Pre-published YA Author Takeover with Anne Hanovich On Mental Thesauri and Writing Community

Please welcome to the show, Anne Hanovich! On this episode of Getting to The Heart of Why We Write, we cooked up a pre-published author takeover edition. 

I met Anne through an SCBWI webinar last year and we clicked. From critique partner to interviewee, Anne has been so fun to get to know and I CANNOT WAIT for her book to go out into the world on bookshelves for all to enjoy. ♥️♥️♥️♥️📚

Some Highlights:

I loved chatting with Anne about her writing journey including the first story she wrote which was typed up on a typewriter with construction paper. Use what you got, people! 😂

One thing I enjoyed talking about was the habitual practice of writing. There’s a lot of science out there behind habits, I have a book on it sitting on my shelf to be read right now (Atomic Habits, I promise I will open you this weekend)! 

Using that habit, whether it’s the smell of coffee, a specific chair, or white noise from a cafe, to perk up your brain and get writing. Having done this myself off and on in different iterations over the years, it does work. Even if it feels like all the words are garbage. 🗑️📚

We also touched on the importance of “being a person.” With all the talk out there about morning writing or doing it before your brain turns on (which I have done it that way and other ways), giving yourself time to become a person in the morning (if you have it), is a wonderful writing practice. ♥️♥️

Writing tends to go in seasons, just like our lives. I appreciated Anne’s take on the times when writing hasn’t been an option for her with multiple moves and full-time parenting.

As for creative well refills, I agreed with her on the influence a walk outside can have on resetting your whole mood. Also, people watching–A VERY UNDERRATED treasure trove of creativity. I don’t do it enough. So, if you see me out in the wild with a book not turning any pages, I’m just filling my well. 😅📕

“There are trailblazers ahead of you who have been here and done this and dealt with whatever obstacle or question you have. And just the wealth of resources–every little thing I try to Google and figure out, there are blogs and videos to help me through.” 

I can’t wait for her book The Canon of Katrina Quinn to find its home out there in the world so all of us can read it. A fun, music-filled, YA rom-com filled with tension and hilarity. That sounds like exactly what I want in my hands right now, today! Thank you, Anne, for taking the time to come on the show!

Links included:

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) 

Anne on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and LinkedIn

Rachael Herron’s Podcast

Anne’s Book Recommendations:

Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood

I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee

Stay tuned for next week’s episode with author Cedar Pruitt. 

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend and catch up on any episodes of “Getting to The Heart of Why We Write” that you may have missed, like last week’s chat with Steena Hernandez, or this gem about wonder walls that I am still obsessed with (Meghana Narayan).