BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Fresh off the Starship [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Ann Crawford to talk about Fresh off the Starship (12 November 2018, Lightscapes Publishing, 162 pages), a Humorous Women's Fiction / Romantic Comedy.

"5 stars! A light and enjoyable adventure that comments on human nature and the beauty of our world….Very funny, but it was the wider ethos of the tale that really grabbed me. Overall a brighter look at life today that is sure to keep you smiling from page to page." ~ Readers’ Favorite

5 stars! This truly is a wonderful story from a very talented writer. Smoothly-written prose, a fascinating, lightly-penned plot and a strong, slightly confused hero to cheer for." ~ The Wishing Shelf

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to Ann Crawford; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

Here at BooksChatter we love music; do you have a music playlist that you used in Fresh off the Starship , or which inspired you whilst you were writing it?

"It’s so interesting that you ask about that. I develop a playlist for each book, and after a short while, it becomes Pavlovian—as soon as I turn it on, I’m in the mood and setting for that book. Even today, if I hear a song from, say, the Angels on Overtime playlist, I’m immediately back in the mountains of Idaho.

My playlist for Fresh off the Starship was a number of soft, inspirational, and other-worldly songs."

What was the inspiration for Fresh off the Starship?

"I’ve wanted to write about something that takes place in Western Kansas ever since my husband – a former Kansas farm boy – took me there; I met his wonderfully charming relatives and fell in love with the land. I’m from the East Coast and lived on the West Coast for most of my adult life. When I tell people I lived in Kansas, their eyes glaze over…like I’m sure mine did at one point. I wanted to show these Kansas folks’ depth, sincerity, and wisdom – they’re definitely not the bunch of “hicks” so many may think.

Also, I heard a line from the movie Starman many years ago – something along the lines of “You humans are at your best when you’re at your worst.” I’ve wanted to create my own starbeing for decades and have to look through her eyes to see how beautiful we humans can be and how amazing life on Earth is. It was really fun to have to imagine taking a sip of water for the first time as well as the many, many other fun things humans engage in."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"Hehehe. All of my main characters have a LOT of me in them. My close peeps would recognize that a lot of Missy’s loopy quirks are mine, along with her wide-open heart and wisdom."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Fresh off the Starship - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"A lot of the idea of Fresh off the Starship came to me as I was driving back and forth across Kansas on two nights on either side of a weekend conference farther east. I stopped—just like Missy and Matt do—on the side of the highway, and looked up at the most beautiful, awe-inspiring night-time skyscape, including the Milky Way and several planets. It was one of the (many) peak moments of my life. That’s the feeling I tried to convey with the night-time sky on the cover.

In the lower part is Missy, standing on the Kansas land that she’s falling in love with, but looking toward her former home.

The artist—Alysa Sanzari-Hall of SHG Design in Golden, Colorado, and one of my favs—“pinkened” the sky somewhat since I’m such a lover of pink and it warms up the photo."

Why should we read Fresh off the Starship and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"Fresh off the Starship will make you laugh, think, laugh, cry (in a good way), laugh, appreciate life on Earth, and then laugh some more. It’s mostly humorous, but it explores some social issues, as I mentioned above, and talks about life wisdom overall. It’s a look at this being-a-human thing from a fully adult, awake, aware being, not coming in as an infant as we do and kind of getting slowly used to it and, perhaps, taking it for granted. As Missy gets to look at humanity with brand-new eyes, we can appreciate the glorious, beautiful, miraculous gift it is to be human.

Can I share something fun I wrote for another blog?

Here are the top ten reasons to read Fresh off the Starship:

Reasons #7-10 – It’ll make you laugh. Then it’ll make you laugh some more. And after that you’ll laugh some more….and maybe even gigglesnort.

Reason #6 – The ebook is 99 cents right now!

Reason # 5 – The story involves a handsome stud…a nice addition to any moment.

Reason #4 – It’s a fairly quick read, which is good, as most readers / reviewers said that once they started the book, they couldn’t put it down.

Reason #3 – In between the entertaining moments, I explore some social issues [and] some of the challenges we face that make us humans even more incredible.

Reason #2 – In between the laughs, I drop in lots of wisdom about this wild-and-crazy human experience we have going on here.

And the #1 one reason you’ll love my book is (drumroll, please): it’ll remind you and make you appreciate—from the ability of looking at life with brand-new eyes—how fun, beautiful, glorious, amazing, astonishing, magical, and miraculous this being-a-human thing is."

I love this; we have not had a top-ten reasons-list before :-)

Who would you recommend Fresh off the Starship to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"All different kinds of people have enjoyed this book—old, young, male, female, spiritual, religious or not at all, cosmopolitan, country…really, all kinds of folks. Usually my books appeal to out-of-the-box thinkers."

If you could / wished to turn Fresh off the Starship into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"I think Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper would make a great Missy and a-character-who-will-remain-nameless for now (no spoilers here!), LOL. It would have to take place in Kansas, of course."

Milky Way a Monument-Rocks, Kansas

What is your writing process?

"I usually wake up pretty early, and right after breakfast I head into my writing nest. I have a sofa and hassock that face out a huge window overlooking a beautiful garden, babbling brook, and grove of trees that look like a place Arthur and Guenevere would’ve hung out in. A few of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains are in the distance. I put my legs up and put my laptop on a large, flat cushion on my lap. I have a desk, too, but I never use it. My little buddy (more about him in a later question) sits right next to me.

I meditate for about 15 minutes and then I start writing for 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 hours. If I get on a roll, I don’t stop. Usually, though, I write for about 3 hours in the morning and then spend the afternoon (and, often, the evening) doing book marketing.

My books come to me very quickly, although Starship beats all—it was written and published within 5 months. I get a lot of my ideas while driving, especially at night. I speak into the Notes feature on my iPhone, then email the notes to myself, then put them in order in a Word document. I spoke about half of Starship into my phone on that drive back and forth through Kansas, mentioned above.

After a couple of drafts I might draw up a rough outline to make sure everything’s in the right order and the pacing works. I’m definitely what they call a “pantser”—writing by the seat of the pants, without an outline to start (they’re called “outliners”)."

What is in store next?

"I’m just now finishing Bazoomerangs, which is about 3 generations of women: an ex-hippie/flower child still living like it’s 1969, an arch conservative in her 50s, and a 20-something trans woman—all under one roof. What could go right? It’s being pitched to publishers next month.

I’m also finishing up a fun, playful non-fiction book called The Life of My Love, which is about finding the love of your life…something, it turns out, I’m very good at.

And after that comes……..the sequel to Fresh off the Starship. I didn’t start out writing it as a series at all, but Missy’s definitely been bugging me to continue her story!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"This pic is a little off-season, but it’s my fav pic of me with my little fella, Oliver.

He sits with me during my writing sessions in my writing nest (funny that I call it a nest, given that I’m a bird mom) and stays very quiet until he knows I’m done writing for the day.

As soon as I get up, though, he’s ready for some attention, which I’m more than happy to give him."

Oliver! You are absolutely gorgeous and an exceedigly good boy! Lots of head and chin scratches to you :-)

Ann, thank you so much for sharing Oliver with us :-)

Love to laugh? You'll enjoy this feel-good tale.