Interview with Annalisa Grant

After reading and loving As I Am by Annalisa Grant, I had the opportunity to interview her for the blog. 

Annalisa Grant is the author of The Lake Series, Five, and As I Am. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children.

Here's the interview!

What is your favorite aspect of living in the South? Least favorite?

My favorite part of living in the south has to be the general atmosphere of kindness. People say “hello” or give a nice smile as you walk by. Also, having grown up in south Florida, I love the fact that we have 4 whole seasons in North Carolina! We get JUST enough snow to shut us down for a few days and then that’s it! And when the leaves change in the fall it’s simply breathtaking! Honestly, there isn’t anything I don’t like about living in the south!

What’s your favorite show right now? 

That’s a tough one! On the serious side, I love The Walking Dead (#TeamDaryl). On the funny side, I’m a big fan of The Mindy Project. As for one the falls in between, I’d have to say Castle.

What’s made you happiest this year?

Personally, my family is always the one constant thing that brings me the most joy. I have an amazing husband who loves and supports me 100%, and two wonderful kids who are growing into spectacular young adults! Professionally, I’d have to say the thing that made me the happiest was FULLY embracing that my career is MINE. I don’t have to model myself after anyone, not even authors I admire. I’m going to write what is in my heart and do it the way that works best for me. 

What went into your decision to self-publish? 

You mean after I received a dozen rejection letters from publishers? LOL! Well, I decided to self-publish when I discovered that it was an actual option. Once I had the information, I figured, why not? I had three completed books (The Lake Series, Books 1 - 3) and thought it was worth a shot. If no one but my friends bought them, I wasn’t going to be out anything. But if by some crazy chance people found my books and liked them, it would be amazing. I had nothing to lose!

You’ve worked as both an actress and an author. These are both very personal art forms. How would you compare them? For example how do they differ in terms of balancing your art with your personal life?

This is a great question! Both acting and writing demand that I access parts of me that I don’t wear on my sleeve. In both acting and writing, you dive into that person and can spend hours there. And depending on who they are and what they are experiencing, it can be difficult coming out of it. This is why you’ll hear from authors far and wide that they cry when they’re writing certain scenes. When I was acting, my lines were already written for me and the character already created. How I delivered those lines was dependent on my interpretation of how they character would respond to her situation. But the deeper I dove into a character, the more personal it became. Your mindset morphs into that character and you cry real tears, you scream with real anger, and you embrace someone with real love. As a writer, I’m at the helm of all of that. I’m creating the character, dictating his or her lines, and determining how they deliver them. I am frequently pacing my office having conversations with other characters, working out all of those things. In reality, acting and writing are not that far off from each other.

For you, how did writing a stand-alone differ from writing a series? And which would you say was more challenging? 

The Lake Series was definitely a different process than As I Am or Five. On the one hand, I would say the series was more challenging because it had more layers to it. Practically speaking, it’s over 300k words, has more characters, more locations, and more plot lines and twists. Keeping continuity through four books can be a challenge. (Seriously, what color are Luke’s eyes?) On the other hand, knowing it was going to be more than one book, it was easier because I felt like I had time to build certain plot lines. I could start one or two things in book one and know they would develop and then be resolved by book 3. Writing a stand-alone like As I Am or Five is a little harder because you have to be more concise…get to things a little faster, which isn’t as easy as it might sound. It’s also a little easier because the beginning, middle, and end are much more clear cut for me. You can’t have TOO many layers or else the story moves TOO fast and there’s no time for character development. They each have their perks and their challenges for sure!

What’s your favorite part of being a writer?

Being the creator of something that impacts people’s lives. Don’t get me wrong, I’m under no delusion that I’m writing anything that’s changing the world. I’m not expecting a Pulitzer. But what I do know is that media, whether it’s books, music, film, or television, servers a huge place in our culture. I’m honored to be a part of the outlet readers have in helping them wind down, feeding their imaginations, or getting them in touch with their emotions. And I’ll never be able to fully express how meaningful it is to hear from a reader who says that they hadn’t read a whole book since they were in middle or high school, but they found my books and haven’t been able to put them down. It’s truly priceless.

What was the hardest thing about writing As I Am? What was your favorite scene to write?

As I Am is a very personal story. Many of the things Kinley heard or experienced were taken directly from my life. I struggled with my weight and felt hopeless at times, believing I’d never truly feel accepted for who I was by some people. Ultimately, just as Kinley did, I realized that it was ME who needed to accept me. It’s hard to pick a favorite scene. I love when all of Kinley’s friends pull an all-nighter of fun with her after she fights with Addy. I also love when Kinley give Cal a piece of her mind. And, of course, I love all the scenes where Miller is everything Kinley never thought she could have. In one way or another, all my characters get a happy ending!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk with you! Everyone should check out As I Am and Annalisa's other books if you haven't already!