This month I’m interviewing post-apocalyptic author, Ann Denton. Ann’s Timebend series is about a shapeshifter spy caught up in a post apocalyptic war – pretty cool! The second books in the series, Burn, has just launched and Ann and I chat about her inspiration for the stories, her favourite books and her plotting process (which I’m in awe of!).
An easy one to start off with! Which part of the world do you hail from?
I’m originally from the Land of Enchantment, also known a meth-town for Breaking Bad lovers. I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I ping ponged between the coasts. Now I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
What was the last book you read and would you recommend it?
I read Honor Among Theives (The Honorables #1). It’s a Regency Romance with a dark spin. The main character is a body snatcher. It’s very interesting, and I love the premise.
Where do you write your books and what’s your choice of drink and music to keep you typing away?
I have an office at home that’s all enclosed in wood panelling. I hole up in there and write at night. I’m usually drinking water or tea and chewing gum obsessively because I have this insane need to eat while writing and if I actually did that, I’d be blimp-sized.
Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m most definitely a plotter. I outlined the second book 4 times in Microsoft Excel before I even moved the outlines to Word and started typing.
Aside from writing and reading, what do you love doing most?
I love to paint. It’s a hobby that’s hard to keep up with young kids just at the right age to eat paint. So I don’t do too much of it right now. But when I paint a lot, I end up dreaming I’m in paintings and that’s fun.
Do you have any children or pets?
I have two adorable minions. My daughter is five and my son is two. I also have a semi-lucid dog who likes to lick paint, fight tree roots, and always, always, always walk exactly into my path. He’s a border collie. His name is Titan.
What three books have influenced your style of writing or the themes you write about the most and why?
Hmm… so the stereotypical Harry Potter answer applies here. I love Rowling’s plot twists and tie-ins between books. I also am a huge fan of Sherryl Jordan. She wrote Winter of Fire which was post-apocalyptic before post-apocalyptic was cool. I’d have to say my other writing influences are theatre based. I love Edward Albee’s The Goat. His dialogue just flows and he’s very confrontational about important issues. I’m not confrontational, but my work is issue based.
Which character in your novels do you most relate to and why?
Alba. Just kidding. She’s the friendly neighbourhood ditz. I relate to different aspects of each of my main characters. Mala is very insecure and wants to fit in. Lowe craves structure and orders and thrives on praise. I think those faults are pretty in line with my own.
Tell us about your Timebend series. Where did your initial idea come from and why did you choose to write these books?
The idea to write about a shapeshifter spy popped into my head about six years ago. And once I had that idea, I tried to think of the hardest challenge I could hurl at my shapeshifter. What if the shapeshifter was an empath? What if she shifted based on what people around her felt? How could she control that and do her job?
So I had my basic premise. But the plot sprung out of reading all the news regarding attacks in different villages around the world. There is a lot of cultural warfare, ethnic warfare, religious warfare… whatever you want to call it. I rolled that up into a plot and out popped my supernatural thriller.
Ann's second book in the Timebend series is now available!
Burn (Timebend Book 2)
Lowe is the perfect super soldier in a post-apocalyptic war. He’s quick-witted and willing to do anything. That’s why he’s assigned to a top secret assassination team.
The only problem? His cover story as a recruiter leads him to stumble across a girl with the most amazing superpowers he’s ever seen. He has no choice but to recruit her for real.
And then, his mission and his heart are in danger…
And don’t forget to check out Book 1 in the Timebend series: Melt.
Melt (Timebend Book 1)
She’s 17. She discovers she has powers. And the only person still alive to teach her about them is an assassin she just met.
Mala joins a secret group of assassins as a post apocalyptic war rages on around her. She learns her powers are unique. Which means everyone has an agenda for her…
Can Mala learn to control her gift? Can she control her heart? Can she control her life when her power draws people like a moth to a flame?
