Interview Ellen Anthony

by

Marie-Nicole Ryan

Marie: Tell me a little about yourself and how you started writing.

Ellen: I've been writing for 30 years now and I started because I ran out of good books to read. I was a perpetual daydreamer and the transition to writing was natural. Of course, the first 25 years of manuscripts weren't any good and most have been destroyed so they won't come back to haunt me.

Marie: Is Lura's Oregon Trail Adventure your first published novel? If not, please tell me about your other published works.

Ellen: Lura's Oregon Trail Adventure is the first in the Letters Through Time series. I've also written science fiction based on the world of Syra. You can read the first chapters of all those books at www.sample-books.com. Two are out in paperback now, THE MANHUNTER and THE BLOOD CIRCLE.

 Marie: Do you have a day job or are you able to write full time?

Ellen: No day job, but it isn't for lack of looking. I made the mistake of praying I could make a living off my writing and God took me seriously. Be very careful what you wish for!

Marie: What is your writing schedule?

Ellen: Right now I have very little time for actual writing. When I do, I like to write first thing in the morning. While I'm writing, I can ignore everything, including the breakfast I just fixed.

Marie: How do you balance writing time with family time?

Ellen: No family, just characters.

Marie: How did you come to write for Wings?

Ellen: When Wordbeams closed their doors with these books still unpublished, I remembered BJ Haynes and knew she'd be interested in Oregon Trail books. After all, she lives less than fifty miles from the Trail. It was a natural choice.

Marie: Who is your favorite author? Book? Favorite author?

Ellen: Me. Favorite book? The one I'm working on now. Seriously, I admire too many authors to pin it down to a favorite. Ones who influenced my work include Lloyd Alexander, Joseph P. Altsheler, J. R. R. Tolkien, Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Orson Scott Card, Issac Asimov, and Robert Heinlein.

Marie: What books would you recommend to beginning writers to help them with their craft?

Ellen: The Fiction Writing Series from Writers Digest Books. If they only get one, I'd say get Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card (ISBN 0-89879-307-6). And, if you write for children, I really recommend Children's Writer's Word Book by Alijandra Mogilner (ISBN 0-89879-511-7). It's the best source for knowing what words are introduced at which grade level.

Marie: Do you have plans for writing more books in this series?

Ellen: Yes. Jacob's Oregon Trail Adventure will be released next and offers the same Oregon Trail journey from the point of view of Lura's older brother. On the drawing board are two books written by a brother and sister in Rhode Island Colony in 1690.