Author Interview: Ana Franco

How long have you been writing? 

I’m not sure. Professionally? [Meaning working on my series of books] A year or so. But I write since I was a little girl – I think I created my first story when I was five (something about a girl who fell in love with a volcano). 

What is your favorite part about being an author?

 I love everything about being an author. I love having the ‘power’ to create new stories and worlds and deciding the fates of characters. But I think that what I love most about being an author is that I get to read a lot. Even if it’s reading my own stuff – you’d be surprised to see how much you can learn by reading and re-reading what you wrote for the fifth time. *giggles*

If you could jump inside the world of your book, what would you be and what would you do?

 I think I would be one of the orphan girls, no one really important to the story. I would love to just watch the main characters doing their stuff and I would love even more to start wondering what the hell they were plotting. I would be just like any reader, actually – watching the scenes happening and being confused and eager to understand what was really happening. I really think that it was how the secondary characters on the orphanages felt when living with gods and goddess undercover for so long. You would be stupid if you didn’t suspect them a little. And as I said, I would love to stay up at night with another orphan gossiping about what was that all about.

What has your experience been like going from blogger to author?

 I was actually an author for far longer than I was a blogger. The blog ‘Ana is the Bookworm’ started last year, just a little before I finished the first draft of ‘Down the Wormhole’ and decided that I wanted to get it published. I thought about making a blog to tell people – whoever they were, wherever they came from, whenever they decided to read that silly blog – how I got – IF I managed it, of course, which I wasn’t sure I would at the time – my novel published. Then people just started appearing out of nowhere and reading what I was writing! This was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had! And the blog just… grew up. I indeed managed to tell how I published my book and even started talking about the book’s sequels. I managed to get to write my own opinions on some issues and got quite a few interesting discussions (my favorite one being when we talked about anti-heroes) and then, finally and to my utmost happiness, I started being contacted by people I judged important and was asked to talk to them about my opinions on things. It was just SO amazing!

Could you talk a bit about your publication process?

 Sure thing. Like many authors, my first thought was to publish ‘Down the Wormhole’ with a traditional publisher – what meant I firstly started going after (read: online-stalking) literary agents and querying them with what I judged was my best. *sighs* It apparently wasn’t good at all, because my answers were depressing. But then I thought about skipping those agents and going after publishers myself – and THAT was when I discovered the existence of the indie publishers, people that I today admire and support with all my being. Of course I started querying them and seeking for their opinions that were slowly becoming really important to me. I have absolutely no idea how many indie publishers I queried, to be honest.  But then everything when one day, when I was almost asleep, I received an email from my editor asking for my full manuscript.  It was then that everything truly started for me. I had to wait weeks to get an answer from her – which was positive by the way, hehe – and then we started working on my book. Yup, WE. Because this editor valued having her authors being independent and so she taught me a lot of things about the publishing world – and I slowly became able to walk with my own legs, looking for reviewers, guest posts on other blogs, talking with lit mags and other things. I will be forever grateful that I found my editor, because I most certainly wouldn’t be here now had she decided not to give me a chance.

Are you working on any other projects?

When isn’t an author working on new projects? I have a project for a stand-alone book that I’m very excited about, but now all my energy is being put into marketing DTW and my job. You see, my editor was such an angel that she didn’t just give me the chance to publish my book – she gave me a job. I am now her assistant editor of Fantasy, SciFi and Paranormal genres and this is something I’m very proud of. And oh, yes, I also have to take care of my blog. And go to college. So I DO have a project, but I’m not fully working on it yet.

(Finally, I would like to thank Larissa for giving me the opportunity to be interviewed by her – it was my honor to answer your question. If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me! I will go to you as fast as I can!)

 
Author Bio:

Ana Franco was born on a small town on the interior of São Paulo, Brazil. She is known as a blogger under the name of “Ana the Bookworm” and her Young Adult novel, Down The Wormhole, will be coming out in 2015 through French Press Bookworks. Ana attends to college of Literature and Teaching in her country as well as she has taken courses in areas of Children’s Literature, Literature in schools, influences of the world wars at the world’s cultures and in writing for a global market. She also works as Assistant Editor of the genres Fantasy, SciFi and Paranormal in French Press Bookworks and Pen Name Publishing.