Welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews Viva Anna! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to interview with us.

Thank you Cindy! It is a real pleasure to be interviewed here by you.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

You know this is the hardest question I've had to answer. I sat here and looked at this question for a long time before I could even come up with a response. Who am I? I have no idea. I want to say writer, but I know there's more to me than that, sometimes it doesn't feel like it though, LOL. I'm a divorced mother of one, who seems to be a little replica of me (and that isn't necessarily a good thing). I'm a fun-loving easy-going person, with a strong desire to become great…great mother, great writer, and great human being.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yes. I have been telling stories since I could talk, just ask my mom. She's says I still tell big stories…she's right. In school, I loved writing, even essays. In Junior High, I wrote a short story for English class. It was a free subject, so I wrote a grisly tale about a serial killer. My teacher loved it. Got a 98% on it, two percent came off because of my serious lack of attention to punctuation and grammar. I still have that problem.
I never did anything about being a writer, until I was pregnant and starting reevaluating my life and my situation. I realized that I didn't want to go in the direction I was headed, so I put on the brakes, took a correspondence writing course, met the most amazing mentor, and haven't stopped since. That was five years ago, six now I guess.

How did you feel when your first book was published?

Vindicated, I felt like, finally all my hard work, blood, sweat and tears has made some kind of difference. I cried for two days when I found out eXtasy accepted my manuscript. I phoned my family because they have been the biggest supporters of my writing. They always new I would make it somehow.

How has your life changed since your first book was published?

I'm busier, harder on myself I think. More determined to get things done and out there. Instead of having two projects going at once, I have five or six. I see the future and I want to get there as fast as possible. I have little or no patience.

Please tell us a little about your book Blood Red due out in March by eXtasy Books.

Blood Red. I love this book. This was actually the first project eXtasy accepted. It's a very adult re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. She's grown up, and is now a bounty hunter well-armed and well-trained, for one purpose…to hunt down and kill the man named Wolf, who seven years before murdered her Granny in front of her.
I love reworking fairytales. My second book Prince Charming and His Ladies In Wanting was such a reworking. I love mixing up characters and stories. There is so much to work with and so many places you can go with it. I think its fun for me to write and fun for people to read. It takes something very familiar and twists it all around into something new and inventive. This story is full of action and adventure, murder and mayhem…and of course love, well….lots of sex anyway.

What are you currently working on?

Let's see…there's Hell Kat, a post-apocalyptic story about a treasure hunter who goes on the greatest hunt of her life in the Vanquished City where people are known to have been mutated into all sorts of things. A super secret project from eXtasy. Look for something in the summer months. Another super secret project of my own…it involves action, intrigue, and espionage. Hopefully have one book out this summer and another in the series for Christmas. And a Halloween collection…a vampire, a witch, and a shape-shifter.
And then there's….LOL. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm working on!

What can we look forward to from you the rest of 2004?

Lots of action and intrigue. Definitely a fun sexy new series. Hopefully a whole lot more.

Do you have a set writing schedule? Is there a certain amount of hours each day that you write?

Yes and no. I get ready to write every day by 10 am, but it rarely works that way. My daughter is very demanding (just like me) and she usually monopolizes most of my time. Lately I've only been able to write between 1 pm and 3 pm five days a week. That's when she's in kindergarten. Doesn't give me much time as you can see. I try to make the best of what I can get. Some weekends she goes to her dad's and I will write the entire weekend. And I work part-time at night…so there goes that idea. Anyway my brain doesn't wake up till 10 am and it goes back to sleep around 3 pm.

Who are your favorite authors?

Stephen King. His name says it all…. I also like Laurell K Hamilton, Janet Evanovich, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Dan Brown, Mercedes Lackey, Nora Roberts I think she is the Queen of character development.
I think that if I could combine the King and the Queen into my writing…I would be the best writer in the entire world!

Do you have a favorite genre you like to read? If so, what?

I don't have a favorite genre. I like all types of writing. I love a good spooky ghost story, or a slash them horror tale, a legal thriller, a romantic suspense, chick lit, and lately I've been getting into fantasy…magic, sword and sorcery. I would love to be able to write one of each.

Of the characters you have created, do you have a favorite? If so, who and why?

I love Blood Red. She is one tough chicky. She is so hard and cold on the outside that when she finally realizes she has emotions…it's a trip to watch. Actually, the majority of the characters I create are cold rough and tough women who refuse to be vulnerable and reliant on anyone but themselves. They all come from me in that sense. We could have a really good physiological session on this one…LOL

When you are not writing, what do you enjoy doing? Any hobbies?

I love movies. I like to go for long walks. I like to play cards and board games with my girl. I love to read, but I think most writers do. I collect dragons and designer Barbie dolls.
If I had the time…I would love to take salsa lessons, join the Medieval Society, and take up kickboxing again, and I would love to volunteer at the Children's hospital.

Have you ever had the dreaded "writers block"? If so, how did you get past it?

I've never had complete 'writer's block'. I could always write something on some project. I have a hard time getting past chapter 3 on anything. I don't know what it is…but that darn Chapter 3 comes and I start thinking about other projects, or washing dishes, or I should really paint my nails… anything to distract me from the task at hand.
To get past it, I always write something, even if its crap, I'll write it. Can always be changed later.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Write. Finish something. Start with short stories and work up from there. It's a powerful thing to write a story finish it and see it in print. If you can do it with a short story, you can do it with something longer. Just takes time and patience…something none of us has. LOL
Also, find a mentor, or a critique partner. Someone that will be honest and helpful with your writing. Families are great for cheerleaders, but don't rely on them for honest feedback. They'll either rip you to pieces or lavish so much praise on you you'll think you're Hemingway.

Is there anything you would like to add to this interview?

I just want to say that review and promo places like Fallen Angels are an integral part of the writing experience. Without your support and open opportunities for authors to come and talk and showcase their work, we would still be sitting back hoping, pleading to the powers that be, that someone would discover us, someone would find us in all the obscurity. You give us a place to be…a safe and friendly environment to find those readers to find other authors that we can connect with and hopefully forge a relationship with for the long road ahead.
I'd like to bless you for that!

Thanks again, Vivi Anna, for interviewing with us. It was a pleasure to meet you! To learn more about Vivi Anna and her books, visit her Website.

Interviewed by:
Cindy