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Smashbomb (4687 KP) created a post in Smashbomb AMA

Mar 26, 2019 (Updated Mar 26, 2019)  
AMA: JOANNE HARRIS (AUTHOR)
ANSWERS
Award-winning author Joanne Harris, has answered YOUR questions in Smashbomb's first AMA.

 @Katie Loves Movies asked:
How many half-finished books do you have?
Currently, two, plus one draft that still needs editing. I always tend to work on more than one thing at a time.

How do you choose your character names?
It depends on the book. Sometimes I use the credits from old episodes of DR WHO and BLAKES7. Sometimes I use the names of ex-colleagues from my teaching days.

Do you have anything unusual on your desk?
A brass frog that my grandfather used to have on his desk: a stone from a sandcastle my daughter and I built when she was nine.

 @DaveySmithy asked:
What makes you roll your eyes every time you hear it?
People who say: "I'm going to write a book when I retire."

Do you think that aliens exist?
Statistically, yes. In practical terms, I doubt we'll ever see them.

What song hits you with a wave of nostalgia every time you hear it?
The Flowerpot Men's "Let's go to San Francisco."

Does anything worry you about the 'kids of today'?
The epidemic of mental health and anxiety issues inflicted on them by the previous generation.

 @Random47 asked:
Do you write with a pen or on a machine? If either, what type?
Mostly, I write on a Microsoft Surfacebook, or in Moleskine notebooks with a Rollerball.

Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
Angela Carter, Ray Bradbury, Amelia Earhart, Audrey Hepburn, my daughter.
 
What books are your guilty pleasure?
I don't feel guilty about pleasures.

When did you first start writing?
When I was nine. I wrote and hand-illustrated a sixteen-page book called "Flesh-Eating Warriors of the Forbidden City", and distributed copies around my class at school.

Where are some of your favourite places to write?
My shed; the garden; trains; the penthouse of the Four Seasons in Chicago; the first class lounge at Heathrow airport; the roof of the Duomo in Milan.

 @Drayton Kool asked:
Do you prefer to write in complete silence or whilst listening to music?
Silence - music interferes with the rhythms of my writing - although I do create playlists to get into the mood.

What makes you happier - chocolate or a few margaritas?
Margaritas, every time.

On your website FAQ you mention that you love spaghetti westerns. Which is your favourite and why?
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS - it's bleak, classic and existentially funny.

Which fictional character would be the most boring to meet in real life?
Virtually any romantic hero.

On average, how long do you sleep each night?
8 hours: more, if I can get it.

 @Whatchareadin asked:
Where is your favourite place to read? To write?
I like to read in the bath, where I can't hear the phone and no-one disturbs me. When I'm at home I write in my shed, but I can write pretty much anywhere. Hotel rooms are great - there are no distractions, and you can get room service...

Which character in your books do you think you connect to most?
Loki. I was just like him when I was in my teens.

If you weren't an author, what would you be doing?
I was a teacher for fifteen years, and I was pretty good at it.

What is your favourite book of all time? Of right now?
Of all time? Probably Victor Hugo's LES MISERABLES. Right now, I'm rediscovering P.G. Wodehouse's THE INIMITABLE JEEVES, and it's sheer joy.

What are you reading now?
Christopher Fowler's THE LONELY HOUR: his Bryant & May books are so funny and deftly-written that it's easy to overlook their dark menace and the sheer gorgeous ingenuity of the plotting.


Thanks Joanne! We'd all love to see you on here again :)
  
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) Mar 26, 2019

Thanks Joanne for answering our questions! I always enjoy getting to know authors better.

Alice (The Chronicles of Alice, #1)
Alice (The Chronicles of Alice, #1)
Christina Henry | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.5 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (3 more)
Plot
Writing
Dark twist on a classic story
Fantastic take on a classic novel
Just read it! seriously!

I had this book bought for me by my SO because he knows I love Alice in Wonderland, so I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. I definitely wasn't expecting to love it, but I did, I honestly couldn't put it down.

I love books with a bit of a dark twist, especially classic lit like Poe. If you love the classics and dark literature then this book is for you. Henry takes all the characters you love from Wonderland and makes them new and sinister. It's a fantastic take on a classic novel and I cannot recommend it enough.

I recommend book 2 in the chronicles too!
  
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BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) Jan 12, 2018

I love me some fairytale retellings..added to my tbr list!

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KerysJayne Draganova (21 KP) Jan 13, 2018

I definitely recommend it, she's wrote a second book for this too" red Queen, and also a retelling of Peter Pan (Lost Boy), which I thought was even better than Alice! So I definitely recommend reading both of those too, especially Lost Boy if you haven't already :)

The Secret Life of Bees
The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.4 (67 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well my streak continues...that would be the streak where I enjoy a book much more than I do the movie adaption. I don't usually see a movie & then read the book, but in this case I did just that. I saw this movie ages ago & enjoyed it, but damn the real story has so much more color & life to it than the movie. It really makes you think about life, love, & forgiveness. What an amazing story on the power of love & how your perspective on things changes throughout your life. Your experiences shape the way you see things & you just may be surprised & how drastically those experiences can shift your whole view of a situation.
I adore this book! It is very easy to get lost in.
  
    Hevesh5

    Hevesh5

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    YouTube Channel

    21 year old professional Domino Artist trying to make you smile with the destruction of thousands of...

Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
2020 | Action, Horror
4
6.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Nice location (0 more)
Very basic storyline (0 more)
Well I think I've missed a few entries as this is now the 7th entry in the Tremors series. Seen the first 4 and they did go very budget after the first 2 films.
This has the same old plot really, this time a big game hunter has set up a Graboid hunt on a remote island. Filmed in the lovely islands of Thailand. As usual things get out of hand and who who else do you turn to to deal with the problem than good ol' Burt Gummer.
The effects are pretty good, and this seems to have been influenced by Predator in a few scenes. Still tongue in cheek but you know what you are getting by now. One for Tremors fans otherwise you're not missing much.
  
A Few Good Men (1992)
A Few Good Men (1992)
1992 | Drama, Mystery
Brilliant court room drama
I hadn't watched the film in ages and then suddenly it popped up on tv so I recorded it. I didn't watch it straight away as I thought I really remembered most of what happened but when I did watch it there was so much I had forgotten about!
Some reviews say that Demi Moore is wooden but I actually think she holds her own in this film. Cruise is brilliant as always, playing the part of the cocky but clever lawyer who goes after one of the big guns (Jack Nicholson).
For anyone who hasn't watched it, you really should, you won't be disappointed! Are we clear?
  
Silent House (2011)
Silent House (2011)
2011 | Horror, Mystery
3
5.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Quite a strange film...to be honest though it might have sounded good on paper and the twists and finale probably sounded interesting enough. The main problem is if you watch many films like this you could probably figure it all out within the first 10 minutes, I did. So what could have been great ends up being quite predictable and it becomes a slow film, even at 80mins long to an obvious conclusion. The filming style was ok, not quite Rec or Blair witch, but hand held and up close do add to the atmosphere of the film. A missed opportunity as there seem to be a lot of similar style films out at present.
  
SS
Secret Son, Convenient Wife
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This books is really different in terms of Romance. I wonder sometimes if the mother Germma was doing something wrong by not telling the father of the baby. She should have told him and let him decide. She was so afraid that see was in a Panic when he showed up at the hospital.

Tate was there for another reason. Germma was more afraid of what Tate would do than wonder if maybe if he was going to take her son away. You will be surpise to learn that all they did for their son and Tate family name along with some other surprises. If you enjoy Romance this is good book to read.