Writer’s Window: Annalisa Daughety
Joining us today for the Writer’s Window is my fellow contemporary-romance author and Tennessean-with-Arkansas-ties Annalisa Daughety.
__________________________________________________________
One lucky commenter* will win a signed copy of Love is Grand by Annalisa Daughety. Deadline for leaving a comment to enter the drawing is Friday. To enter the drawing, you must answer the question posed by Annalisa at the end of the interview. Only one comment per person will count toward the drawing. You do not need to include your e-mail address in the body of your comment—just make sure it’s correct when you sign in to leave your comment. Congratulations to Carol Collett who won last week’s drawing for Jennie Bentley’s book Mortar and Murder.
- *U.S. residents only, void where prohibited. If you win the drawing, you will be ineligible for the next three drawings, though hopefully you will still come back and join in the discussion.
__________________________________________________________
Ainsley Davis had it all: a job she loved, a husband she adored, and a baby on the way.
But after her husband’s unexpected death, she left her job and retreated to the safety of her parents’ home. Two years later, Ainsley is still there, raising the baby alone and envisioning danger around every corner. When her position as a park ranger at the Grand Canyon reopens, she realizes God may be trying to tell her to return—if she can face the fears that hold her captive.
Fellow ranger Dustin Cooper is thrilled to have his old friend back. But Ainsley isn’t the fearless girl he remembers. Even so, Dustin pushes her to put her trust in God and jump back into her life.
Policeman Jake McGuire fled to the Grand Canyon after an on-the-job mistake. He’s determined to live a stress-free, anonymous life. Until he meets Ainsley. Suddenly he realizes he’d like to be a hero again—if only in her eyes.
Can Ainsley regain her zest for life—despite the risks—and find the right man to walk alongside her? If so, she may be surprised to find that even the second time around, Love is Grand
Welcome, Annalisa!
What do you like best about being a writer?
- Getting to create a whole world of fictional people and places. I think I was born with a story to tell—so to be able to do that and get paid for it is pretty cool.
What do you like least about being a writer?
- Once you have a book published, I think there is a certain amount of pressure to make the next one better. That is probably what I like least—the fear that I will disappoint readers.
Pop, Soda, or Coke? What do you call it, and what’s your favorite variety?
- I call it “Coke” and I am a Dr. Pepper girl.
What’s your favorite dessert?
- I love dessert, so this is a tough one. Probably my favorite homemade dessert is my grandma’s apple pie. And if I have my choice of restaurant desserts, the Chocolate Molten Lava Cake at Chili’s is awesome.
What’s the most fun/interesting/crazy/scary/unique hands-on research you’ve done for a book?
- In November, I spent the night on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania. I might be from the country, but I’m not much of a farm girl, so that was an eye opening experience! It was lots of fun though, especially getting to bottle-feed a baby calf. I was in Pennsylvania researching for my next book—and one of the characters happens to work on a dairy farm.
What’s your favorite movie from childhood?
- I didn’t watch many movies when I was a child—but as a pre-teen and teenager, I loved The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Say Anything. I still watch them whenever I get the chance.
If you were to write a novel about what your life would have been like if you’d become what you wanted to be at eight years old, what kind of character would the story be about?
- My character would be a dancing, writing archaeologist! Those were always my top three career aspirations. I dropped the dancing pretty quickly—but to this day, I am still fascinated by archaeology. I’d love to incorporate that career into a novel someday.
What makes you happy?
- My family around the same table. My dogs curled up next to me. Laughing and catching up with friends. Emails from readers. Libraries and bookstores. Gerbera daisies. Snow days. Beach days. ’80s music. The first warm day in the spring and driving with the windows rolled down. Traveling to new places. The relief of turning in a manuscript.
What makes you nervous?
- Flying. Public speaking. First dates. Job interviews. Swimming in the ocean. Book releases.
What’s your biggest dream for the future?
- I’d love to see one of my books turned into a movie someday—or at least optioned for one. And I’d also like to be able to write full time rather than spreading myself thin working a day job and writing at night.
Tell us about your newest release and what you’re working on now.
- My newest release, Love is Grand, is the third book in the Walk in the Park series. It’s set at Grand Canyon National Park. Ainsley Davis is a widowed park ranger, raising a toddler alone—and she sees danger around every corner. She’s become fearful of everything—including love.
Up next for me is Love Finds You in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It’s a contemporary Amish romance that releases in July.
Where can people find out more about you/connect with you online?
- My website: www.annalisadaughety.com
My blog: www.princessofpatience.blogspot.com
I also have an author page on Facebook and am on Twitter.
Now it’s your turn to ask the question. What question do you want to ask the commenters to answer?
- What is your favorite guilty pleasure song of all time? You know—the one you turn up and sing along to when you’re alone in the car…
————————————————-
Annalisa Daughety, an Arkansas native, won first place in the Contemporary Romance category at the 2008 ACFW Genesis Awards. After graduating from Freed-Hardeman University, Annalisa worked as a park ranger for the National Park Service. This experience inspired her to write the Walk in the Park series. Each book in the series is set in a different national park. In addition to the Walk in the Park series, Annalisa also wrote Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio. She currently lives in Memphis with two spoiled dogs, Arnie and Buster.
Comments are closed.
KayeDacus.com 
Guilty pleasure song? Probably anything from Bon Jovi. LOL
Thanks for sharing a glimpse of your writing world with us! Your books sound like a lot of fun. I love the idea of the lost soul finding his way back to community. I’m working on a similar theme. It’s so tough to weave the come hither/get away aspect of the romance.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. Count me in!
-Emily
LikeLike
“You give love a bad name . . .” 😉
LikeLike
Bon Jovi is high on my list too! 🙂
LikeLike
I love the gospel groups. I bellow out, “Can He, could He, would He, yes, He can He, could He, would, and He did!” I know that isn’t what you were expecting, but I get pretty loud. 🙂
LikeLike
I like to sing along to gospel groups too! I have a cd of an acappella group from where I went to college, and I can get loud singing along to that one. 🙂
LikeLike
Don’t laugh but “Love Shack” by the B-52’s is my favorite guilty pleasure song. How can you not sing along to “love shack, baby, love shack!”?
Thanks for the chance to win!
LikeLike
That’s a great choice! That is definitely one of those songs that you just can’t help but sing along to. 🙂
LikeLike
I love Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer”. Nobody would want to hear me belt it out in the car though! lol Can’t wait to read this book! Thanks for the chance to win.
LikeLike
I have one of the Bon Jovi greatest hits cds–and I always take it with me on roadtrips. I can never decide which of their songs is my favorite. 🙂
LikeLike
I love the song If I Die Young by The Band Perry.
Also a few songs by Brad Paisley, And Felt Good on My Lips by Tim McGraw.
I have lots of others but I wont write them.
I would love to win this book!
I LOVED the first one! I haven’t read this one or the second yet, but they both look and sound AMAZING!
Thank you for the giveaway!
LikeLike
If I Die Young always gets stuck in my head! The radio station I listen to at work plays it several times during the day and I find myself humming it all the time. 🙂
I’m so glad you enoyed the first book in the series–hope you like books two and three even better!
LikeLike
More Than Words , deep love song with very strong imager,late 80’s early 90’s by a group that I don;t remember but I could not stand any of their other music
LikeLike
I like that one too. I think it was by a group called “Extreme”–guess you could call them a one hit wonder!
LikeLike
Sixteen Candles! I love that movie! You know the geeky girl with the big metal back brace? That was ME back in high school! lol…hopefully not quite that geeky! Oh, the memories I could tell. Hey…I should write a book about that!
I love the cover of your new book. The girl’s long flowing hair blowing in the wind suggests the freedom that is to come. Freedom from fear is an awesome theme!
Okay…guilty pleasure song. Let’s see….I will always love you by Whitney Houston. Oh, and definitely All The Single Ladies by Beyonce! I even do the “hand twist” in the car and can move my head from side to side. Haven’t caused any wrecks thus far.
LikeLike
Oh gee, I am too old for this…..lol….I’ll surely be telling age if I say Moon River!! lol
But I am not too old to read and love to read. I have #1 and am waiting to get #2 and #3 and read all at one time. Please enter me. Thanks!!!
LikeLike
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers. That, and “Every Breath You Take” by The Police. Rod Stewart music . . . Showtunes . . . Imperials . . . Can you tell I just like music?
Great interview! I’ve read “Love is a Battlefield” and “Love is Monumental,” and am chomping at the bit to read “Love is Grand.” I love romance, and I love the National Parks system, so it was a sure bet I’d love these books!
Annalisa, PLEASE write a book about a musical archaeologist! If you don’t I WILL! 🙂
LikeLike
Um, anything on the radio. It’s my guilty pleasure because I only sing along when alone 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Annalisa and Kaye! I am showing my age, but my hubby and I dated and married in the 60s so we listen to that station on Sirius radio when we are in the car. Tonight we sang along to Happy Together by the Turtles so I would say that or anything by the Mamas and the Papas!
Love the National Park books, and can’t wait to read this one, so enter me please.
LikeLike
ps. I just thought of another one–Good Vibrations!
LikeLike
Okay, I laughed out loud at Moon River, I grew up with a music box that played that. I love to sing in the car, and my favorite guilty pleasure song is Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks. I don’t want to analyze that too much. Annalisa, I look forward to your new book. Thanks for the contest.
LikeLike
Great question! Love the answers. Since I’m not eligible to win, I’m not sure why I’m admitting this in public, by my guilty pleasure song is MMM Bop by Hanson.
LikeLike
First of all I have read the book and it is wonderful, so don’t enter me in the drawing.
Hi Annalisa, fellow alumni of FHU! Favorite song to sing in the car, “Pretty Woman”, Moon River and I can think of a lot more. Mostly we us acapella cd’s in the car. My favorite is a cd my nephew made. He lives in Scotland and there are a group called Solice. They are so good. I love them.
LikeLike