Guest author: Anita Dawes – Remember

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Sue Vincent

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Anita DawesAbout Anita

Hi, my name is Anita and although I am 71, I am by no means a ‘silver surfer’. I have been writing fiction novels for a while now, but never managed to be picked up by any of the mainstream publishers. They all said they loved what I wrote, but found it hard to slot them into a category!  It came tantalisingly close, but no cigar, as they say.

I realised I would have to try something else. I saved all of the rejection letters, because most of them had very encouraging comments. If my mother had slapped me as gently when I was a child, it wouldn’t have hurt half as much!

I even wrote to James Herbert once in desperation and he was so kind and supportive, it gave me the inspiration to continue writing.

Now I am retired and with the help of my sister-in-law Jaye, (who has learnt to be a ‘surfer’) we decided to dust off some of my manuscripts and try to achieve the impossible with a second chance to find out if anyone out there likes the kind of books I write…

How do I write?

I am a paper and pencil girl. You could chain me to a computer for years and nothing would happen! Jaye, on the other hand is managing to cope with all the editing and marketing, but then she has far more patience than I do.  (And she is as stubborn as a mule which helps a lot!)

They say you are never too old to learn, but in my case never is another word for infinity!

What made me want to write?

I love music, especially country music. It always seems to take me to where my own hurt lives. Songs about heartache help my pen run along the paper, almost as though the pain writes the words.

How do I find my characters?

They tend to find me. I was listening to ‘Ruby, don’t take your love to town’  sung by Kenny Rogers and a few days later the characters for Bad Moon popped into my head and just took over. I seem to have an affinity with West Virginia and the people who live there. Just hearing the way they talk makes a connection in my head, maybe I lived there once in another life.

It was the same with The Scarlet Ribbon. The words of that song put the characters in my head and they pulled me in.

Not so sure where the idea for Simple came from, even though it is a similar story to Bad Moon, but there was a girl at school when I was eleven who had a bad stammer, and I often wonder what became of her.

The books I like to read…

I love the stories of Merlin and Arthur, but my reading list covers a wide range of genres. One of my all-time favourites is ‘River God’ by Wilbur Smith, the character of Taita really spoke to me.

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About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent was a Yorkshire born writer, esoteric teacher and a Director of The Silent Eye. She was immersed in the Mysteries all her life. Sue maintained a popular blog and is co-author of The Mystical Hexagram with Dr G.M.Vasey. Sue lived in Buckinghamshire, having been stranded there due to an accident with a blindfold, a pin and a map. She had a lasting love-affair with the landscape of Albion, the hidden country of the heart. Sue  passed into spirit at the end of March 2021.
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32 Responses to Guest author: Anita Dawes – Remember

  1. robbiesinspiration's avatar robbiesinspiration says:
    March 20, 2018 at 17:09

    A lovely author interview with Anita, Sue. I really loved the poem too.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. Jacquie Biggar's avatar Jacquie Biggar says:
    March 20, 2018 at 17:12

    Love the last line of your poem, Anita, it’s filled with promise. Great interview!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  3. Stevie Turner's avatar Stevie Turner says:
    March 20, 2018 at 17:22

    Loved the interview and the ‘Where will I go when I die’ question in your poem. The band Dream Theater have a great song about that – it’s called ‘The Spirit Carries On.’

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  4. coldhandboyack's avatar coldhandboyack says:
    March 20, 2018 at 17:38

    Nice seeing you here today. Gives me a bit more insight into someone I converse with regularly.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  6. Darlene's avatar Darlene says:
    March 20, 2018 at 18:12

    I love the interview and so glad you never gave up on your writing. The poem is wonderful.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  8. Pingback: Guest author: Anita Dawes. Remember. – The Militant Negro™

  9. Jennie's avatar Jennie says:
    March 21, 2018 at 12:14

    Lovely poem! Who wouldn’t feel joyful after reading? A great interview.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

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