Mark interviews Annaliese Morgan, an author, traveller, a solo mum of two boys, and an award winning Advanced Veterinary Surgical Nurse, about writing, her book STAY WILD, and her passion for inspiring young adults and young readers through fiction.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

During their conversation, Mark and Annaliese talk about:

Annaliese's entrance to writing in the 1990s after her extensive veterinary work
Those veterinary related books, and how that led to a successful blog of autobiographical vignettes
The way that real life elements can be incorporated into her fiction
Annaliese's first novel, STAY WILD, an urban fantasy story set in present day London
Her imprint, Black Daisy Press, and her plans for it
The importance of inspirational fiction, particularly for younger readers
Advise that Annaliese would offer to beginning writers
And much more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things Annaliese said about there being no half-way when you're a writer, as well as big decisions and small decisions.

Links of Interest:

Annaliese Morgan is an author, traveller and solo mum of two boys... Max an actor and Woody, a gamer, You Tuber and aspiring chef. Originally from Yorkshire but based in London the three are rather like the three musketeers; they have a Basset hound called Pineapple, but he is more meh than musketeer.

Formerly, and in a different life, Annaliese was an award winning Advanced Veterinary Surgical Nurse in the UK. She co-authored a book on veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia in 1999 for the BSAVA. In 2007 and 2009 she was sought after to write three books (NVQ2, NVQ3 and A-Z for Veterinary Nurses) to help students pass their exams. In 2008 she opened the first pet health spa in the UK and published Desperate Housepets: Become a Chic Pet Owner Without Being a Bitch in 2014, and ran a successful blog of inspiring autobiographical vignettes entitled The Annaliese Journals - terrible title with some dodgy writing in parts but we all start somewhere - thousands loved it and were helped by the blog pieces, which is the bit that matters.

Since a child Annaliese has always been a writer and traveller, but after recovery from a near fatal motorbike accident including over eleven operations and learning to walk again, losing her brother to suicide and divorce in 2009, she chucked the burnt boil-in-the-bag rice in the bin and decided to up level.

Fast forward a few soul-searching years trekking across the planet and enough rejections professional and personally to defy the law of averages, Annaliese brought her edgy style, love for the supernatural and all things magical, together with her abilities, influence and passion for young people.

She started Black Daisy Press, her own publishing company dedicated to young and new adults. She also holds accredited diplomas in symbology, vampirology and Ancient Egyptian magic, and is an expert in the supernatural and mystical worlds.

Her mission is to encourage young and new adults to embrace being unique individuals and to stand out in a world of followers, whilst providing enchanting and entertaining material so they never feel alone, she she always did.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0