Confessions of an Author

Was St. Paul a Psychopath? When I was researching JOANNA, I discovered what it meant to be a psychopath. Born with an under-developed frontal lobe in the brain, a psychopath was destined to live their lives unable to experience emotional empathy, unable to feel guilt, unable to love. I listened for many hours to psychopaths talking, I read copious studies by neuroscientists, and I even managed to find two mothers of psychopaths who were prepared to talk to me. By the time I came to write JOANNA, I knew how a psychopath would think and behave, and I could imagine what it would be like to live with one. However, the whole time I was writing JOANNA, striving to make an interesting story that would also show the reader everything I had learnt, I had a nagging doubt. If someone was born a psychopath, were they doomed? What did the disorder mean from a spiritual point of view? Psychopathy is a mental disorder, not an illness. It cannot be cured. It is a genetic condition, it cannot

'   "I came to the city when I was a girl," said Rashi, folding her thin hands in her lap. Her voice was quiet but clear, her words sure. She had told her story many times, you could tell; the emotion was gone out of it, but the sentences were easier to say. Below us, in the street, someone was laughing.' Rashi was bought, for £100, by a man who promised she would be educated. Instead, she found herself forced to work in a brothel in the slums of India. She was trapped, with no means to escape, and nowhere to go. You can read more of her story in CLARA - A Good Psychopath? Can Clara, born with all the traits of a psychopathic disorder, help Rashi? She is selfish, glib, lies easily and manipulates situations to suit herself. But can those traits also be a strength?    All the characters are fictitious, all the situations are very real. The compelling new novel from Anne E. Thompson is uncompromising, sometimes uncomfortable, always exciting. An ea

The Launch of CLARA – A Good Psychopath? Hello, how are you? My weekend was dominated by the launch of  CLARA . It has all been very exciting, and began a few week’s ago, so I’ll tell you about it (because one day, you might be having a book launch of your own). CLARA  is the second book which I have been brave enough to have a launch party for. You have to be brave, because writing a book involves hours living inside your own head, and a book launch involves talking about the book to other people – which does not come very naturally to most authors. However, as I discovered with my previous books, if you opt to not have a launch, then some of the friends who would buy your books, find that local shops have sold out, or they never actually get round to ordering a copy, so you lose sales. After 18 months writing and rewriting and editing a book, you want people to read it. (Plus it’s nice to start paying off some of your debt!) The first decision is time. I waited until th

The Book of Job  I have now read to the end of the book of Job. It comes right after Esther, which I think is a really weird book (although very important historically for Jewish people, who still celebrate Purim today). I found it uncomfortable for two reasons. Firstly, Esther is very much a pawn. She is first used by Mordecai, who sends her off to enter a harem (not what I would want for any female I cared about). Later, she is pretty much used at the whim of the king, even though she does manage to use this to her advantage (and save the whole Jewish race). The second problem I have with the book is that when the Jewish people are saved, they then violently kill all their enemies. Chapter 9 is pretty gory (which was never really mentioned when I was in Sunday School!) However, if Esther is one of my least favourite books of the Bible, my favourite is probably the book of Job. Which is surprising, as until recently I did not understand it, and probably disliked it as much

Hare’s Checklist Most psychopaths are not killers, or ever convicted of any crime. It is an inherited disorder, and you might know someone who meets the criteria. Robert D Hare MD, put together a checklist of traits to help psychologists diagnose psychopaths. He warns against laymen using this list to diagnose themselves or those they know, as psychopaths. Psychopathy is a syndrome - it is a cluster of several traits, and most non-psychopaths will have at least some. However, just in case you are interested, (and just for fun) I have listed the main symptoms below: A person is scored 0 if the trait is not present, 1 if the trait is sometimes or partially present, and 2 if the trait is definitely present. A score of more than 30 would indicate someone is likely to be a psychopath. •  glib and superficial charm •  grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self / egocentric   •  need for stimulation •  pathological lying/ deceitful •  cunning and manipulativene

Writing About a Different Culture 2 It was with some trepidation that I began to write CLARA. I had recently returned from a visit to see the work of ActionAid in the slums of India. I had visited women who have incredibly tough lives, sat in their homes, listened to their stories, and it affected me. I wanted to tell the world what I had seen and heard, and weaving it into a story seemed the best way for me to do this. Over the next 18 months, I visited India several times. I contacted Tearfund, and they showed me the work they are doing amongst women in the Red Light District. I met women who had been trafficked, I chatted to sex workers, I wandered through slums. My eyes were hungry, as I absorbed what I was seeing. However, how does one write about a culture that is vastly different to ones own? Does an author even have the right to try and describe things that they have never experienced? Well, yes, obviously – otherwise all crime writers would be convicted criminals

Feeling Excited… (Cover photo by Chloe Hughes) I am very excited.  CLARA  has arrived from the printer, and all looks fine (books are never exactly how I envision them beforehand, due to the restrictions with ink colours, plus when I’m writing, I have no awareness of the thickness of the book). Now comes the scary bit, which is persuading people to actually read it! I do have a sense of urgency with Clara, it is a book which almost demanded to be written. I began, over a year ago, by writing the  Introduction , which was actually a point midway through the story. As I wrote it (originally so I could include it in the back of  JOANNA ) I had no idea who the characters would be, or how the story would unfold, or if it would even make sense in the wider context of the completed book. I figured it didn’t matter; if the story took off in a different direction, no one would care, and I have read ‘tasters’ in the back of books by famous authors which bear no resemblance to the sto

Love by Anne E. Thompson No more, Do I carve big hearts in the sand. Neither do I scribble our names entwined. Nor do I keep your photo’ under my pillow. Nor chant your name like a rhyme in my head. I do not whisper about you with friends, Nor blush when I hear your voice. I do not loiter in the places you may pass, Nor practice smiles for you before a mirror. Yet still, My heart thrills at the sound of your laughter, And I watch the clock when your arrival is near. I am content when I manage to please you, And I watch your face when you drive or read. I learn every wrinkle that creases your smile, And I bend to your moods as they change. For though time may mellow and age us, My love for you remains The same. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx If you enjoyed this, why not sign up to follow my blog? Poems, articles and a life full of family, animals and frequent disaster! anneethompson.com xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meeting Prince Charles 1 Let me tell you about a very special evening. It was a few years ago, but I’ve been looking through some old photos, and I think you might be interested. We were invited to have dinner at St James’s Palace with Prince Charles. The dinner was being held for leaders of industry in Europe (and to be honest, I think we were invited because someone else had dropped out – but we’ll brush over that little detail!) It was all very exciting, and I even went out and bought a new dress, feeling that perhaps jeans and wellies were not appropriate for a palace. My evening began when I caught the train to London. Rooms had been booked for us at the Savoy Hotel, so I went as early as possible to check into the room (I was not pretending this was all normal – it was a huge treat, and I intended to make the most of it). I was shown to a room – tiny but very posh, and I hung my dress in the wardrobe, and checked the bed was comfy, and peered out the window. Then I wa