Anne Merino

Author Bio: Anne Merino is a traditionally published author of the paranormal mystery novel, Hawkesmoor. She has also published serious theatre criticism for Salem Press and has had three plays produced in Los Angeles including award winning, "The Moon Goddess" about a young Welsh officer on the front in WW1. Her screenplays , "A Season for Wolves" and "Spider Hall" have won numerous film festivals including the Paris Film Festival and the Los Angeles Motion Picture Festival which was founded by Robert Downey Jr. who also sits on the screenwriting judging panel. In the summer of 2020, she wrote and choreographed a short ballet film, "Firebird" which was made an official selection of the prestigious Kids First! Film Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Anne began her professional life as a ballet dancer. Her performance career featured work with the London Festival Ballet, ABT and a number of regional companies. A prolific choreographer, she has been the artistic director of the Arlington Youth Ballet in Virginia, Interim Artistic Director of Placer Theatre Ballet and for nearly three decades, her own ballet company in Los Angeles where she specialized in completely original dramatic narrative ballets in which traditional ballet interlaces with scripted dialogue to produce a unique and affecting new theatrical experience. In past years, she has debuted "The Ghost of Audley Square" – a suspense story set in pre-WW1 London and a new version of the Christmas classic "The Nutcracker" re envisioned as a film noir detective tale. A long-time friend of the late musician, David Bowie, she created the ballet Lazarus as a tribute. It was shown by the City of Philadelphia as part of their series of art gallery and performance series, Philly Loves Bowie! in January 2017.

Anne Merino lives in Northern California with her filmmaker husband and two fascinating sons. She has two new novels coming out in the autumn of 2025 – Hawkesmoor’s sequel: The Etheric Murders and a historical mystery, Palliser Park, set in 1919 on the UK’s Essex Coast.

Author Interview:

1.What inspires you most to write?

Usually it’s something I love –and wish I had created – popping up to taunt me with its brilliance. A few examples:

1944’s film – The Uninvited with Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey.

Random episodes of 1970s classic The Night Stalker with Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak, intrepid reporter of the paranormal.

1963 Film – Disney’s The Scarecrow with Patrick McGoohan as Dr. Christopher Syn. Anything ever written by P.G. Wodehouse

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

The Thin Man films with William Powell and Myrna Loy

Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household

Dancers at the End of Time by Michael Moorcock

The Holmes on the Range series by Steve Hockensmith

And just in general, Peter O’Toole.

2. What is your favorite genre?

I crave great haunted house stories! Sadly, such eerie bijou is pretty difficult to come by as good ghost stories are notoriously tough to write. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson remains the gold standard. Richard Matheson’s Hell House is a chilling – and hugely entertaining – tale of an infamous mansion haunted by entities and dark secrets.

3. Who is one author you admire if any and why?

My favourite author – without doubt – is P.G. Wodehouse. He never fails to make me laugh and a dip into one of his stories can brighten the worst sort of day. Plus, Wodehouse is the best plotter ever! His plots are whimsical and deceptively simple. In reality, they are utter marvels of cantilevered ingenuity. His dialogue sparkles and delights.

A brief exchange between Bertie Wooster and Jeeves when Bertie discovers his valet, Jeeves, does not approve of a new window pane check suit:

Bertie Wooster: Why all the chaps are asking for the name of my tailor!

Jeeves: No doubt in order to avoid him, sir.

4. How do you overcome blank writing spells?

Rarely have genuine writer’s block but when this legendary black cloud pops up on the horizon, I don’t fight it. I find a book – preferably a tight thriller or detective novel – and settle in for a good read. If I feel flush in the pocket, I’ll toss in lunch at my favourite Indian restaurant. Eventually I’ll wind my way back to the laptop and start again.

5. What legal publishing advice can you give?

Legal advice! Gosh, I don’t know if I have any beyond the obvious. Read contracts carefully? Don’t sign away all the film rights?

6. How many books have you written, are any a bestseller yet?

Hawkesmoor is my debut novel and has sold very nicely although I doubt it qualifies as a bestseller on the NY Times list or anything. It was the bestselling book for my publisher in the year it was released which was gratifying and heartening. I have two novels coming out this Fall/Winter!

Palliser Park – a historical mystery set on the UK’s Essex Coast in 1919. It’s a country house murder mystery with some spin on the genre.

The Etheric Murders – the sequel to Hawkesmoor. Continues the paranormal adventures of Hawkesmoor’s hero Robin Dashwood and his wife, Lady Caroline.

Beyond those, I am under contract with four more novels. Two of which are finished and with the editor:

Fenrir’s Children – a suspense story set around events of the French Revolution.

Spider Hall – present day tale of a very haunted house in the English countryside.

Plus, two untitled novels I have yet to write – a third Hawkesmoor novel and the sequel to Fenrir’s Children.

7. If you had the opportunity to rewrite one movie script which, would it be, why?

What an utterly fascinating question! So many thrillers and horror films have such wonderful ideas behind them – really spooky and cool concepts – but fail, in the end, to deliver satisfying plots and/or conclusions. 2015’s film, The Witch directed by Robert Eggers is one of these unfortunate misfires. Despite a great concept, gorgeous cinematography and a fabulous shaggy goat named Black Philip, The Witch just does not work. I would have loved to overhaul it. “Black Philip! Black Philip!”.

8. What are some difficulties you've experienced in your writing career; how do you handle book critiques/criticism?

I think, for me – and maybe, most writers in general – it’s difficult, if one is not afforded the Big Five publisher budget of a James Patterson or a Lee Child to be found by interested readers. Not impossible but difficult. There are a lot of books out there. Standing out from the literary equivalent of a rugby scrum is no mean feat.

As for critiques or criticism … sigh. No novel delights every reader or editor. I have finally gotten to the point where if I like something I’ve written, that’s enough. That said, I have no problem doing any needed revisions for an editor. That’s part of the job. Fair enough. Not to say, I won’t grumble a bit while I do it – Nooo! I liked that paragraph!

9. What are your best experiences in your writing career?

In the main, meeting and talking to interested readers. What a joy! That said, there were some lovely moments when Hawkesmoor was released that meant so much to me:

A national British knitting club “The Green Woollies” fell in love with the book and created a delicate lace pattern in honour of Hawkesmoor’s heroine, Lady Caroline.

In New Zealand, Hawkesmoor made the Must Read list in a sheep breeder association’s newsletter because agricultural aspects of Yorkshire country life were well presented – the novel was sound on sheep. These are the things that keep a writer going!

10. Do you prefer to write in silence and or have some sort sound in the background?

I always seem to have something going on in the background while I write. Occasionally it’s music (particularly fond of Baroque opera) but most often it’s a speculative documentary about cryptozoology or paranormal adventures. I’ve written some of my best chapters while some field researcher prattles on about Bigfoot migration habits.

11. What are some encouraging words you'd give to another author/writer?

Nobody knows anything. Don’t listen to famous authors who write books about the craft and are happy to inform you, you’re not a real writer if you don’t write every day or don’t write in the first person or something else equally banal. Don’t listen to editors or agents who give trite advice about what to write this season – I’m looking for stories about cowboys and runaway princesses or Please, no more stories about cowboys and runaway princesses! Just write the book that you want to write to the best of your ability.

12. How did you decide the pricing of your material; how did you go about promotion/advertising and distribution of your work?

As a traditionally published author, I don’t get to make cool decisions about book prices and the like. I do try to be pro-active with promoting a book, though. Book clubs, podcasts and conferences/conventions are fantastic ways to meet people who love books and good writing.

13. Why should anyone read your book?

Don’t know if anyone should read one of my books as if it were some edict from the literary gods. I am always thrilled and gratified when a reader cracks Hawkesmoor’s spine or taps PLAY on the audio book, taking it out for a spin. It’s good eerie fun all round… in my opinion, anyway! Thoroughly haunted castle on the Yorkshire moors, 18th century murder and modern day British vampires – the perfect novel to curl up with, armed with a pot of hot tea and some chocolate.

14. Did you have a book coach?

I’m not even really sure I know what a book coach is. I suspect this means NO.

15. What was your favorite subject in school?

Without a doubt, history. All of human glory and frailty resides in history – heroes, heroines, villains, kings, queens, farmers, scientists, teachers, love, hate, avarice, death, birth, triumph, betrayal, sacrifice, revenge, invention, war, peace, pain, art and everything else. Endlessly fascinating. To ruthlessly paraphrase Johnson (who was actually speaking about London): to tire of history is to tire of life.

16. Are you self-published or have an established publishing contract elsewhere?

I am a traditionally published author. While very much admiring writers who self-publish, I appreciate the validation of a publisher willing to invest in one of my novels. Genuinely reassuring to know one’s writing is solid and presentable. Helps keep “imposter syndrome” at bay!