Tush's Ten - Anna Martin - Tattoos & Teacups giveaway

I'm thrilled to welcome author Anna Martin to my blog, to play Tush's Ten Questions!

I will admit, I hadn't come across Anna Martin's work yet, but the cover for her new release 'Tattoos & Teacups' caught my eye, and I read it straight away! Check out its gorgeousness below, plus an excerpt from the book and a chance to WIN WIN WIN!!!

Five Q's about the author

1. Who are you, and where do you come from?

I’m Anna! I’m 26; I grew up in a little seaside town on the south-west coast and I live in Bristol now, I’m a writer (and I just love saying that.) During the week I work in Marketing for a financial services company which is far less exciting than it sounds. I’m aware of the fact that it doesn’t sound very exciting in the first place. My favourite colour is red. 

2. What inspires you?

Oh, gosh, all sorts of things. I suppose music and places are my biggest inspiration. After visiting Seattle I felt much closer to the setting for Another Way, even though the city itself wasn’t a big part of the storyline. And Tattoos & Teacups is sort of my love story dedicated to Edinburgh.

3. Describe your writing style in three words:

Sexy, funny, sweet.

4. What's next in store for you?

Writing wise? I have the sequel to Another Way coming out in September, it’s called Of Being Yours and it’ll be published by Dreamspinner Press. After that… I’m not sure. I’m working on the beginning of two new novels but I don’t really know which one will become my full focus yet. One is a M/M/M story, the other is set in rural Somerset (where I’m from).

In my personal life I’m about to head up to Edinburgh for the FringeFestival in the next few weeks. It’s one of the biggest theatre festivals in the world and I’ve worked there for the past five years as a theatre technician and venue manager. I absolutely love it, it’s the highlight of my year!

5. Read any good books lately?

Good new books? Not really… To be honest I’ve been too busy to sit down and get stuck into something new! I re-read the Jurassic Park books (again) recently because I love them an unhealthy amount. It’s the one book I will recommend everyone read because it’s just so beautifully rich in character and plot and setting. That, and I love dinosaurs.

Five Q's about the book

'Tattoos & Teacups' 

 

1. What inspired the idea for your story?

I sort of had an idea about an older, stuffy professor character falling in love with a “wild child” younger man but wasn’t sure where I wanted to take it. Then when I was working in Edinburgh last year I decided I wanted to write something that was influenced by my love of the city.

Then NaNoWriMo came along and I managed to churn out 50,000 words in the 30 days (well, 29, but who’s counting?!) and eight months later here it is!

2. The basis for the character of Robert is traditional & perhaps a bit 'prim', while his love interest, Chris, is a vibrant, tattooed musician. Who would you say you identify with more?

Oh, Robert, for sure. He’s very secure in his intellect but very insecure in his outward appearance and how people see him, and that’s definitely something I drew on my own experience of. I never went about consciously echoing my own personality when I was writing him, but because he’s British I felt like I could use my own ‘voice’ as his rather than trying to adapt my voice for an American character. It was very liberating.

My biggest worry when the book was published was that people wouldn’t find it funny because even when I was editing it I was laughing out loud at some of the things Robert says. But from the feedback people have given me I think the humour came across!

[ Trust me, Anna, it's funny in all the right places! -- Tush ]

3. There's focus on tattoos in the story; did you do a lot of research, or are you into tattoos yourself?

I have quite a few tattoos myself and they’re all in the same Sailor Jerry, traditional Americana style that Chris has. Tattooing is an art form and I think society is starting to accept this. My tattoos all have very specific meanings as well as being aesthetically interesting – I like being able to document things with art on my body.

Flash for a trademark Sailor Jerry swallow.

4. What do you think draws people to tattoos?

Well, you do see a lot of stupid tattoos out there as well as some really amazing ones, so there has to be a range of reasons! Really, though, isn’t it a declaration of individualism? We all want to be seen as unique and tattoos physically mark us as completely one of a kind.

5. If your book was a movie, what would your budget be, and who would play your characters?

Ooh, good question! My initial reaction is to say Gerard Butler for Robert, of course, since Chris mistakes Robert for him when they first meet. But that would mean the joke was lost… you know, if they could find someone with a good Scottish accent who looked vaguely like Butler then that’d work for me!

And I think Jackson Rathbone could make a good Chris. He already has a few tattoos and the Southern charm thing going on. And he’s cute! Abigail Breslin would make a great Chloe (Robert’s teenage daughter) and Lena Heady would have to play Luisa (Chloe’s mother).

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Tattoos & Teacups EXCERPT: 

 

ONCE, when I was on a trip to New York City, I stopped to watch a group of hip-hop dancers who were performing in the street. I was fascinated by the brash colors and thumping beat of the music, and the tricks and flips they performed with apparent ease. Although I stood back in the crowd—there were two or three people in front of me—I couldn’t help but be both impressed and intimidated as one of the dancers walked right up to the person in the front row, throwing his arms wide out to his sides and pushed his chest almost right up to the other man’s, shouting, “Boom!” Right in his face!

The sheer gall of the dancer made me smile, even as my stomach flipped at the idea of such confrontation. Much to my surprise, the other man, not the dancer, just laughed and made some funny noise in the back of his mouth, like he was rolling his Rs, and the dancer seemed to take this as encouragement to perform a backflip from standing, to the raucous approval of the assembled crowd.

Chris made me feel like that. Intimidated, and a little impressed. He was the same as that dancer in so many ways: loud, colorful, swirling into my life with a loud “Boom!” and disappearing just as quickly. Like those hip-hop dancers, though, I was left with the simmering feeling that I’d experienced something completely new, and I was irrevocably changed for it.

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*COMPETITION TIME!!*

Read on for a chance to WIN!

For a chance to win an ebook copy of Tattoos and Teacups by Anna Martin please visit the contact page on her website, and send your name, and the type of format you would like with the heading ‘Tush!’. 

Winners will be notified by 31^st July. Please note – the winner will need to have an account with Dreamspinner Press in order to receive their free ebook. 

It’s completely free to sign up! Visit dreamspinnerpress.com for more information.

Thanks for stopping by, Anna!

 

Check out more on Anna here....

Anna's website

Buy Tattoos & Teacups

Anna on Goodreads

Anna on Tumblr

Anna on Twitter