Today, I'm happy to introduce Annamaria Bazzi, a fellow CritiqueCircle.com author who I've had the pleasure of receiving critiques from. Annamaria has just published her first short story, A Simple Matter of Justice.
Describe
your childhood. What were some of your favorite activities? Games?
My childhood was an adventure that
began when my father kidnapped us and took his three children, my brother,
sister and me, to Italy. I met strangers that soon became my loved family, you
know, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and many cousins. I had two sides to my
personality, the creative kid that made up fantasy games to play with cousins,
and the tomboy who could outrun any of my brother’s friends, he’s two years
older than me.

Goodness, what drama you endured as a child. At least you got to grow up in two different cultures. Did
you dream of being a writer or something else?
I started writing in secret at the age of eight, writing little stories
I hid in my drawer. They were for my eyes only. It wasn’t until high school
that I started to write for others to read, and it all began because of one
teacher who recognized some hidden talent I had a hard time seeing. After that,
though, I took creative writing all through college. Real life caught up with
me, and I found myself with a real job, a husband, a house, and soon followed
the four jewels of my life—Amanda, Amelia, Alessa, and Ariana. I started
writing again when I finally had a chance to quit my job and stay home to raise
my treasure.
That's wonderful. I know you grew up in several cultures and are multi-lingual. Has that helped your writing adventure?
My adventure through life never really stopped… the greatest adventure
and challenge has been my marriage. I’m a hard fast Roman Catholic, but married
a Lebanese Moslem I met at Wayne State University. Not counting religion, the
cultural differences alone are enough to send anyone into a never-ending whirlwind.
Believe me, it’s pretty dizzying. The challenge of raising children, especially
girls, can be a dividing monster. We managed, and next July will be our twenty-eight
wedding anniversary.
Congratulations! You've certainly lived a multi-cultural adventure. I bet it gives you a lot to write about. Any
advice for upcoming authors?
If your dream is to be an accomplished author, you need to put your
name out there, in the form of a blog, way before you intend to publish. Dedicate
your blog to promoting other authors, their fans will come to your blog. With
time, they will recognize your name and when you publish, they will try your
book.
It is very important to have an editor comb through your work, quality
is most important. Also, a professional book cover is a must. Most of all,
don’t ever give up on your dream. Take classes to improve your craft, and
surround yourself with supportive people.
Great advice, Annamaria. You've helped me with my stories by pointing out inconsistencies. You're quite a skeptic. Tell us about your first story.
The first work I’ve published is a very long,
paranormal short story, A Simple Matter of Justice, to
give readers a taste of my writing style and storytelling abilities. I’m
preparing the way for my urban fantasy, Trapped in a Nightmare, that should be
coming out sometime in March. I enjoyed writing this unusual story, and hope
others will also enjoy reading it.
The blurb:
Brutally murdered, Samantha discovers her life doesn’t end with her
death. While in spirit form, she speaks with a wolf, which offers her a chance
to bring her killer to trial…but there are strings attached. Even so, she
accepts his proposal, and together they hunt the city. However, when the man
responsible can’t be located, she worries the wolf’s proposal might be more
than a simple matter of justice.
A Simple Matter of Justice is sold at
Barnes & Noble : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-simple-matter-of-justice-annamaria-bazzi/1113992043?ean=2940016095110
Smashwords : https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/265991
All Romance : https://www.allromanceebooks.com/advancedsearch.html
Upon
returning to the states, she promised herself she would speak without an
accent.
She
attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, where she obtained her
Bachelor of Science in Computers with a minor in Spanish.
Annamaria
spent twenty years programming systems for large corporations, creating
innovative solution, and addressing customer problems. During those years, she
raised four daughters and one husband. Annamaria lives in Richmond Virginia
with her small family where she now dedicates a good part of her day writing.
You
can visit Annamaria at:
https://www.facebook.com/Author.annamariabazzi facebook page
@AMBazzi
twitter
Thank you so much for for having me over, i had fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a story. It's lovely to learn more about you, Annamaria. I knew your background is Italian, but had no idea what an adventure your youth was. It's like a book. Great interview as always, Rachelle. Happy New Year to you both!
ReplyDeletethanks for stopping by, joan.
ReplyDeleteto me life itself is a great adventure.
Wow, talk about living an adventure! Very cool interview!
ReplyDelete