We chat with author Anne Bishop about The Lady in Glass and Other Stories, which is a magical collection of stories new and old spanning across all of Anne Bishop’s most beloved fantasy worlds.
Hi, Anne! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m an introvert who loves buying books as well as reading books. I have two parakeets (one of them thinks he’s a velociraptor) and a house unicorn. My first professional sale was in 1995, and my first novel, Daughter of the Blood, was published in 1998.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love stories. I was in grade school when I first began writing stories. There was a time after high school when I didn’t write at all for many years. Then a story came whispering, and I’ve been writing ever since.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Black Beauty
- The one that made you want to become an author: All of them
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The next one on the TBR stack
Your collection of stories, The Lady in Glass and Other Stories, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Stories spanning my whole career.
What can readers expect?
A range of stories from horror to light fantasy to dark fantasy to a brush with science fiction (even if there are unicorns there too). There are also two new stories I wrote exclusively for the collection—one is in the Others world and the second story is about a woman with a unique job.
Where did the inspiration for The Lady in Glass and Other Stories come from?
I had wanted to gather my short fiction into one volume for a while. After completing The Queen’s Price, I took a look at the short stories I had available and realized there were enough of them to be a book.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I had a lot of fun writing the Meg and Simon howliday story and seeing how the Others deal with the human winter celebrations. I also had fun with Cecily Blanque, who is a Deceased Reclamation officer—aka corpse catcher.
With dozens of novels published over the last 25 years, what are some of the key lessons you’ve learnt as a writer and the publishing world between your debut and now?
Write the stories you need to write, the ones that get you excited enough to sit at the computer for hours a day. That’s the only reason to write because writing and selling are two different things. I have been fortunate that the stories I want to tell are stories people want to read, but it took a while for the first novel to sell because it was different from the majority of fantasies at that time.
What’s next for you?
The Muse and I are exploring uncharted countries. That is, a new place with new characters.
Lastly, are there any books that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
The new books by Patricia Briggs, C.S. Harris, Donna Andrews, Julie E. Czerneda, and Louise Penny are a few of the ones on my list for this year.
W: annebishop.com
Facebook: DarkRealms
