Interview with Author Anne Greene: Home

by Naomi Rawlings

I'd like to welcome author Anne Greene to our blog. Anne will be back Wednesday as well, giving advice on how she manages business at home. Leave a comment with your email address below to win a copy of Anne's most recent book, Masquerade Marriage.

How many children do you have, and if they still live at home, how old are they?

My husband and I have four children. My daughter, Michelle and my son Shaun are from my first marriage with my late husband. My husband, Larry, brought two lovely sons to our marriage, Michael and Geoffrey. I always wanted four children and now I have them.

What is your favorite activity to do with your children?

We spend a lot of time at soccer games and dance recitals. But what I like best are the times we spend around our pool. We cook out, eat out, and play out.

What was the most challenging aspect of working from home while raising children?

My children never took more than an hour nap even when they were infants. So, before they went to school, I had only five hours a day to write. But my mind was busy with plot and characters during some of the time I spent with my kids, so when I sat down to write, I could write really fast and accomplish a lot.

Why did you choose to work from home rather than find a job elsewhere?

Oh, this is a sticky question. All the ladies with outside careers won’t like my answer. My mother went to work when I was in the first grade. My sister and I were instructed to come right home after school and stay in the house. For many years we did this, but when I got a bicycle I started riding all over town after school. Of course my parents didn’t know this. And I lived in a small rural town, so I was probably safe. But my school years were somewhat lonely, so I decided early on that I would stay home with my children and give them every advantage I could. Now, to you career outside the home mothers I say you probably have good day care and activities for your children so they don’t miss their mothers as much as I missed mine. On the other hand, I wouldn’t have missed being with my children, involved in their school, and in their activities for any career in the world.

If you're married, in what ways does your spouse support your efforts to work from home?

I am so fortunate. My dear husband totally supports my writing. For the years when I made no income, he never complained and never pressured me to find a paying job. He supported my attending expensive conferences, purchasing books, setting up a writing nook with computers, printers, a large desk area and paper. Now, when I need to meet deadlines, he gives me the time I need, even if it’s late nights and Saturdays, which it often is. He hands out my card and bookmarks. He attends my book signings. I doubt I could be as successful as I am had I not enjoyed his whole-hearted support.

If you could start all over again, with any job in any part of the country or world, would you still choose to do what you're doing right now? Why?

I’ve always wanted to be an archeologist or a forest ranger or a musician. But even if I had chosen those jobs, I’d have to write. From my earliest days I’ve written stories—mostly in my head, keeping them to myself. And today, in my writing I can be an archeologist, a forest ranger and a musician and any other job I choose to write about. Because I am the heroine of my stories—at least I identify so closely with her that I live the story along with her. So, I’d have to admit that if I could start all over again with any job, I would still choose to write.

What part of the world would I choose to write in? Easy answer. I’ve visited twenty-six foreign countries and forty-nine states. Thanks to laptop computers I can and do write anywhere I go. I have my list of my very favorite countries that I would enjoy working in, but honestly none is better than the good old USA. I live in Texas and love it here. For now, there is no other place where I would rather work. So, the short answer is yes—I would write and live right where I am right now.

Can you share your favorite easy recipe?

Ha! Cooking is not my forte. I love to eat out. I’m trying to cook more vegetables and use healthy recipes, but I’m a carb lover. So, my favorite easy recipe is spaghetti from Newman’s Own.

About Anne:

ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. She writes both historical and suspense novels. After falling in love with several countries and their people, Anne set a number of her books in exotic locations. She and her hero husband, Army Special Forces Colonel Larry Greene, have visited twenty-five countries, including three communist countries. A visit to Scotland resulted in her newest book release, Masquerade Marriage, published by White Rose Publishing. When she’s not deployed with her husband, Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. Two of her four children live nearby. Tim LaHaye led her to the Lord when she was twenty-one and Chuck Swindoll is her Pastor. In 1990, Anne graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Literary Studies from the University of Texas, Dallas. Her highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to an awesome new world and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. To learn more of Anne and to view pictures from her extensive travel, visit her at AnneGreeneAuthor.com.

About Masquerade Marriage:

A SECRET LIST... To protect his loved ones and escape the dark fate of his brothers, a noted warrior abandons his identity. Hiding from relentless soldiers who want him dead, Brody MacCaulay vows to protect the woman he loves more than life, more than freedom, more than Scotland. But his presence throws her into danger. A VOW HONORED... To escape an arranged marriage to an abusive noble, a Lowland Lady weds a stranger to save his life. But vows spoken do not make a marriage, especially when Megan MacMurry holds a different love inside her heart. A SACRIFICE MADE... Outlawed, and with a price on his head, Brody condemns himself to a life of heartbreak without Megan. Wanting her desperately, knowing he can't have her, he heads alone to certain death...

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