Interview with Author Anna Campbell:
Hi Anna, it is good to have you here. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. I understand that your photographer for your portrait is Robin Hills. She is quite talented. Thanks for giving us that great photo. *bg* Now, we are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about your latest book.
My latest book is CAPTIVE OF SIN, a Regency noir marriage of convenience story, that came out from Avon in November, 2009. Here’s the blurb:
He pledged his honor to keep her safe . . .
Returning home to Cornwall after unspeakable tragedy, Sir Gideon Trevithick comes upon a defiant beauty in danger, and vows to protect her whatever the cost. He’s dismayed to discover that she’s none other than Lady Charis Weston, England’s wealthiest heiress—and that the only way to save her from the violent stepbrothers determined to steal her fortune is to wed her himself! Now Gideon must hide the dark secrets of his life from the bride he desires more with every heartbeat.
She promised to show him how to love—and desire--again . . .
Charis has heard all about Gideon, the dangerously handsome hero with the mysterious past. She’s grateful for his help, but utterly unwilling to endure a marriage of convenience—especially to a man whose touch leaves her breathless. Desperate to drive him mad with passion, she would do anything to make Gideon lose control—and fall captive to irresistible, undeniable sin.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
My next book is out in June 2010 and it’s called MY RECKLESS SURRENDER. It’s about a dangerous seduction in Regency London.
- How do we find out about you and your books?
The best place is my website, www.annacampbell.info, although you can also check out my HarperCollins author page.
- How may readers contact you?
I love to hear from readers. My email is anna@annacampbell.info
- Why did you decide to write romance novels?
I’ve always been a voracious reader and my mother gave me my first romance novel, a Mills & Boon (Harlequin) when I was eight. I’ve been hooked on the genre ever since. I love the close focus on the relationship in a romance novel and the way there’s always justice – whatever these people suffer through, they get their happy ending! Like most writers, I went from being a reader to wanting to tell my own stories and romance was a natural fit for me. All my favorite stories are romances!
- When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms?
Somewhere in the bottom drawer, there’s an essay I wrote in grade two where I claimed I was going to be the next Enid Blyton so I have proof I wanted to write at least since the age of seven! I fiddled around with lots of stories through school but didn’t finish any of them until after high school. Then I finished a very long and very turgid medieval and I submitted it to a publisher assuming they’d exclaim in wonder at my fabulous talent and pay me a fortune to stay home and write another book. Yes, I’ve always had a vivid fantasy life! It took me many more years of apprenticeship before I was finally accepted for publication in 2006 when Avon bought CLAIMING THE COURTESAN as part of a three-book deal.
- Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?
I’m basically on a book a year.
- What is your writing routine once you start a book?
I set myself a number of pages a day. At the moment, it seems to work out that I do promo and administration in the mornings and then settle down to the story in the afternoons. Obviously as my deadline approaches, the amount of time I spend on the book per day increases!
- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
I live in a very pretty part of Australia, on the east coast near the sea. I love to walk by the ocean. I also love to swim. Anything to do with water, really! A shower does the trick at a pinch! I love to catch up with my friends and have a good old giggle and drink some nice wine. And of course, I’m still a voracious reader. My idea of a blissful day is curling up on the sofa with a pile of great romance novels.
- Where do your ideas come from?
All over the place! Something will spark my interest and then something else will turn up and attach itself to it like a magnet. I get ideas from what goes on around me and from my reading, especially from nonfiction. I read a lot of nonfiction outside the Regency period because often I’ll take something that happened and give it a Regency twist. Sometimes it’s a movie – with TEMPT THE DEVIL, I got the idea for the story watching AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER.
- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?
The hardest thing about writing a love scene is that you have to keep digging deeper and deeper emotionally. You need to make the reader feel everything (physically and emotionally!) that the characters are going through. Something I love about love scenes is that it’s a time in the story when the characters are naked emotionally as well as physically! That can be challenging but it’s always rewarding.
- What kind of research do you do?
I do a lot of reading about the Regency and these days, luckily, I’ve got a good general knowledge of the period, so I have a fair idea of whether a story will work before I get too deeply into it. Then I research more specifically about whatever the story requires. For CAPTIVE OF SIN, I researched the East India Company and British Imperial ambitions in India in the early 19th century. I also researched inheritance law and runaway marriages as there’s an elopement in the story. When specific queries pop up while I’m writing (how long a coach journey from York to London takes, for example), I usually use the Internet.
- Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre?
I adore writing historicals but one day I’d love to try my hand at a Regency comedy. It would be nice to play in the light instead of wallow in the darkness!
- Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?
I have lots of favorite books. I love the LYMOND CHRONICLES by Dorothy Dunnett. I’m also a fan of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and JANE EYRE. I think they’re classic romance novels! As far as romance novels go, probably my three favorite romances would be FLOWERS FROM THE STORM by Laura Kinsale, LORD OF SCOUNDRELS by Loretta Chase and A COUNTESS BELOW STAIRS by Eva Ibbotson.
- Who are some of your other favorite authors to read?
Oh, man, too many for a full list. Christine Wells, Annie West, Liz Carlyle, Kathleen O’Reilly, Sarah Mayberry, Anne Stuart, Nicola Cornick, Laura Lee Guhrke, Madeline Hunter… I could go on!
- Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?
I’m a big believer in writers’ organizations. Joining Romance Writers of Australia was a major step towards me writing a book that was publishable. Apart from which I’ve made some great friends through these organizations! I belong to RWAustralia, RWAmerica and RW New Zealand. I was in a critique group when I lived in Sydney but I’m not in one at the moment. I do however work closely with a couple of critique partners. We swap work and give our unvarnished opinions!
- What do you think of critique groups in general?
I think a great critique group is worth its weight in gold. I think a bad one is absolutely poisonous. If you’re not leaving your critique group feeling energized about your writing, get out now!
- How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I spent twenty-seven years between finishing that pesky medieval and actually selling. In that time, I finished eleven books and wrote thousands and thousands of pages of stories that never made it to the end. Since selling CLAIMING THE COURTESAN, I’ve seen UNTOUCHED, TEMPT THE DEVIL and CAPTIVE OF SIN on the shelves. MY RECKLESS SURRENDER is in at Avon right now, ready for its June release. I’m working on another story as we speak.
- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
Before I start a story, I always have my two principal characters, occasionally a villain, a setting and a problem. The story develops from there. I don’t plot in advance because once I know the story, I get bored with it.
- What are the elements of a great romance for you?
Emotion, emotion, emotion!
- What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
Actually there’s lots of amazing rewards to this life. I love working at home and setting my own timetable. I love sharing the stories in my head with readers all around the world. I love, love, love it when I hear from a reader and I recognize that my characters have been as alive to them as they are to me. I love seeing my books on the shelves – this dream was a long time in the making so that’s a major thrill! I love when I’m in the writing zone and every element of the writing comes together like magic. Sadly, that doesn’t happen very often but it’s amazing when it does!
- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Never give up! The great thing about writing is that the more you do, the better you get. And do your best to relish the journey – it might be a long one so enjoy the friends you make and the stories you tell and the lessons you learn.
Thank you very much for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Author Links:
Website Anna's Harper Collins Page Email Blog
RaH Links:
Review Available Soon Reviews coming
Purchase Links:
Buy Anna's Books At Amazon
Buy Author's Books at Harper Collins
