Written by: Lainey Bancroft
Monday, December 07, 2009 12:00 AM 

Welcome, Annie Earley, author of WHAT WAS I THINKING? HOW NOT TO DATE, a "Best Books Award Finalist" with USA Book News. Here's the book intro:

I'm not one to sit around and wait for something to happen. I wanted a man. My Dating Profile Writing this book became an obsession with me. I want you to think, feel, eat, sleep and live the dating experiences I had over the course of a year. As you meet Sponge Tom, "Skip-To-My-Lou" Stew and Lame Joke Jim, I hope you recognize my determination to maintain my self respect and high standards in a relationship as well as the ability to find humor in any situation. The men I dated are all nice enough guys, I just took the opportunity to make light of their idiosyncrasies and things that happened in my relationships with them. With the help of my "advisory committee" I learn that physical appearance goes hand in hand with what's inside. Join me as I learn the ins and outs of online dating.

Ms. Earley is published with Tribute Books, and their marketing department contacted me to see if I'd be interested in doing a Q & A with their author. Nice.

After reading WHAT WAS I THINKING? HOW NOT TO DATE, I felt rather like I'd been gifted with a sneak copy of the diary of an interesting chick I'd like to meet up with and grab a drink. If you're looking for formal fiction standards, forgetaboutit. Annie's dating disasters are told in episodes, like short stories, almost like a blog or email to a long-distance friend. IMO, with the material--boy-o-boy, did Annie make some interesting connections--and her sense of humor, she could have built this into a solid chick lit/hen lit tale that would have held wider appeal. As it stands, How Not to Date is a quick entertaining read, a bit like sitting in a cafe, drinking coffee until your hands sweat just because the gossip at the table next to you is too interesting for you to leave. Not that I ever listen to other people's conversations, of course. .

Welcome, take it away Annie!

Thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed on your blog! I have received other opportunities in the past but did not respond; mainly because I am so busy. However, I really liked your questions, so here goes.

1. How long have you been writing?

     I have been writing since I was a kid. At first it was poems. I have also written lyrics over the years, but always wanted to write a book.
 
2.Cute little illustrations for the chapter headers in your book! Did you draw them?

     Yes, I did draw the cartoons at the beginning of each chapter. My art talent is limited compared to the artistic talent that runs in my family. However, each cartoon represents what was actually happening at the time. I took what was in my head and put it on paper. I wanted the reader to have a visual image to go along with what they were reading.

3. Did you set out to make WHAT WAS I THINKING?! HOW NOT TO DATE a book, or did you journal your experiences and decide later that perhaps they were book-worthy?

     Well, as I said, I had always wanted to write a book. When I was going through the dating experience and telling these stories to my friends and family the response was always the same, “Annie, you should write a book!” So I did. It was therapy for me to write down my thoughts and helped me to sort out what was happening in my life.

4.What made you decide to choose Tribute Books as your publisher?

     When I start something I finish it. So, when I was in the process of writing my book I was also looking into having it published. I had talked to people who had gone through the process of hiring an agent to find a publisher, etc. That sounded like it would be too time-consuming and too expensive. So I started to research the topic on the internet and found out that you can find a publisher and pay to have your book published. Somehow I came upon Tribute Books’ website and when I saw that it was a local publisher I called them. After talking to the owner, Nicole Langan, on the phone I made the decision to go with them. She was so helpful, guiding me along the way and is still doing so many things to get my book out there.

5. Promoting a book can be an uphill scramble for a new author. Is there anything you've learned in the process that you've found successful that you'd like to share with other new or aspiring authors?

     I have to say here that one thing I did not even consider was promoting my book once it was published. I did not have any expectations other than finishing the book and getting it published…project completed. When my publisher set me up for book signings around the area I was quite taken off guard; especially since I had used a pen name. I found myself looking for a wig that looked like Annie’s hair and a pair of sunglasses to disguise myself. Actually, it was quite appropriate for Annie to wear sunglasses since the last chapter of the book is entitled, “My future’s so bright…”
     Getting back to the question, my publisher is constantly sending me information for opportunities to promote my book, like this, but I am so busy that I just don’t have the time to do it all. As I said, I do not have great expectations of becoming famous or making a lot of money (although that would be nice) and there are things in my life that are priorities. So the only thing I could say to other authors is get a good publisher who will guide you and keep plugging away for you.

6. Is there a particular message you want readers to appreciate from WHAT WAS I THINKING?! HOW NOT TO DATE?

     I think the main message I would like readers to appreciate is this:  “Don’t get discouraged about meeting someone special to spend your life with. Set goals for yourself, stick to your values and have faith in God or whatever higher force you believe in. Learn how to be happy even if you are alone by doing things you enjoy and spending time with friends and family. Have a positive attitude in life. I do believe that if you have a positive attitude in life positive things will happen to you.”
     It is because of this message that I did not include a chapter about how I met my husband. Stories don’t always have happy endings but you can be happy without a happy ending.
 
7. What is one thing you think readers would be interested to know about you?

     Actually, I think I would tell them I am just a person who had an idea and followed through. I don’t limit myself by what others say. My parents never told me I couldn’t do this or that. When I wanted to try something new they encouraged me. When they all said, “You should write a book,” I did.

8. What’s next for Annie Earley? Do you have other books in the works?

     Actually, I do have some more quirky stories about what happened after the last chapter in the book. However, I have led a very adventurous life and have experienced many things such as camping on the Continental Divide with a Brahma bull 100 feet away from my tent and am considering writing about those adventures.

9. Finally, leg warmer guy...really? You fictionalized him, right? =)

     Haha! Well, if you read the disclaimer at the beginning of my book you will see that all the stories are fiction. So, the question here is, “Were these characters a figment of my imagination?”
    In my “mind’s eye” the answer is “no”. So if that is the case, then yes, the leg warmers guy was “real.” I always said, if leg warmers guy ever read my book and figured out I was referring to him and called me on the phone I would say, “What, do you think you are the only guy around with a comb-over and leg warmers?!” “Sheesh!”

And those answers are pretty indicative of the sort of fun content you'll find between the pages of What Was I Thinking? How Not To Date. You can check out Annie's author page at Tribute Books or drop by and visit Annie at her blog Doting On Dating.

Thanks for joining us, Annie!

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