Introducing… Anna Trusty
Today’s author is Anna Trusty.
Much like her protagonist, Anna is a shameless dreamer. She grew up in Yorkshire, Canada, the Shetlands and Russia. Consequently, she is very tolerant of the cold and has never felt that she quite fits in. She studied History of Art and French at university before becoming a teacher. Anna loves perfectly imperfect heroines who stomp and trip through the pages of history. So much so that she wrote an article about them for Leaf Journal.
What is your writing routine?
Whatever way I can find to fit it around the craziness of life. Generally, it happens in the evening, and sometimes into the night when everything is calm and I have space to think. I have a desk in the corner of my room surrounded by books and lots of scribblings on post-it notes. Also, music and some calming essential oils help get me in the zone.
Who is your favourite author and how have they inspired you?
L M Montgomery has always been my favourite author. Her best-known protagonists, Anne Shirley and Emily Starr are both highly sensitive and imaginative. And just as importantly, they’re funny and imperfect. L M Montgomery created these two characters over 100 years ago and they still inspire today. Hers was not a happy life, and yet, in Anne and Emily she has brought joy to millions of readers around the world. She is such an inspiration to me that I have a framed picture of her on my desk. It is a photograph of her that I love particularly for its playful feel, perhaps reflecting a happier time in her life.
What was the inspiration for your manuscript?
I love reading and listening to anything that details the lives of ordinary people living their lives within wider historical events. I was particularly drawn to the lives of girls and women in the decades that followed the Second World War. So much changed for them in that time, and yet, these weren’t changes that happened suddenly or easily.
Who is your favourite character in your book?
I love Sandra for her whimsical idealism. But I also love her best friend, Babs just as much for her wry humour and devotion to Sandra.
What inspires you first: character or plot?
Generally, character. If I follow the protagonist’s lead she will eventually show me the plot.
Describe your perfect day.
Depends what mood I’m in, but I think, like Sandra, I would choose to escape somewhere divinely beautiful. Maybe the Alps in summer accompanied by friends and plenty of belly laughter.