Interview Time
Interview Time With Anna Nicholas
This month I had a chat with Anna Nicholas, the author of the brand spanking new travel book, A Lizard in my Luggage, journalist for The Independent and founder of PR company, ANA Communications. This busy lady also scoured the far corners of the earth as an adjudicator for the Guinness book of world records and worked as a Press Officer for Help the Aged with the late Princess Diana.
Here are her musings about a busy lifestyle that drove her to do things at a different pace, under the soft sun of Mallorca.
What was your primary motivation for writing A Lizard in my Luggage?
There have been many books written about escaping to the sun, but few mention the need to earn a living! I felt that it was high time to write a humorous book about being a destination commuter - in other words juggling life and work between two destinations.
If you had to choose between a career as a Journalist, the director of your own PR company, an explorer, a Marketing Director of Luxury bathrooms, a Press Officer for Help the Aged or a quiet life in Mallorca, what would you pick?
I’ve had a very varied and interesting career history to date but without a doubt I’d choose to do what I’m doing now, living a tranquil life in rural Mallorca, writing my books. The wonderful thing though about experiencing different jobs when you’re younger is that it gives you endless material for writing later. However, from the age of 7 I have always wanted to be an author and have never stopped working towards that goal.
One of the most quirky points from what I’ve read has to be when you were receiving urgent calls from London, when at the same time you were actually in the middle of a field buying a Donkey. Was there a point like this when you realized just how different the two worlds were and that life wasn’t meant to be so stressful?
Absolutely! To be honest after many years in the fast paced PR world I realized that to maintain my sanity I’d have to move on. The media world is wonderfully stimulating and exciting when you’re younger but the novelty wears off after 20 years!
As an accomplished travel writer and journalist, what would your tips be to the legions of aspiring writers that get involved with the St Christopher’s Write For A Night Scheme?
Believe in yourself but also listen to constructive criticism from experts. If you really love crafting words and are determined to write, never let anyone dissuade you from following your dream. Be prepared for disappointment but see it as a challenge not a closed door. Remember that every experience-even a miserable one, might prove valuable to you as a writer so you’re always in a win win situation. Never ever, ever give up.
When you worked for the Guinness Book of Records what was the most bizarre record you travelled the world to see?
Probably the tallest tower of bread in Indonesia. I was flown by helicopter over this enormous edifice in Jakarta, totally fashioned out of toast, and then had to set foot inside it. I was a little panicked that all 30 meters of it would collapse on top of me but I survived the experience!
What is next in the grand scheme of things for Anna Nicholas?
I am going to complete a sequel to my first book and then continue with research for The Emerald Sisters, a novel I am writing which is set in 1961 and based on the mad penniless travels to the Soviet, by my mother and her sisters in their salad days. They formed a girl band and had unbelievably mad adventures so it’s a salute to them all.
