December 2004

Anara is quickly joining the ranks as one of Pan's most prolific writers. A member of many novels, Anara has a wide range of interests, including Fantasy, Science Fiction, History and even Horror.

I was fortunate to be able to ask her a few questions, so that we can learn a little more about the writer behind this fascinating character.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

A: I'm a 32 year old writer who loves creative writing. It's something I have done for a number of years now. I got started with writing thanks to being very disappointed in a book I was reading. It was a compilation of spooky stories that were not well done. So I took the concept of one of the stories and submitted it to my English teacher in the 7th grade. He was very impressed and encouraged me to write.

Now on Pan, thanks to the inspiration and encouragement I have received from Azrael and Aramar (I love you both my friends!) as well those that I write with in the novels on Pan, I've been able to spread my creative wings and learn how to become a better writer.

My ultimate goal is to have a novel I am working on with another very talented writer published. It will be a work dedicated to five special people who are no longer with me; my brother Ron, my father Charles, my mother Mary, my best friend Brian aka "Jaspen," and my greatest inspiration in a famous writer JRR Tolkien.

Q: Why did you join PH? Have you ever done any online writing before in another community like AS? Have you ever done any other writing outside of cybercommunities, such as poetry, journals, or anything for professional publication or personal enjoyment?

A: I joined PanHistoria based on another writer who left the site had said about it. With her words, I decided to take a look around and found my first novel The One Ring. I have done fanfiction writing on several other sites based on yahoo revolving around Tolkien, Highlander and story spinoffs based on different movies. Each had their own sets of challenges, but right now there is only maybe four sites that I actually devote time to other than Pan. They were not like the Ancient Sites or Pan Historia sites.

I am also at PanHistoria's sister site PanErotica. I've written poetry and short stories that were published on campus magazines in college and three poems of mine were published in a National Anthology and I recently got an offer to submit a poem for an International Anthology coming out in the spring.

For enjoyment a very dear friend of mine who is also a writer on Pan Historia and I are working on a novel that we hope we can get published in paperback form in the future. If we see it published that would be a great accomplishment and a dream come true for the both of us. Even if it isn't published, we will still be happily satisfied with knowing we did this together.

Q: What is your favorite novel, reference book, or a particular area of Pan?

A: My favorite area of Pan is the Novels Daily Index because you never know what the writers are going to be doing on the other novels and this gives you a chance to see what others are writing. This is such a wonderful source of inspiration. When you read what another writes in a situation your character has yet to encounter, it gives you an idea on a new aspect you can delve into.

Q: What novels do you write in? Is there any particular storyline that is your favorite?

A: As different characters I am in the following novels: The One Ring, Adventures of the Frontier, Mythic Heros, Legacy of the Phoenix, Memories of Arda, StarGate SG-1, Beyond the Stars, A Winters Tale, PiRameses, Shifting Tides of the Nile, and will be joining the new novel Hellenist Age: Alexander and Cleopatra.

Favorite Storyline: Each of the novels I am in, they are all so unique that to pick one particular one would be impossible. All of the above novels are filled with extremely talented writers that I admire greatly. So I guess you would say that my favorite is all of them.

Q: Are you a MoB in any novels? What is your favorite aspect of that? What do you find the most challenging?

A: Yes, I am a Mob as different characters on 5 novels. What I like the most about it is that I get to help other writers in the novels and get to work with great teams. Each board has a different theme we work with and as a team, we are helping to shape some great novels. The most challenging aspect is not knowing what is going to happen next. As different situations arise, it's always a challenge to solve the problems in a quick fashion but in a way that all can find common ground.

Q: What are your greatest accomplishments, either in RL on here at PH?

A: Greatest accomplishments would be a short list but all of equal importance to me.

When attending the Community College of Allegheny County South Campus, I was part of a volunteer group that wrote letters to our congressmen and women as well as our Representatives. These letters were to keep a local school open, called "Scotland School". This school was a boarding school for children whose parents were active in the military in a foreign country. The children would stay there at no cost and would attend classes by day. Funding for the school ran out and they threatened to close it. Through the letter campaign, we were able to convince the legislature to keep the school open. As a result, I was presented with the United States Youth Service Award which included a letter and certificate signed by then President William Jefferson Clinton. The truest honor of that was knowing I helped our servicemen and women by helping their children.

Another accomplishment was having two poems and short stories published in a student selected magazine called the Different Drummer. Also, I've had three poems published in a national anthology sponsored by the site Poetry.Com.

Q: If you could be any animal in the world, what would you be?

A: That is not a hard question to answer. I would be a grey wolf. These magnificent creatures are revered by the Native Americans as a Spirit Animal/Totem of change. A lot of changes are happening in my life right now and it is only with courage and strength from others and the ability to stand alone, that I can make it through. It's a valuable lesson that we all learn when the situations arrive in our lives.

Q: If you could be any famous person in the world (past or present, fictional or real), what would you be?

A: I guess if I could be any famous person, it would have to be JRR Tolkien. His vision in writing has touched so many lives of all ages. One of the greatest gifts he gave to us was his giving hope where others would doubt themselves. If I could just touch one life like that with my skills as a writer, then I would know that I am a decent writer.

It was JRR Tolkien who gave me my first hero in the person of Lord Elrond in the Hobbit. Through that, I learned to believe in my dreams. If my writing can inspire another to do their best then I will know that I have honored the memory of Master Tolkien by putting into practice that beautiful lesson he taught me through his novels.

Q: What is your favorite color and why?

A: I would have to say that my favorite color is grey as I never see the world as black and white. Rather I see it in the shades of grey from which the other colors are born. There's always another possibility even when certainties abound as well as doubts.

Anara truly has many possibilities, both in Real Life, and here on Pan. If you're curious about any of the stories she has mentioned, or would like to learn more about her, I encourage you to visit her home, by clicking on the banner at the top of the page.