An interview with "Anna's Wish" authors
Paul Daniel and Ann Thompson Carter

The following interview was conducted in the summer of 2005.

How did "Anna's Wish" come about?

Paul: It initially began 40 years ago in 1965, when I was 12. I was spending my summers on my grandparent's farm. One day I was repairing some fences with my grandfather and he began to tell me this story of a young woman, who was a relative, and this evil doctor she married. I had never seen my grandfather get so emotional before, and the image of him telling the story remained with me. Then in late 2002, I was looking for a subject to write a book about, and this story kept coming to mind.

What made you decide to have two authors?

Paul: I knew I would have a difficult time writing the part of Anna, and I immediately thought of Ann and how wonderfully written her letters were. She has a way of expressing herself so naturally. It was then that I came up with the idea of telling the story through letters and journal entries. I called Ann and asked her if she would like to write the part of Anna and she accepted.

Why did you accept the writing role of Anna?

Ann: I was surprised yet thrilled when Paul asked if I would consider writing with him. It was something I had often entertained in the quiet of my mind but had never acted on that urge. Now was the time, I was being invited to coauthor a book with someone whose writing I had always admired. I looked forward to the challenge.

How easy or difficult was it writing by e-mail?

Paul: I guess when you are writing in the form of letters, it is quite easy. In the case of letters, one writer is answering the other. The journal entries were a bit harder, and that is why we added narrative breaks, so the journal entries could basically "react" to what happened in the preceding narrative or, in some cases, a letter.
Ann: We stayed in very close contact during this time, and I found the writing by e-mail quite easy. It gave us time to digest each other's work before responding. We also found role playing helpful and used an instant messaging program to give us the ability to write "in character."

How much of the story is true?

Paul: The climax between Anna and Joshua is true, and it follows what was told to me by my grandfather. But everything else is fiction, except, of course, the Civil War battles.

How did you create the character of Anna?

Ann: First of all, I asked Paul a lot of questions about how much was known about Anna. It turned out not much at all. I simply thought about this woman's situation and the time era and put my own heart into her. No doubt the reader will learn much about me as a result of reading about Anna.

You have said on your web site that the spirit of Anna was a guiding force. In what way?

Paul: For me, there were many difficult periods while writing the book, not the actual writing of it, mind you, but in what was going on in my personal life. But all through the difficulties and interruptions, the book kept moving forward, like some unseen hand was guiding it on. It was quite amazing.
Ann: I have many pictures of Anna, the farm, graveyard, etc., printed and hanging on the walls around my computer. I have stared into Anna's eyes and often "talked" with her. For some reason that I cannot explain, I feel a strong connection with this woman and a sense of gratitude from her that we are writing this book, telling her story. Anna has been present with us from the beginning.

Are the images still on Anna's headstone?

Paul: I cannot say at this time. The photo of the headstone was taken nearly 15 years ago. I made a trip to the little cemetery in August 2003, a few months after we began writing the book. It was in terrible shape. The rural electric company had just come through and cut down trees and brush that were growing close to their wires, and they had left the limbs and brush where they lay, which was on the graves. It was a mess, and I could not find Anna's grave. Later I learned I had been looking in the wrong area of the cemetery, and, from what I recall, the place where she rests is fine. I was very close to her grave, but there are so many trees growing within the enclosure where she is at, I didn't locate her headstone.

Did you feel her spirit at her grave site?

Paul: I felt a wonderful sense of peace while there, and it seemed something very comforting was surrounding me. I would like to think that it was her spirit.

Ann, would you like to visit her grave site someday? If you do, what would you say or do at her grave?

Ann: I definitely intend to visit her grave site one day, and I will feel honored to do so. First, I would just want to be still and feel her presence, and then I would tell her that I hoped we made her happy by writing the book. Lastly, I would thank her for inspiring us and guiding us along this journey.

The photo of Anna shows a hauntingly beautiful young woman. Did her photo help you in creating her character?

Ann: Indeed it did. To me she is beautiful and gentle, yet determined. Her youth shows in her face, which justifies some of the decisions she makes in the story.

Was Joshua Hurt a real person?

Paul: Yes, he was. He is buried about 20 miles from where Anna rests.

Joshua Hurt is probably the funniest character in the book as well as the most incredibly evil and vicious. Why was he given so much humor?

Paul: I didn't want to make him one-dimensional. I wanted him to have a steady descent into madness, but at the same time I didn't want the readers turned off by him right from the start. He had to be dashing, handsome and witty, so Anna would be attracted to him. But at the same time, in his journals, his cynical humor would reveal his evil nature.

Who or whom did you draw from to create Hurt's character?

Paul: That's a tough one to answer. I do know that no real person was an influence. About midway through the writing of the book I realized that Hurt's humor and personality somewhat mirrored that of Gregory Peck's character, Lewt, in "Duel in the Sun." It wasn't intentional, but I recalled the scene in the film where Lewt blows up the train, and then the camera cuts to him riding off in the sunset, singing: "I've been workin' on the railroad..." That to me was Joshua Hurt — funny and yet very evil.

Who was easier to write, Reed Benson or Joshua Hurt?

Paul: Joshua Hurt. I never had a problem writing for Hurt. I would sit at the computer and out he would come. It was almost scary. Reed, on the other hand, was fairly difficult. He had to be a good guy, but not overly so, and this was hard to do. As most writers will admit, it is easier to write villains.

Who was easier to write, Anna or Pearl?

Ann: I don't think either one was easier than the other; they were simply two extremely different women. With Anna I was one way, with Pearl, quite another. I have to say, Pearl was a lot of fun to write.

How much personal experience did you draw from to create your characters?

Paul: I drew very little from my experiences. Reed's early life had some moments that I could relate to, but that's about it.
Ann: For Anna, I drew from my own history quite a bit, mostly in terms of personality. Obviously our life styles were completely different, but I created situations for her then gave her my own reactions. For Pearl, I'm happy to say none at all! She was a wild and gutsy woman with a profession I would not personally choose!

How did the character of Pearl come about?

Paul: Pearl was actually the last character we created. We had already been writing for about two months before we decided that Hurt needed a love interest other than Anna. I created the character in one of Hurt's journal entries, and Ann did a magnificent job giving her life with her own journal.
Ann: Paul introduced me to Pearl and said, "Let her loose and have fun!" And that's what I did.

Why did you use letters and journals to tell the majority of the story?

Paul: I felt they would give the book a feeling of immediacy. The reader would be witnessing the character's private thoughts and intimate feelings. Plus it would add more to the historical aspect concerning the war. We knew early on that narratives would have to be used to bridge the gaps with the journals and letters, plus it would help give the characters something to react to.

Why did you decide to publish the book yourselves?

Paul: Novels are extremely difficult to get published if you are a first-time author. Most publishing houses won't even look at them, nor will literary agents. Nonfiction is easier to get published. Also, self-publishing gives the authors complete control over their work and the potential to make more money. It is a lot of hard work to publish your own book, but the rewards are worth it. We wanted total control over "Anna's Wish," and the guarantee that it would be printed.

What was the most difficult part about writing the book?

Paul: Probably the distance between Ann and myself. It is difficult to stay motivated sometimes when your coauthor is 1,100 miles away. Plus, the intensity of the story, especially near the end, was very hard to generate when the authors are not together. That is why we finally met face-to-face to write the last 50 pages of the book.
Ann: The actual writing was the most difficult for me. This is my first novel and I worried too much about what's right and what's wrong. You know, the "rules," show and not tell, that sort of thing.

What was the best part about writing the book?

Paul: For me it was brainstorming with Ann over the phone. We came up with the best plot twists and additions that way, and it was extremely invigorating. It fired us up to write every time.
Ann: Like Paul said, coming up with a great idea and really getting excited about it. I'd be typing fast and furiously before anything slipped from my mind. It's so gratifying to write a scene and be really pleased with it in the end.

There is a lot of death in "Anna's Wish." Do think it is too much?

Paul: There have been times when I thought there was, but I had to keep telling myself that if you walk through an old family cemetery and look at the graves, you will see lots of tiny headstones where children are buried. Families were large back then, and it was not at all unusual for a couple to lose two or three children to illness. Death was more prevalent then because there was little medicine. Whole families died of fever and pneumonia.
Ann: Not when you consider that we're talking about life during the Civil War. The lack of good medical care took the lives of so many. Then there was the "wild west" mentality when people would think nothing of taking out a gun and shooting someone dead for little or no reason. I think it is in keeping with the time.

Were you making any statements about abortion in your novel?

Paul: No, not about abortion itself. We wanted to show that the character of Joshua Hurt considered life worthless and cheap. That in wartime there were people that took advantage of the carnage around them to do what they wanted and profit by it, either monetarily or psychologically — or both, as in Hurt's case.

How accurate are the Civil War battles portrayed in the book?

Paul: The battle descriptions were taken from official reports. I tried to put the characters in the middle of the action and keep the battle descriptions as accurate as possible.

Reed Benson seems almost too good to be true at times. Do you consider him a weak character when compared to the intensity of say, Joshua Hurt?

Paul: No, he possesses a quiet strength, something that Joshua doesn't have. Most readers see Reed as a breath of fresh air after the section on Joshua, a good contrast in terms of caring. Reed cares, Joshua doesn't. Some might see that as weakness, but I feel Reed is strong and doesn't have to prove it.
Ann: I don't see Reed as a weak character at all; in fact, I was surprised by the question. I think some might ask that only because, in contrast to Joshua, he was an angel. I see him as a pillar of strength and a survivor.

I guess the same question could be applied to Anna, in comparison to Pearl's character. Does Anna seem weak?

Paul: I think Anna is overwhelmed, at least in the first part of the book, and who wouldn't be? But as the story goes on she shows an inner strength.
Ann: Anna is your basic good person. She learned life the hard way while always trying to do the right thing. I don't believe that to be a definition of weak. She was careful not to hurt people's feelings, so sometimes it may have seemed that she didn't have much assertiveness. But she follows her heart, and that took a lot of strength. I see Pearl as having more of a weak side than Anna, but her aggressive and overall forceful personality covers it up.

How would you best describe Estill?

Paul: We intended initially to have Estill be a sort of "God's eye view" of the whole story, and in some ways he still is. But without giving away anything, I feel Estill is sort of the narrator by proxy. The journals and letters presented are the result of his hard work in gathering them and presenting them to William and Emma.
Ann: I see Estill as the kind of friend I would love to have. He is a quiet man, yet he speaks volumes with a cast of an eye.

Your novel has a lot of strong female characters in it — Lucretia, Vodra, Pearl. Do you think you were faithful to the times in having such strong feminine characters?

Paul: I think so. During the war men were getting scarce, and the women had to become stronger in order to survive.
Ann: These three women were either widowed or not married for whatever reason. Like Paul said, they had no choice but to be strong or face their demise.

A lot of readers may be shocked at the way Anna and Reed become sexually involved, especially when considering 1860s moral values. Was this a concern?

Paul: In some ways it was, but after thinking about the world they were in at that time, with the feeling of desperation that hovered over everything, it seemed almost natural for two people to want to experience all they could, because it could all end in a heartbeat.
Ann: Having done my research, it was clear that although this type of behavior was considered taboo, it was still practiced. People just tried to be more discreet for the repercussions were far worse than perhaps today. You can't take the fact that Anna and Reed made love out of context either. This happens at the end of the book when the readers know each of the characters as well as we do. It was a natural progression in their relationship.

Why does Pearl, who is basically a good person despite her profession, stay with Hurt for as long as she does?

Ann: I think because Pearl lived the "whore's dream." She wanted desperately for Joshua to marry her and make her a decent woman. Later, when she realized this was never going to happen, she had already become his "business" partner and acknowledged that they needed each other to do their work. And finally, she learned to fear him, so she stayed until she devised a plan to get free.

In one sentence, how would you define your novel?

Paul: A story of how love survives even in the worst of times.
Ann: A chronicle of many people, good and bad, thrown together by fate to discover love, overcome hate and wrestle with forgiveness, during one of the most difficult times in American history.

How would you like readers to come away thinking about your book?

Paul: I hope they are moved by it and want to read more.
Ann: Like they wished it would never end!

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