Interview with Anat Eliraz
Guess what today is….. author interview day! Today, we’ll be spending time getting to know Anat Eliraz. First, I would like to say that Anat and I connected right away. It’s not every day that you meet another mom with a big herd of kids, so I was excited to get to know Anat. I learned a lot during my interview with her. Not only is Anat knowledgeable in writing, but she’s also supportive and encouraging too. She encouraged me to try out a beginner marital arts class and I did. Let’s just say I’ll be sore for years, but I loved it! Now, I’m going to need her to encourage me to try everything this world has to offer. Just kidding, sorta. Anat is a free spirit just trying to get through life, as we all are, she’s just doing it by writing some really awesome fantasy stories. I’m really excited for you guys to learn more about her so get to reading this interview and be sure to check her work out!
How did you get into writing?
I have written from an early age, certainly since third grade. I used to write poems, songs and short stories. Usually, I wrote from an emotional point and only later started writing with ideas of an actual story and plot line. These were usually influenced by D&D games. My current writings start with an idea or question that rise and intrigue the storyteller in me.
What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever experienced?
Hmmm… there have been a few things I can think of, but choosing one- it would be something that happened about three years ago. It was a deja vu kind of experience and it kind of creeps me and my eldest daughter out whenever we think of it.
I was driving her and her sisters to the pool. It's a route we are familiar with. At a certain point on the way she asked me a question. A question she couldn't have asked me before because she wanted me to guess a nickname they had given a kid in her class who had a birthday that day.
As she started asking, I got a chill down my spine, feeling I had been in exactly the same situation and she asked the same question, but in my memory I didn't know the answer and she told me the nickname.
In that split second I decided to say the nickname I remembered and as I answered she paled with shock.
I slowed the car down and one of the other girls asked why I slowed and I said- because a black and white cat will run into the road (which was what I remembered happening after the question part and I almost hit it), and then a black and white cat ran into the road.
I stopped the car at the side of the road and it took us a few minutes to calm down, all the while my daughters were going- what was that all about?!
I told them what I remembered and decided to use the answer I was given then, but we can't put any logic into what actually happened and how it was possible.
What’s your secret to writing? Any special programs or tricks?
I am a muse driven writer. I have to have a basic idea and then I start building around it. I usually write scenes and not in the true order they will be in the final draft. I had awoken many times in the middle of the night with an idea and had to write it down. I would not fall asleep again unless I wrote it.
Don't have any special programs or tricks but if someone is writing a book from beginning to end, and they get stuck at some point- just skip it. Move on. You can come back later and fill the gaps. Sometimes trying so hard to write a scene or part that doesn't come to you just causes us to lose the writing momentum.
What are some of your hobbies?
I love reading. I read in many different genres and in two languages.
I love hiking and being outdoors.
I practice martial arts. Used to do Aikido for a few years and in the last years (give or take, due to the pandemic) I practiced Jujitsu.
I used to draw, but hardly do so anymore.
What is your writing process like? Do you discover the plot or the characters first?
For me the writing process starts with a question, subject, idea- whatever.
For my debut novel, it started from the question if we have free will or not.
Then I start thinking of scenes and interactions that take place due to that first idea.
I don't write a book from start to finish. I write scenes and later decide where they fit (if at all, some will not make the final draft). The story tells itself. It's dynamic. I don't always know how it will end (in one of my current WIP's I have two optional endings and I don't yet know which one it will be). I have ideas for side characters that suddenly become much more than just a side character.
So there is no organized process actually.
What is one song that you know all the words to?
The ones I wrote the words to…?! Okay, I will play fair!
One song I love and know all the words to is "Warrior" by Beth Crowley.
I love it and think it fits perfectly with my MC.
Who is an author that you look up to?
Charles De Lint. I love his writing style and his book 'Someplace to be flying' is on my top most loved books.
On your bad days, how do you cheer yourself up?
If hugging my kiddos doesn't count, then going to a local coffee shop and getting a large hot coffee and a cookie on the side and reading for an hour or so.
Where do you hope to be as a writer five years from now?
I hope that in five years time I will also publish my sequel and another WIP I have. Maybe even the idea I have been playing with in the last few weeks and haven't even outlined yet.
I hope to keep in contact with my readers. I really enjoy the conversations with them and hope more will make contact.
I would love to arrange an online meeting with readers so they can comment, ask questions and just interact!
If given the chance, would you rather meet your ancestors or your descendants?
My descendants!
Don't think much good could come from meeting my ancestors… they would probably only have complaints about everything (how I look, what I wear, how I educate my kids…). Would rather see what comes after me!
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
Written… numerous.
Published- one!
So yes, as of now, it's my favorite!
Jewels of Smoky Quartz. I am really quite proud of it!
Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Write.
Even if you never publish- write. Writing does a lot of good for the soul. It's somewhat therapeutic and can help deal with situations one challenges in real life (whether it letting your characters deal with a certain problem and seeing how different actions lead to different resolutions, or naming characters after people you hate and killing them off! Just kidding!).
Find what works for you, there is no one correct way for everyone. Write everyday if it's good for you, or write when you have the muse to.
Write what you would want to read, because then you will truly be yourself in the writing.
And if you have any questions that you think I might be able to answer, you're welcome to contact me!
Bio-
Anat Eliraz was born in Israel, but spent a few years of her childhood in Singapore, where her love for fantasy started.
She describes her life as being quite normal, even though she has driven a tank and jumped out of an airplane!
Between being a mother to four, working as a physiotherapist in a neonatal intensive care unit and training in Martial Arts, she still finds time to write.
Anat loves to use double meanings and word games in her writing, allowing her readers to play along or double check themselves, as the story unfolds.
The blurb-
A world ruled by force and magic. A game which could have a fatal ending.
She is just an ordinary woman - an emergency room nurse who practices martial arts in her free time.
Teleported into a harsh, strange world and sold into slavery to the fighters' ring of Tur'an, she must use her wit and skills to survive.
On the brink of death, she wakes up in a strange room - only to meet one of her captors. Now, he acts as her protector.
Together they leave the city, but their journey will confront them with their own fears and deepest secrets.
And through it all, she finds solace in an old tune. Not knowing yet how it will impact her life - and the lives of everyone else.
Best place to find me is on Facebook-
https://m.facebook.com/anat.eliraz.7
My book is available on Amazon as a paperback, an ebook and is free on Kindle unlimited-
I also have a song I wrote for the book and a friend of mine took the words and brought them to life! It wasn't done in a professional studio. It was done at home with minimal equipment and lots of love!
It's on YouTube-
