Today’s interview features Anne Bradshaw, LDS British novelist and the author of several magazine articles. She is joining us for an exclusive discussion about herself, her work, and her future projects. Anne, thank you for taking the time to meet with us. You have such a lovely accent; where are you from, originally, and how did you come to live here in the United States?
I was born in Caernarvon, Wales as my parents moved there from London during the war. Three years later, we moved to Cheshire in Northern England. I grew up, attended school, and married there.
My husband, Bob, and I lived in many towns throughout England because of Bob’s job in local government. The last home was in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands which is where our four children spent most of their later school years.
Our daughter was the first family member to move to Utah where she attended BYU. Then, after serving missions, our three sons also studied at BYU. Weddings followed and the children stayed in the USA.
We decided that if we wanted to see our family on a regular basis, we needed to move across the Atlantic and join them. We’ve been here nearly ten years and loved every minute – well, maybe love isn’t the right word for the annual July and August roasting, but even that’s bearable with air conditioning. We didn’t have A/C in England so it’s something of a miracle. As is the sink garbage disposer. We didn’t have one of those either.
Do you ever miss your hometown?
The part of England I miss most is the coast. I’m a sea, sand and seagull fan. Maybe it goes back to ancestral roots set in Devon – a county renowned for its beautiful coastline and beaches. And I miss old friends. But hey, we now have new friends in more places than I can count, and so many more experiences and opportunities than we would have found in one town.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing for over eighteen years. Before that, writing was a joy waiting to happen. I dabbled on and off in earlier days, but nothing serious.
As a child in England I entertained my younger brother and sister on long, boring car journeys by creating tales of fantasy. The more strange the tale, the wider grew their eyes and the more I enjoyed imagining. Later, at high school, my favorite subject was English, not the grammar, but essays and fictitious stories.
I always hoped I would one day write novels and kept journals for many years knowing they might be useful some day. I kept an old box of jottings into which have gone scribbled phrases, words, children’s sayings, fresh analogies, ideas, even brief conversations.
How did you get your start in writing?
Teaching Seminary in England after years of motherhood made me realize I still had a brain, so I took a correspondence course for writers and began sending in articles and fiction to the New Era magazine. They liked receiving stories from members in other countries. This coincided with our oldest son’s call to missionary service in England’s London South Mission. We needed extra finances and my work was an answer to prayers.
The New Era staff was amazing – friendly and encouraging. When stories weren’t quite right, they told me what needed fixing and returned manuscripts for me to improve (snail mail in those days). When pictures I supplied were lacking in quality, they taught me photographic skills and I learned to take enough shots to make sure at least a few were good enough for publication. Eventually, I had several photos on front covers (March 1991 – ‘Faith on Wheels’: February 1993 -‘Bringing Friends the Gospel’: February 1996 – Talent Blooms in England).
My first story published by the New Era was called “Apple Pie and Chocolate Corners” and appeared in the March 1987 issue. This was followed by an article about my Bishop and his sons who were all chefs (“Too Many Cooks Don’t Spoil the Broth”), followed a month later by an article about my Seminary class, titled “Royal Commoners”.
There was an interesting result to the “Too Many Cooks” story. André Robertson, the son whose picture appeared on Page 34, had just arrived in California on his mission when that issue came out, and he was feeling homesick and lonely. But because people saw him in the New Era they felt they knew him and he had instant friends. Bear in mind the interval between sending work in and publication is usually over a year. André’s mission was only a question in his mind when I did the story interviews. Andre later became Bishop of Sutton Coldfield Ward.
In addition to writing daily (stories, poetry, letters, journal), I’m an avid reader, and this, together with attendance at writing conferences, and studying from every ‘how to’ book I could find, has helped my writing skills grow and improve. There is so much to learn – more than the average reader can ever realize. It’s an ongoing process.
We will continue our visit with Anne Bradshaw tomorrow. In the meantime, be sure to check out her website.
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