Tell us about your most recent release or an upcoming release:

I’m currently working on a collection of short stories that has grown into something more than a collection of short stories!

In November, I received some feedback on a piece of flash fiction which prompted me to explore that story and its character in greater depth. This sparked a new idea, and it’s since morphed into an overarching story that links together the other short tales I was planning to include.

The project began as a simple collection on the theme of weird creatures (all inspired by writing prompts generated on my podcast, Brainstoryum), and it’s now probably an exact cross between a collection and a novel:

A (slightly scary) old woman welcomes you into her shop and draws you, by magic, into a story, then another story… But she has an agenda: She wants to make excuses for monsters, and argues that they’re not all evil. Whether or not you believe her—or survive the experience—is up to you!

If you’d like to hear me read the first draft of the opening story, introducing the protagonist, I did a reading for the British Fantasy Society in January this year:

The book will be the fourth release in my Exquisite Corpse-inspired series, The Book of Exquisite Corpse, although each book is standalone and can be read in any order. Allowing time for a professional edit, I plan to release Weird Creatures: Story-Travelling with a Tea Witch on 3^rd September 2026, with a pre-order available from August.

Do you have any strange or quirky writing desk habits?

It doesn’t matter what I do, my desk is utter chaos. A few months ago, I had a clear-out of the many (many) notepads I’d filled up, as I often write early drafts or brainstorms on paper. There seemed to be an awful lot to chuck out, which was heartening at the time. However, it didn’t take long for the pads, scraps of paper and “how-to” books to gather again. I can still only see a few patches of desk space showing in the gaps between all the stuff. I think I ought to just accept it now. I am a messy writer!

What element of writing life do you find the hardest?

On the one hand, not being free to write all the time, and having to sneak in writing slots around a full-time job is the toughest thing that grates (as we all know how hard it is to make decent money in this business). On the other hand, not being able to write all the time has its uses, ensuring that I don’t burn out completely and drive myself crazy with my obsession. In a way, life’s frustrations have a part to play in keeping some kind of balance going.

What’s the best piece of critique you’ve ever gotten?

I’ve used a lot of developmental editors throughout my writing journey, and one early piece of advice that stood out to me is that the protagonist must have volition. That is: among your cast of characters, the protagonist must be the one whose actions are the most daring and brave, and it’s these that should drive the story forward. I think in my early days of writing, with my (continuing) fascination with the nature of the unconscious mind, I got caught up in stories where a lot of things happen to the main character, beyond her control. But if you don’t make your protagonist react in bold, courageous ways, the reader’s overall impression will be of someone who’s sort of drifting around, pulled this way and that by circumstances, and who’s not really worth reading about.

While life at its most stressful can feel chaotic, fiction has to be “better” than real life, and there are certain rules or pillars of principle that hold up a good story and ensure that readers want to read on. A character must do more than react emotionally to what is happening to her: she must make plans, fight back, and rally against the forces that threaten to crush her in ways that we probably wouldn’t dare to do in our own lives.

What have been your greatest indie author successes/milestone achievements?

I was blown away when I won the Imadjinn award for Best Literary Fiction Novel in 2022, for “I” For Immortality. Brainstoryum hit its 100th episode in mid-February, and continues to grow as a platform for fellow short story writers and poets, providing opportunities for discovery and publication. Inspiring other writers and helping them on their journey to publication is on its own an achievement. It thrills me to think that I had some part to play in the story they wrote; they might never have written that particular story or poem if it hadn’t been for the show, and the peculiar word combination that cropped up by accident. This is what I love about the podcast: I get to share, to collaborate, to make people laugh, and inspire them. There’s a magical kind of serendipity that seems to occur in the playing of this weird game.

What should people expect from your books?

Highly imaginative fantasy, usually contemporary or urban, with a touch of weirdness. I never publish anything that doesn’t surprise me at least twice, so you can expect the unexpected.

What have you got coming up or what are you working on?

Please see my answer at the top of the interview. I’m very excited about this project, which will be the fourth release in my series, The Book of Exquisite Corpse.

Want to find out more? Head on over to Anna’s website at https://www.annatizard.com

This is a shortened version of Anna’s interview. The full interview is available to our Patreon members. You can find out more about our Patreon and additional content here.