Today, I’m thrilled to introduce my good friend, Australian Author Anthony J. Langford.
Men at Work’s "Land Down
Under" blasts the stage, as Anthony strolls out with a wave and smile. Anthony and
Robyn exchange a warm hug. She signals for the music to stop.
Robyn: Welcome, Anthony! Thanks for making the trip. She motions towards a pair of chocolate brown recliners, and both are seated. Say, is Oprah still in Australia?
Anthony: No, darlin'. She taped her finale there in 2010, but
Aussies are still going wild. So it’s great to be away from the commotion.
Thanks so much for the invite.
Robyn: My pleasure. You’ve soared
since we met a few years ago in that sketchy place, the Blogger Coffee Shop.
Now, you’re a family man with a precious toddler. Plus, you’ve been published.
I love your book, by the way. I’m not just saying that. Robyn pushes her opened
purse towards Anthony, and he readily stuffs it with Australian chocolates. She
drops her bag, wipes saliva off her chin, and continues. Your
novella, Bottomless River, spans relevant topics like alcoholism, teen
turmoil, and dating violence. You write with such humanness, Anthony. It’s a
wonderful read that leaves a lasting impression.
Anthony: Glad to hear it. I want people to feel something,
like I want to when I read. Flowery prose doesn’t interest me. Just give me
believable characters. They don’t have to be likable, as long as they’re real.
And the feedback I’m getting has been fantastic so something must be going
right. People have told me that they’ve cried, which is amazing when you
consider how short the book is. Just goes to prove it’s not about length.
Robyn: It’s not? Robyn looks confused. Well, I do
like that yours is so short. Turning
red: I mean, your book is short, only 58 pages.
Anthony, wiping his brow and exhaling a sigh of
relief: Yes, in fact most people who purchased Bottomless River have read it
within the first week or first day. We’re all so time-strapped, thanks
to demands we’ve placed on ourselves with the internet, that we’re just not
reading that much anymore and we’re losing the younger
generation. I have teenage step kids and I see them and their friends obsessed
with technology but seemingly frightened to death of books. Novellas were once
more popular. I think they’re prime for a comeback.
Robyn: Any
messages for those of us (clearing throat,
pointing at self) who want to publish a book someday? As you know, I’m
a big fan. You’re a funny, talented woman. Blushing, Robyn reaches into
her purse, breaks off a smidgen of chocolate and offers it to Anthony. He
shakes his head “no” and continues, composed. Just keep working at your craft. Don’t sell yourself
short by rushing to get published. Once you’re rejected by a particular
company, you can’t resubmit the same work. Give yourself the best chance by
being the best you can be. Even though it’s a frustrating even depressing
business, the key is not to give up.
Robyn: Yes, perseverance got you there. And your main character doesn’t give up on a quest for resolution.
Short of giving a spoiler, I’ll say I felt relief and hope at the end,
though sad to turn the final page. But we’ll be seeing more books from you,
poetry and prose. For now, my friend, thank you for your time, words of wisdom,
and –whispering- the stash.
Anthony: Thanks for your friendship. We’ve had many great laughs over
the last few years. Best of luck and love to you Robyn, and your readers.
Robyn: Thanks, Anthony. And thank you, audience. To the cameraman: Go ahead and roll the
clip before the final credits.
Great interview and I am so going to have to check this story out. Congratulations, Anthony!
ReplyDeleteRobyn, you are a gem of an interviewer. :)
Interviewing isn't easy and you've done a great job.
ReplyDeleteNiiice! And so nice of you to share your chocolate. ;)
ReplyDeleteI watched the Trailer 2 you posted and Trailer 1 is good, too! Looks like my kind of story.
ReplyDeleteCall me a puerile ape, but titles with the word "Bottomless" in them always make me snigger.
ReplyDeleteWill stop by. A great interview.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview as usual Robyn, I love when you do it, I'm glad you shared out your chocolate too! I love how "Land Down Under," played to introduce him too haha, I love that song so much!
ReplyDeleteThanks Robyn! You're a real sweetie. It was great to finally meet you though I'm chocolated out for about a year or ten.
ReplyDeleteThe publisher has a digital edition of the book if people are interested, and there's plenty of poems, stories and videos on my site.
Love to see you there.
Thanks again Robyn!
xo
Thanks, Anthony, and everyone for responding. This was really fun. The book IS wonderful; I'm not just saying that. (Thanks for all the Aussie chocolate, Anthony. Wink.)
ReplyDeletexoRobyn
Wow your interviews would be tough hahaha great interview.
ReplyDeleteReally fun interview! I'll have one of those chocolates...
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
I love the novella choice. Something to explore!!
Bless you guys!
You're such a great host!
ReplyDeleteHow long did it take you to read the book, Robyn?
You learn the most Astounding things on this Blog- I mean we know Robyn loves Chocolate--I found that out after 3 months of reading her blog!
ReplyDeleteBut who knew she could READ????
Love ya Gal--I'm Back to harass...you regularly again!
This was hilarious....write that book NOW!
LYMI!!!
J
Fun post Robyn, The trailer is a great tease to encourage reading the book. BTW, you are planning to share the Australian chocolate at group, right?
ReplyDeleteGreat interview Robyn! Bottomless River sounds like a thrilling read! I liked when you stashed chocolate away, while relaxing on your chocolate brown recliner! Best of luck to Anthony! Julie
ReplyDeleteThat was very kind of you to share your chocolate. I'm impressed.
ReplyDeleteMelissa and Stephen, thanks so much. The hard part was shortening it. Anthony's so profound, and I started with many more (too many) questions.
ReplyDeleteYvonne and BabySis, good thing Anthony didn't eat more than a smidgen of the chocolate. I'm not at all generous when it comes to the cocoa bean.
Teri, sorry, it's gone. How'd that happen?
MsA, I'm glad you saw both. I'm sure you'd appreciate the story.
GB, puerile you are. What's puerile?
ADSL, thanks. Always good to see you.
YW, it's an awesome song. It's been playing through my head since I posted this. Glad you like it too.
Anthony, of course. And thanks for leaving most of the chocolate for me. I hope this brings more attention to your exceptional book, and blog too.
PatH, I don't try to be tough. It just comes naturally.
Cheryl, it's a good choice, only 58 pages of very high-quality writing.
Alex, it took me a few days, and I'm a slow reader. Once you pick it up, you can't put it down. It moves at a fast pace, too. I can't emphasize enough that it's worth the read.
John, slowly and selectively, I read sometimes. =) I love ya too.
Julie, thanks for your kind words, as always.
xoRobyn
Well done Robyn! Informative and entertaining (even your blushing). Always liked Men At Work.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview - sounds like a fantastic book
ReplyDeleteThanks again folks.
ReplyDeleteA bit of trivia, one of the guys from Men at Work died last month. Greg Ham. He played the flute in the tree in one of the songs, Down Under I think. It was mysterious circumstances. Still unclear what happened.
Two of my favorites! One on each side of the interview. I sadly admit that I have yet to read to Anthony's book. I plan to though!
ReplyDeleteNice interview...
Thanks for the great comment at Alex's blog yesterday. I think I've been here before because I see I already followed you. It must have been a while. My bad.
ReplyDelete