SHOW & SHARE--Workspaces--Anne E. Johnson

Anne E. Johnson

Where the Magic Happens

by Anne E. Johnson

I can’t really call this my writing space. Almost all my first drafts are born of pen meeting paper in the corner of a coffee shop, on a subway seat, or on my living room couch. This picture shows my revising and editing station. However, as any writer knows, that’s the stage when the magic in a book is uncovered and allowed to flourish.

Yes, yes, it’s a mess. Insert famous quote here (attributed to Einstein) about the importance of clutter to the development of genius. But in this junkyard are buried countless comforting items and features that keep me seated and working for hours at a time. 

Inside info? Why sure! Here are two elements of my workspace philosophy:

The “desk” itself is not a desk. My ancient laptop sits on a sewing machine table from the 1940s that my great grandma used for its original purpose when I was a little kid. It’s beat up and even squeaks a little, but I love it. 

Perpendicular to that, forming what’s called an “ell-shaped desk” among hifalutin types, is a truckload of notes and manuscript pages (and a box of Kleenex for when a sad scene makes me cry) dumped onto an aluminum TV-dinner table. 

For an extra chuckle: the long cardboard box you see behind the computer contains a “real” desk that simply needs assembly. That box has been sitting there for years because I won’t give up my sewing table.

I need company, protection, inspiration, humor, and comfort while I’m working. Therefore I keep myself surrounded by a bevy of friends: 

For company and support, there’s a picture of my husband. 

For protection against the lethal brain drain of negative thoughts, there’s a poster and action figure of The Wolverine. 

For inspiration when the idea factory threatens a strike, there’s an ever-changing gallery of creative people I admire. At the moment I’m watched over by playwright Terrence McNally, painter Keith Haring, and dancer/director Tommy Tune. Of course, I’m inspired by books, too, but we own over a thousand; only a tiny percentage of them are stored near my work station.

For humor, there’s a giant plush pineapple, a clock shaped like a chicken, and two friendly monsters named Nerdyworm and Plum, painted by a company called Kudu-La.

For comfort, especially in the winter when the office gets very cold, I keep a pair of fluffy pink slippers in front of my chair.

Visit Anne's website to discover all the magic she creates!

Twitter-- @AnneEJohnson
Facebook-- https://www.facebook.com/anne.e.johnson.9
Blog-- http://anneejohnson.blogspot.com/

Four For Friday--Anne E Johnson

Four For Friday is a weekly feature where guest authors choose one of their own characters to complete four sentences. 

Don't forget: you need to click on the Rafflecopter tabs or else your entries won't count! 

This week's post is by Anne E. Johnson, You may remember Anne from her previous post when she introduced us to Webrid and Green Light Delivery. This week's post is from her new novel, Blue Diamond Delivery, Book 2 of the Webrid Chronicles.

ABNA STRAVIN is a genius. He’d be the first to tell you that. He’s also fabulous in every way. His slim body, covered in downy white feathers, could not be in greater contrast with Webrid’s coarse, hairy bulk. Stravin’s exquisite sense of fashion and decorum―not to mention his advanced engineering skills―also make him an unlikely drinking buddy for an ill-mannered, uneducated Yeril like Webrid.
Yet, downing bowls of Val-Hundred liquor at Reekol’s Pub while commiserating over bad dates used to be Stravin and Webrid’s only activity together. That all changed once Webrid started getting forced into bizarre interplanetary escapades. Webrid really needs a science guy to help him out on his quests. Stravin, unable to resist either an adventure or a chance to show off his stunning brilliance, is always eager to tag along.

1. When I see fireworks…

One of three things must be happening: A) I’ve invented a contraption so unexpected and complex that my own ingenuity is making me see stars. B) I’ve just met some gorgeous, gorgeous man, and he’s acknowledged the fact that I’m the smartest fellow he’s ever heard of. C) My dear old friend Zatell has just landed her rocket with typical inaccuracy, and has blown part of it up.

2. My favorite food on the BBQ is…

Honestly, darling. What do you take me for, a Yeril? This “BBQ,” as you call it, is fine for commoners like Webrid (whose answer to this question would, of course, be “Everything!”). As for me, I prefer to sit at a fine restaurant and nibble on braised loin of young kimpletta marinated in a delicate amafrest sauce.

3. When I want to cool off from the summer heat, I…

Design an invisible, extra-corporeal pressure field that converts heat molecules in the air, cooling them before they reach my skin. I’d say you could have one too, but you’d have to pay cash. Tremendous amounts of cash.

4. The last time I put on a bathing suit…

Eight men and seven women (comprising nine different species) fainted, revived, and asked me to dinner. And how did I respond? Why, I turned them all down, my dear! One must at least give the impression of offering a challenge.

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Want to find out more about Anne E. Johnson? Visit her website: http://anneejohnson.com/

You can purchase Blue Diamond Delivery:

Candlemark & Gleam: http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com/shop/product-category/science-fiction/

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Diamond-Delivery-Anne-Johnson/dp/1936460483/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371998734&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+diamond+delivery

BN:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blue-diamond-delivery-anne-e-johnson/1115788876?ean=9781936460489
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Four For Friday--Anne E. Johnson

Four For Friday is a weekly feature where guest authors choose one of their own characters to complete four sentences. Please be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could be the lucky winner of a Kindle copy of Green Light Delivery!



This week's guest post is by Anne E. Johnson,

from her novel Green Light Delivery, a humorous noir-inspired science fiction adventure, published by Candlemark & Gleam.      

                               

Ganpril Webrid

Webrid is a carter, like his mother and grandfather before him. He pushes his metal cart around the dirty streets of Bargival on the planet Bexilla. He’s also a Yeril, a large, hairy species with a reputation for, shall we say, a lack of cultivation. Webrid is an extreme case.

1. My surefire way to beat the winter blues is...

Sittin’ at Joolo’s Skinny Dip Club, at a front table so I can feel the heat comin’ off the stage. Them Entra ladies hang onto the dance poles with their suction cups, man. If that don’t defrost your brisket, nothin’ will.

2. My New Year's resolution is...

New Year’s Resolution? Ain’t that where you decide you’re gonna be better than the year before? Eat healthy or exercise or stop bettin’ your mortgage payments on the Brekkoro Loping Car Races?

Naw, that ain’t my scene, the whole New Year’s resolution thing. I just live day to day. No point missing out on the fun.

My friend Zatell, she has a rocket. Her New Year’s resolution should be to learn how to land it without crashing. I still get backaches thinkin’ about every time I’ve ridden between planets with her. Don’t tell her I said that. She has like thirty little hands, and she gets all slappy when she’s mad at you.

3. One of my favorite things in life is...

Lunch break, definitely. I find an alley without too many weirdos and freaks in it, sit on my cart lid, breathe in the smog, and have a coupla spicy janz rolls and a supersize bag of deep-fried pah chips. And maybe I stop in someplace for a bowl of Valestin Hundred-Proof. A little Val-Hundred keeps a man goin’ all afternoon, know what I mean?

4. My best karaoke song is...

You kiddin’? I could drink two whole bottles of Val-Hundred and not be drunk enough to do karaoke. My pal Stravin, though, he’s a different story. We meet pretty regular at Reeko’s Pub, and I can tell you, he has some interesting ways of blowin’ off steam. Probably ’cause he spends all day down in his lab, inventin’ high-tech science gadgets. That’ll make anyone crazy.

So, anyways, Stravin likes to do that song that was so big awhile back. I think it’s called “Kiss Me with Both Your Mouths, Hold Me with All Your Arms.” One o’ them interspecies numbers. Stravin’s all covered in white feathers, and believe me, he’s been known to shed some plumage when he boogies to that song. Not a bad voice, actually, for a brainy type.

You can find out more about Anne E. Johnson on her website. http://anneejohnson.com/

You can purchase Green Light Delivery

- from the publisher: Candlemark & Gleam 

-on Amazon 

- at BN.com 

And watch for the sequel, Blue Diamond Delivery, scheduled to come out in June, 2013!

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