Get to know Ann…

Ann Hood is the author of thirteen books, including the bestsellers THE KNITTING CIRCLE, THE RED THREAD, and SOMEWHERE OFF THE COAST OF MAINE. Her memoir, COMFORT: A JOURNEY THROUGH GRIEF was a New York times Editors Choice and named one of the top 10 books of 2007 by Entertainment Weekly. She recently launched a series for middle readers, THE TREASURE CHEST, and her new novel, THE OBITUARY WRITER. For more info, visit her website.

Let the conversation begin!

Describe your journey from writer to published author.

One of the things I love about writers is how different our paths are. I majored in English in college, and then went to work as an international flight attendant for the now defunct TWA. My first novel, SOMEWHERE OFF THE COAST OF MAINE, was written in the galleys of 747s while my passengers slept their way across the Atlantic. Eventually, I took writing workshops at NYU, found a mentor who sent me off to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and there met my future agent.

Best part of writing?

Best part: No boss. And I get to work in my pj’s.

What three words describe you?

Impulsive. Type A. Nomadic. I can never sit still. I’m always doing about half a dozen things at once. I can’t even read one book at a time, I always am in the middle of three or four. I am always planning a trip, or taking a trip, or thinking about where to go next. Someone told me once these traits are typical of Sagittarius, which I am. Maybe that explains it.

What were your childhood fears?

I read IN COLD BLOOD when I was about ten or eleven, and I was afraid that people would break in and murder my family like they did in the book. During the night I would wake up in a cold sweat, run downstairs to be sure the doors were locked, then hide under the covers.

What was the best thing that happened to you this year? 

My novel THE KNITTING CIRCLE was picked up by HBO to be made into a movie starring Katherine Heigl.

What is your favorite way to waste time without getting caught?

TV. Lots of it. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills marathons. Chopped. Gray’s Anatomy. The Amazing Race…

If you could have been told one thing that you weren’t told when you were a teenager, what would you like to have heard?

Beware of handsome men.

If you were to get a tattoo, what would it say or what would the graphic be?

Actually, I have a tattoo. It’s a little pink bell on my inside left ankle. I got it on what would have been my daughter Grace’s sixth birthday; she died that April of a virulent form of strep and I wanted to do something permanent for her birthday that year. I am considering get two more, one for each of my other children, but I haven’t yet decided what those will be.