Big thanks to Jane Irvin, my author friend from The Central Ohio Fiction Writers group, a group of mostly romance authors that meets monthly in Dayton or Columbus, and online, for making me her December ‘Author of the Month’ on her blog!

Check out her blog and website: https://www.janetirvin.com/author-of-the-month/

Or read the transcript below!

Author of the Month

by Janet Irvin

Among the many things I love about my author network is following the rise of a debut author as she climbs successfully into her niche and gifts us with more tales. This December, I’d like you to meet Anne Blackburne, whose Heart of the Amish series is the most popular of her works.

While Anne credits her father for her love of storytelling, she says it was her mother, earning a Master’s degree in the 1950s, who showed her how to achieve her goals in life. Blackburne, a mother of five, enjoys writing  sweet, inspirational romance and cozy mysteries. In her work life, she is the managing editor of a community newspaper in southeast Ohio and very active in her local theater.

Janet Irvin:  Welcome, Anne. Let’s start with your choice of author name. Can you explain why you use Blackburne instead of Chlovechok? 

Anne Blackburne: Chlovechok is a great name, and I’m proud of it as it reflects the national heritage – Slovak – of my children. But it’s not an easy name to spell or pronounce. Blackburne is my middle  name,and was my maternal grandmother’s maiden name. I’m also proud of my Irish heritage. So I honored her by using it as my pen name. And it is a lot easier to remember and to spell!

JEI: Given your cultural heritage, care to explain why you write Amish cozies?

AB: I’ve always been interested in other cultures; other ways of living. I was an exchange student after high school, and lived in a French Canadian town for a year, learning about a different way of life. As a journalist, I love finding out how other people live, and telling their stories. It was a natural jump to writing fiction, and especially fiction about people from a different culture. I’ve lived around Amish folks several times, and admire many things about their way of life. And I love reading both romance and mystery novels. So again, it made sense for me to write what I love.

JEI: I know you’re active in your local community theater. How has that interest contributed to your writing process?

AB: I’ve loved theater since I was a child and played a cookie in a first grade production of Hansel & Gretel. I was hooked! In addition to novels, I’ve written many plays, and while the style differs, the process is the same. Sit down and write!

JEI: What a natural seque into the next question! With your busy full-time work schedule, how do you structure your writing time?

AB: Since I work full time as a newspaper editor, (also wearing the hats of receptionist, ad sales rep, writer, photographer, community liaison, etc), I can’t write most days during business hours. And I’m not an early-bird like some writers with day jobs, so you won’t find me at my computer in the wee hours of the morning. That leaves evenings.

Self discipline is key. You can’t leave a project until the last minute without the risk of being unable to finish on time, and you can’t get the reputation as someone always asking for extensions on deadlines. I think my decades in newspapers have really helped with my ability to meet deadlines. They exist for a reason. In the publishing world, if you miss your deadline, you may tumble a whole row of dominos, throwing off the schedules of proofreaders, editors, artists, and press operators – and mess up an entire printing schedule. I doubt you’d get to do that more than once.

So I write most evenings, whether I feel like it or  not. Whether I have a good idea or not. Sometimes I have a word goal, and sometimes I don’t. Several nights a week when I’m working on a book I meet online with a couple writing friends, and we ‘keep each other company’ by writing for a while, then telling each other how we did. I find that even this little bit of accountability – someone who expects me to show up and is disappointed if I don’t – helps me to meet my goals. Plus, it’s fun! You’d be amazed how much you can get done if you sit down and put your hands on the keyboard for an hour or two.

JEI: Which is most challenging for you – constructing the plot, choosing names for characters, setting, etc.?

AB:  I find having to write a detailed outline of a book before I begin writing, and then having to stick to that outline, very difficult. I’m a pantser – someone who likes to write ‘by the seat of my pants – rather than a plotter – someone who wants all the details ironed out before beginning. I often get great ideas while I’m writing, and they take my characters in unexpected directions. Some publishers are okay with this,and others are not.

JEI: Do you have resources as contacts as you construct your Amish world?

AB: I have spoken with various Amish folks I see on a regular basis through my work and they’ve been happy to answer questions for me. Also, I have a few resource books I use on various topics, including an Amish/English dictionary, and a big book of Amish quilts. I often do deep research online, sometimes going down various rabbit holes for hours pursuing one question that leads to another question that leads to another question . . .

JEI: Is there a mentor who has been valuable as you pursued publication?

AB: Before I sold my first book I entered a contest through the Romance Writers of America, and won the mentorship of an experienced author. She taught me a lot about fine-tuning my writing to get rid of stuff that doesn’t move the plot, as well as  how to write a good proposal, query letter, back cover blurb, etc. I credit her with landing my agent, who then sold my book. I still talk to her, but it’s more social now. But I feel very blessed to have been able to work with her, and someday hope to participate again, this time as a mentor to help someone else along on the path to publication.

JEI: The reviews I have read of your work have all been positive. Have you encountered any negative feedback? How does or should an author deal with negative responses?

AB: I’ve been very blessed in my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. But I’ve received a couple of one-stars as well. The fact that they were ridiculous was upsetting, as it lowers my overall Amazon score, but as an author, you have to shrug these off. If you respond and start an argument, you can destroy your career. Just scroll on by and try to take it in stride. The best advice I got was to NOT read my reviews. And honestly, I usually don’t. They matter to me, don’t get me wrong! I appreciate a reader taking time to give me one, especially those lovely four and five star reviews. Please, keep those coming!

The most important professional reviews I’ve gotten were the three positive ones from Publishers Weekly. Those matter, as industry people read them and make decisions on whether to carry your book in their bookstore or library based on them.

JEI: On your website, you mention that collecting plushies has accompanied your writing success. Care to share a bit about your collection? (How many? Do they accompany you to signings? Favorite?)

AB: Plushies are fun! But I never consciously set out to build a collection of them. I have two left over from my childhood; a teddy bear and a turtle. But when my first book, “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” was published, it occurred to me that it would be fun to have a stuffed orange cat to take with me to book signings and author events to capture people’s attention. So I went to Ebay and there she was! Since then I’ve bought a little calico plushie to represent the kitty in “Mary’s Calico Hope”, and maybe my favorite, the gray kitty holding a donut – you read that right! – I found to represent Little Mouse, the bakery kitty in “Lizzie’s Little Mouse”. My next book, “Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer”, comes out January 1. And the brown tabby cat to represent Jane’s kitty Beauregard just arrived in the mail this week! He’s so cute! I’ll be seeking out a black and white plushie for my May release of “Miriam’s Little Gentleman” in the spring.

Then there’s Miss Muffet, who has become sort of my mascot. She arrived in the mail one day in a BarkBox. Yep, she was a dog toy cinnamon roll. I looked at her and thought what a perfect addition she would make to my table at author events, as Amish folks are known for eating and making great cinnamon rolls! But she needed a name. So I had a contest on my Facebook page, and a reader won with the name Miss Muffet, because she looks like a tuffet! The prize was that the reader’s name was used in “Lizzie’s Little Mouse” as a character name. And she’s appeared in each book since! Muffet has also visited author Patricia Johns’ knitted froggie friend, Amelia, in British Columbia, and more recently in Lancaster, Pa. I’ll be developing a story line around Muffet’s quest for love and her desire to further herself by getting a part time job. Stay tuned on my author Facebook page to follow this!

JEI: What books are currently on your reading shelf?

AB: I’ve always been an avid reader. As a child, I read every book in the non-adult sections of the local public library, and came back each week to scan the new release shelf. My book shelves and my Kindle are full of old favorites and new reads waiting to be enjoyed. I read in all fiction genres, and I enjoy non-fiction books about things that interest me. Some of my favorite authors include Jane Austen, Alexis Craig, Amy Lillard, Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, Julia Quinn, Keri Arthur, Dana Lynn, Catherine Coulter, Eloisa James, Shelley Shepard Gray, Lydia Sherrer, Samantha Silver, Wanda Brunstetter, Patricia Johns, William Shakespeare, Alexander McCall Smith, Lilian Jackson Braun, Anne McCaffrey, Kelly Miller, Vannetta Chapman, Tamora Pierce, Mindy Steele, Piers Anthony, Amy Clipston, Tom Clancy, Stephanie Laurens, Linda Lael Miller, Lynsay Sands, Amanda Flower, Judy Blume, Jane Ann Krentz/Jane Castle/Amanda Quick, Mary Balogh, Donna Leon, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Emily Larkin, Victoria Alexander, Lisa Jones Baker, Pepper Basham, Jennifer Beckstrand, Patricia Briggs, Dan Brown, Linda Castillo, Debbie Macomber, Dirk McFergus, Stacy McKitrick, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Samantha Price, Elizabeth George Speare, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Heather Webber, Oscar Wilde, Harper Lee, and no doubt dozens more I’m not remembering right now.

JEI: Any last words for aspiring writers?

AB: My advice to people is to read, read, read! And if you want to be an author, then you must write, write, write!

NOTE: Look for all my books at BarbourPublishing.com, or Amazon.com, or wherever you like to purchase your Amish fiction!