Today we have with us
Anna Mullins, author of Confessions of a Crazy Fox. A memoir.
Good morning Anna! Welcome to The Perfect Plot!
Anna, tell us about Confessions of a Crazy Fox.
ANNA: Texas
in the 30’s, 40’s, 50's, to the present!
"Confessions of a Crazy Fox" is the culmination of almost a decade of
trying to write my strange life story as honestly as I can remember. It took
some extremely stressful events to make me finally realize I didn't care
anymore what anyone thinks about the way I think. It happened...and it was
sometimes just outright bizarre...so that's the way I wrote it.
I really enjoyed
reading your book and was amazed at the amount of detail you remember about
your life. How did you go about putting
it all together?
ANNA: I was at a very low point in my life after my
Mother’s death when I decided to write about it. I wasn’t certain where to
start; I just set down and let it flow. I didn’t plan it. My detailed memory
has haunted me for as long as I can remember. Once I started writing, I had
over 600 pages in a month. At that point I hadn’t considered publishing it. I
made that decision almost a decade later. I did spend a few months editing it
to a reasonable 327 pages before I submitted it.
I think a memoir is
very special because it’s the personal experiences of the writer and much of
what you read of the past, in such a book, you could never find in any history
book. The lives of your grandparents fleeing
religious persecution in Europe to settle in America, is a fine example. I think capturing that in your book is a
wonderful testament to them. What do you
think?
ANNA: My
grandparents had a profound effect on my childhood as I noted in the story,
they were wonderful and loving, and though they never had very much in the way
of material things, they had an abundance of love, faith, and appreciation for
the blessings they felt God had granted them. My parents and grandparents were
all interesting story tellers and I had long wanted to document some of the
interesting facts about their lives.
Why did you decide to
write your memoir?
ANNA: I was
compelled to write it to pull myself out of the deep depression I fell into
after Mom’s death and 9/11 happened in close proximity. Some of the strange
things that had happened in my childhood came back to haunt me at that time and
writing about it seemed a good way of purging it all out.
Once you decided to
share your life story, what was the most challenging aspect of the memoir
writing process?
ANNA: I
didn’t start writing it intending to share my darkest secrets, at the time I
thought no one would ever read it but me, so I never felt challenged. Not until
many years later when I felt publishing my story was the only way the truth
about what had bothered me so much would ever be known.
I imagine there was a
lot of research that went into your book.
How long did it take you to write?
ANNA: There
was no research at all done for the book, it all came flowing from memory very
quickly once I started writing it. When the final stressful event happened
almost a decade later that provoked me to try and publish, I knew 600 pages would
never fly with a publisher so I went through it and took out all the memories I
didn’t feel were pertinent.
Do you have any
advice for others who might wish to write a memoir?
ANNA: Don’t
write and publish it when you are angry! I suppose my problem became, I
couldn’t get over the fury until I publicly confessed all my sins and those of
others who had distressed me so.
Do you have plans for
another book? If so, will it be
non-fiction or fiction?
ANNA: I
would someday love to write the sequel to my memoir to tie up loose ends but
not sure they can ever be. I wrote a historical novel many years ago my young
daughter really enjoyed and I may try writing that one again at some point.
Confessions of a Crazy Fox is traditionally published. Would you consider self publishing in the
future?
ANNA: I’m
not sure I would attempt to self publish though I admire those confident enough
to do so. I never would have self published my memoir due to the very personal
content. I felt I needed a professional to give me advice on whether it should
be printed. The first publisher who read it offered me a contract. I signed it
but I’m still wondering.
How did you come up
with the title?
ANNA: It
went through a number of title changes from beginning to end and I didn’t
decide for certain until it was being edited by the publisher. It is a true
confession and I explain the “crazy fox” reference in the book.
And now for something
about yourself. What do you enjoy
reading, and who are your favorite author(s)?
ANNA: I was
an avid fiction reader in my youth and have always loved historical novels,
especially some of the classics, Gone With The Wind, Dr. Zhivago, War And
Peace. Most of what I read today is shorter non-fiction. I can’t honestly say
who my favorite author is any more. Tolstoy and Nathaniel Hawthorn were at one
time…so was Jackie Collins.
When you’re not
writing what do you enjoy doing?
ANNA: I have
been an artist of some sort all my life. I took piano lessons for 11 years and
love all sorts of music. I play the harmonica sometimes. I have sculpted and
painted in a variety of mediums as well as spent several years on detailed
ceramic art. I love to cook and still sew some. Whenever I feel a creative
urge, I can usually find something around to satisfy it.
I seem to write
wherever I happen to be - study, coffee shop, airport lounge. Where do you prefer to do your writing?
ANNA: I only
write on my home computer these days. I still wonder sometimes if I really am a
real writer. I’ll usually take along
something to read if I know I’m going to have the time.
And finally, you
mentioned in your book that you have previously written two books of
fiction. When you write fiction, where
do your ideas come from?
ANNA: The
first novel was a contemporary twisted political inspired story that I never
did finish because I couldn’t think up a realistic ending. The historical 19th
century Civil War era romance just seemed to flow from a dark recess in my mind
that opened up once I put my fingers on
the typewriter. The fact that my teen age daughter was eagerly waiting every
afternoon to see what I typed the night before may have influenced it but I had
no problem with that happy ending…after about 400 pages.
Many thanks for
stopping by to be interviewed Anna. Is
there anything you’d like to add?
ANNA: Thank
you very much Jill for giving me a chance to explain. Confessions Of A Crazy Fox is not a typical memoir with a happy
ending. I have a feeling it leaves some readers with their mouths wide open
scratching their heads in wonder saying, “Huh!” I have been accused of being
honest to a fault and still wonder if I didn’t take it to the extreme with the
book.
Do you have any
questions you’d like to ask Anna about her book, Confessions of a Crazy Fox?
If so, leave a comment or connect with Anna on line.
