Featured Interview With Anna Finch
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am an Australian-Uruguayan, teacher of English and Humanities from Melbourne, Australia. I love writing in the fantasy, sci-fi and coming of age genres in both YA and Adult categories. ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’ is my debut novel in the YA, urban fantasy and coming of age genres. Prior to my debut novel I worked mainly on poetry and short stories in both English and Spanish, which I plan on eventually publishing. I have two Jack Russells – Brooke and Crowley.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books started in primary school when I began noticing that I was losing my language (Spanish) and started reading every book Spanish story book I could get my hands on (I had to teach myself how to read Spanish first). Eventually, I ran out of Spanish books and migrated towards the English novels/novellas in the library. Writing, on the other hand, I didn’t really start doing it for fun until about year 8 as an escape from the bullying and to deal with my emotions (I mainly wrote poetry).
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite authors are Neil Gaiman and Sarah Henning, I really love ‘Good Omens’ and ‘Sea Witch’. Some of my favourite genres are urban and historical fantasy, sci-fi, coming of age, crime, thriller/suspense and dystopia. The writing styles and themes of Suzann Collin’s ‘The Hunger Games’, Kalinda Ashton’s ‘The Danger Game’ and Louis Lowry’s ‘The Giver’ inspired the themes/style of my debut novel ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
What inspired me to write ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’?
‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’ is my debut novel. The initial idea for the story came to me as I watched writing videos by my favourite authors on YouTube and listened to Poor Unfortunate Souls on repeat.
I always loved The Little Mermaid growing up. She was different, an outsider who sacrificed everything for love. She struggled with her identity and finding her place in a world that eventually silenced her. But there were things in both the original fairytale and the Disney version that made me uncomfortable as I grew older.
As I wrote Voiceless, I thought about the choices the little mermaid made in the original tale and knew that I wanted her to make different choices, to grow as a person rather than a damsel in distress. There were moments in both versions where the little mermaid stood up for herself and made choices of her own. I wanted my little mermaid to be more than a mermaid who fell in love with a human at first sight.
As a coming of age story, I explore and mention many serious issues that affect young people today through the eyes of Moriah as she discovers who she is and what she wants.
While that was what inspired me to write that story, not many people know the reason why I wrote my debut novel. ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’ was actually my NANOWRIMO 2019 project but I decided to participate in NANOWRIMO, and actually write the novel, last year because my Year 9 English students were writing their own coming of age/dystopian stories for an assessment so I decided to plan, write and edit the my own story alongside them so they could have an example for when they wrote theirs. That, and I hoped it would get them interested in writing their stories. I actually promised my students that I’d publish my subverted little mermaid novel. Adding additional character development and editing in general was like pulling teeth but I got there eventually.
What is ‘Voiceless: A Mermaid’s Tale’ about?
A heartless king sits on his throne, weaving his cruelty like a web that chains all within his reach. Under his reign freedom is a lie and love and compassion are forbidden.
A loving yet powerless father and prince must overcome his grief to protect his only daughter that is free from his father’s web of cruelty. But Moriah isn’t making it easy for him.
Soon, Princess Moriah’s desperate desire for power and freedom conflicts with the forbidden love she has for the human, Michael, putting her father and kingdom at risk.
The star-crossed lovers must defy the odds in order to keep their relationship hidden from the cruel king of Zoara-Bela. But this won’t be easy.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to learn about. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring! If you are an author and want to get exposure to new readers submit your book to our book promotion service.