Anna Patrick's Blog, page 242
October 9, 2015
October 8, 2015
"The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack..."
-
Nabokov, Speak, Memory (via ascurrency)
One of my favorite first lines in literature!
"The best books come from someplace deep inside. You don’t write because you want to, but because you..."
- Judy Blume
October 7, 2015
Want a SIGNED copy of Meditations In Wonderland?I can make that...
Want a SIGNED copy of Meditations In Wonderland?
I can make that happen!
Just mail your copy of the book to my PO box with pre-paid return postage, your name and address, and I’ll write you a personalized message, sign it, and throw in an MIW bookmark that I created! Here’s the address:
Anna Patrick
PO Box 27
Herndon, VA 20171
Or even if you don’t have the book and just want to send me a little hello, it’s all welcome! Thanks to all who have sent me such amazing messages about the book so far - I can’t wait for you to meet Alice!
Anna
Borrowing this stunning photo from @nicoletone to accompany an...
Borrowing this stunning photo from @nicoletone to accompany an author Q&A I did with BookPleasures.com!
You can see the whole interview here , but here are some highlights:
Norm: Why do we like to read fiction?
Anna: I think Lewis Carroll said it best when he said “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” I think that’s very true of fiction. When I first started getting feedback on Meditations In Wonderland, from the early stages to pre-release, I felt like there was a common obsession of finding non-fiction elements within the writing – is Adam based off of my boyfriend in real life? Is Elizabeth really just me? The answer is that whether something is real or not is not to say that it is any less relevant. That’s the essence of Alice’s journey through Wonderland – whether the entire journey was in her head or not, it was very real to her – it altered her chemistry even in some small way. The same is true for Elizabeth in my modern re-telling. The original Alice character was just a child, whereas Elizabeth is a 24-year-old, and that’s a testament to that fact that we need to be able to explore our own worlds and create our own realities no matter what age we are or where we are in our lives. Fiction then becomes a precious tool to help us do that, even from our favorite reading chairs.
Norm: What is the most important characteristics of an author? As a follow up, what, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Anna: I think authors need to be brave enough to fall down the rabbit hole of their creative intuition. That’s easier said than done, of course. Readers are intuitive – they can tell if you’re holding back. You owe it to your reader, and yourself, to really “go there.” Don’t be afraid to write your truth, even if it might not be favored by others. I think good writing honors the creative mind of the author, while still forging a strong bond of trust between the author and the reader. Readers enter a bond of trust with the author that the author will lead them somewhere inventive and worthwhile, and it’s the author’s job to take them there.
Norm: Could you tell our readers a little about Meditations In Wonderland.
Anna: For those familiar with Pretty Little Liars I like to say that it’s akin to Pretty Little Liars in Wonderland, where Alice is “A.” What would you do if you discovered Wonderland, and also found out that Alice wants you dead? That’s the threat that Elizabeth faces. In order to release herself from Wonderland she must first confront Alice – and all of her inner demons – along the way, with a little help from some of Carroll’s most beloved characters, many of whom have taken on a new incarnation in my story. What Elizabeth wants most in the world is something we all strive for – to feel connected and one with ourselves, to merge both the light and darkness that we hold within, and to accept that both coexist within us. It’s revealed that Alice’s true identity, and the secret she has been keeping, may be what Elizabeth has been looking for all along.
Norm: What served as the primary inspiration for Meditations In Wonderland? As a follow up, what purpose do you believe your story serves and what matters to you about the story?
Anna: Like many children of the 90s, I was first introduced to Lewis Carroll’s story from the Disney movie version of Alice In Wonderland, and I sought out every film and TV remake I could get my hands on, in addition to reading his original works. For me the story was a heroine’s story of self-discovery, and as an only child with a very active imagination I felt myself very drawn to both Alice and the general themes.
My freshman year in college I studied abroad in London, and I was fortunate enough to visit Oxford, and see Carroll’s original stomping grounds. I also saw his original, hand-drawn manuscript of Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, and I think all of the seeds that had been planted up until that time began to finally germinate. Three years later, after much more dreaming and exploring, I started writing Meditations In Wonderland.
The universality of Carroll’s Alice story is the reason it has been so celebrated for the last 150 years. I’m honored to add to the legacy by offering what I believe is a modern take on the story for teenagers and 20-somethings who each have an inner Alice, who are curious and exploring themselves and the world around them and are asking questions, looking for connection and deeper meaning. What would Alice’s story look like if she was 24, alive today, and navigating our current society? I think Meditations In Wonderland offers a particularly dark take on that.
"You have to dream intentionally. Most people dream a dream when they are asleep. But to be a writer,..."
- Haruki Murakami (via promptly-written)
October 6, 2015
It’s true! Meditations In Wonderland released today, and...
It’s true! Meditations In Wonderland released today, and Alice is calling the shots!
This is a little clip from the Great Day Washington interview I had yesterday. Thanks so much for all of the support for those who saw it and sought it out online!
You can get your copy at Amazon here and B&N here.
Anna
