Thursday, June 16, 2016

You.I.Us - Annalisa Crawford Grand Book Tour

Welcome to the Annalisa Crawford Grand Book Tour - she zoomed across the virtual ocean to visit me in Texas. We'll eat some Tex-Mex and Ray will mix up his yummy margaritas. Cheers, y'all

You. I. Us. is a collection of vignettes, small scenes which hint at the story beneath.

Annalisa has taken that idea to another level, because she asked 15 bloggers to ask her one question each, creating small insights into her life and writing.

I am pleased to welcome Annalisa - here is the question I asked her:

 You and your husband have careers in the arts. Your boys have seen the fickle nature of the business. Every career has its trials, however do you see them following footsteps into writing and/or music? Or choosing something deemed more steady and reliable?

Hi Joanne, thanks for being part of my tour.

Both of them seem quite arty at the moment, which makes me so happy. My eldest, Connor, is taking a film-making course at college which he loves. He’s just finishing his first year, and it’s interesting to see how dedicated he is. He writes his own scripts, but doesn’t like to share them

And Ollie, the other one, is a budding actor. Credits so far include Humpty Dumpty in Through the Looking Glass, several parts in a play about World War I, and a granny in his school play.

They’ve grown up with me writing all the time and my husband, Peter, going out to gigs or popping over to Europe for short tours. They’ve also seen how we’ve needed to keep up the day jobs in order to pursue our passions. So I think they’re pretty grounded, and understand how challenging it will be to pursue their dreams. I’m definitely encouraging them as much as possible—I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was about 9, and it’s worked out for me!

This is a short video from a couple of years ago called Sore Loser https://youtu.be/ijvT5DsICpQ



And now presenting a book you'll want to buy and read


 You. I. Us.
Publication date: June 10, 2016
Genre: Short Stories (Single Author)


In You. I. Us., Annalisa Crawford captures everyday people during  poignant defining moments in their lives: An artist puts his heart into his latest sketch, an elderly couple endures scrutiny by a fellow diner, an ex-student attempts to make amends with a girl she bullied at school, a teenager holds vigil at his friend’s hospital bedside, long distance lovers promise complete devotion, a broken-hearted widow stares into the sea from the edge of a cliff where her husband died, a grieving son contacts the only person he can rely on in a moment of crisis, a group of middle-aged friends inspire each other to live remarkable lives.

Day after day, we make the same choices. But after reading You. I. Us., you’ll ask yourself, “What if we didn’t?”


About the author
Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, two sons, a dog and a cat. Annalisa writes dark contemporary, character-driven stories. She has been winning competitions and publishing short stories in small press journals for many years, and is the author of Cat & The Dreamer and Our Beautiful Child.

21 comments:

  1. Hi Joanne and Annalisa - that's great the boys are following their own paths, yet in the creative arts field ... good luck to them and to the two of you ... and to your new book - thanks Joanne for highlighting Annalisa ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Thanks Hilary - it's wonderful to see them so passionate about their chosen crafts!

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  2. That's awesome your kids are pursuing creative careers - and that you are encouraging them!

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    1. I always love seeing what they come up with next.

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  3. Congrats to Annalisa. Looks like another great one!

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  4. Congratulations Annalisa! The books sounds really great and poignant too. I'm glad her kids are following their passions in the arts too.

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  5. Congrats indeed. That is great the kids are pursuing creative careers but still know one needs a day job too.

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    1. One of those pesky necessities, Pat, to start with at least!

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  6. Thanks for having me Joanne - the Tex-Mex and margaritas were definitely worth the journey :-)

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    1. so glad to be included on your tour. Your book is SO awesome, I am happy to promote it. And we've had a great visit!!

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  7. Gee, I'm heading over to Texas for some margaritas :)

    Sounds like a great book! I like the story lines Annalisa featured in it and its neat her sons are artistic in their own rights!

    betty

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    1. Thanks Betty, a couple of the stories are based on my own experiences.

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  8. Thanks everyone for visiting me today and catching up with Annalisa - she's such a good writer and fun to get to know. Continue following her please (and buy her book)

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  9. Wishing the boys all sorts of success as they grow their careers....and wishing success on the new release to their mamma:)

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    1. Thanks Sandra - they seem to be very motivated at the moment :-)

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  10. Congratulations, Annalisa! It's great that you are allowing your children to pursue creative careers. Hopefully they'll be able to support themselves doing them.

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    1. I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was about 10 or 11, so I know how important the right encouragement is!

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  11. Sounds like a fascinating book! Best of luck to Annalisa.

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