas and John Buchan.
What are you working on now?
In something of a departure I am writing a contemporary thriller, set in London. It’s about power and what people will do to get it ( I was a Whitehall Senior Civil Servant for many years, so this is a world I know well ).
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I try to cover a lot of media, not just web-sites, but print media and personal appearances.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. What you are doing is worthwhile. You will get better, you will find readers.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up. That’s why I pass it on.
What are you reading now?
A brilliant history book called ‘Last Hope Island’ about Britain in WWII, but from the perspective of the Europeans who came here escaping Nazism and Fascism. It shows just how amazing Britain was when it chose to ally itself and work with it’s neighbours, something which the people of the Uk seem to have forgotten of late.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a new publishing contract for my next book – the thriller – which is very exciting.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A of this moment – A Thousand and One Nights, Shakespeare’s Collected Plays, The Origin of the Species and the Complete Works of T.S.Eliot. This list would change depending on my mood when asked.
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