Get to know Anita…

Bestselling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has twenty-six books published (several coauthored) for adults and children, and she has five books coming out in the next two years. She has been honored in the past as a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston, and her latest coauthored book, Love Finds You Under the Mistletoe, was on the Nielsen’s bestseller list for five weeks as well as #6 on the CBA bestseller list (for fiction in January, 2011). Some of Ms. Higman’s publishers are Guideposts/Summerside Press, Barbour Publishing, Bethany House, McGraw-Hill, Roman & Littlefield, Lillenas Drama, and Simon & Schuster/Howard Publishing. 

A few of Anita’s books are Love Finds You in Humble Texas, Another Stab at Life, Another Hour to Kill, Ozark Weddings (coauthored), Pokeweed and Mrs. Gasp, and The Celestial Helix. She also has contributions in eleven nonfiction compilations. 

One of Ms. Higman’s coauthored books entitled, A Tribute to Early Texas, has won a San Antonio Conservation Society Citation as well as a Westerners International Book Award. She was named a Favorite New Author in the 15th Annual Heartsong Presents Awards, and in the 16th Annual Heartsong Presents Awards her coauthored novel, Castles in the Air, was one of the winners in the Favorite Contemporary Romance category. Also Anita contributed to an animation script that won a Gold Remi Award. For more information on Anita, visit her website.

Let the conversation begin!

Do you require silence when you write?

Some of my writing career took place while my kids were growing up, so I got used to noise and constant interruptions. Because of this happy, chaotic family environment I trained myself to work in any kind of situation. Now, with an empty nest, I admit it’s much easier to concentrate on my work, but sometimes it feels too quiet in the house.

Or do you like the buzz of people around?

Sometimes I enjoy the buzz of people around me, so on occasion I write at one of the local cafés. I take a small writing device with me—one that doesn’t have internet access—instead of my laptop, which is good, because it means I will keep writing instead of checking my email every few minutes. Obviously I get a lot more work done this way!

Where is your favorite spot to write?

I enjoy writing in my office at home. I have a comfortable chair, plenty of water to drink, and the kitchen is never too far away.

Do you eat while you write? If so, what?

Sometimes I eat snacks while I’m writing, but I try to make them healthy goodies such as a combo of nuts and dried fruit and organic chocolate chips. Also, for a long time now I’ve been drinking ice tea in the afternoon. I drink ginger/peach or blackberry/sage blends from Republic of Tea. I brew it up and then ice it down. Both make a great drink for staying awake at the computer.

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

To practice the craft of writing and be persistent. This is a hard business with a lot of rejection, so it was good for me to know that I had a decent chance of being published if I would keep practicing and never give up.