Celebrating Writing Friends - Anne McAllister

Anne McAllister and I met because of Warwick Castle. She asked a question about English Castles on a loop we’re both on, I answered - and the rest is history. But not English History. We never actually visited Warwick Castle together or The Royal Armouries which was another place we discussed. These were supposed to be places for her to travel to with her son on a trip to England. But in the end, the son stayed at home, Anne came to England with her husband and they came to stay with us. And it was as if we had always been friends. The Prof McAllister and the BM hit it off too and most of the visit was spent with the Prof and the BM talking and talking in the front seats of the car and Anne and I talking and talking in the back seat. And in between we visited places like York and Lincoln and Spital in the Street.


But before that, I’d fallen in love with Anne’s writing and her heroes. And I’d got to know her through her books. I can still remember reading a long-ago book called Finn’s Twins and thinking that I was so glad there was room for a variety of romances and heroes in the M&B lines. (The lines weren’t split then).


An Anne McAllister book has a unique flavour - her heroes are strong, competent men, men with backbone and integrity, everything a Presents hero should be – but they’re not the narrowly –defined ‘Alpha hero’ that has perhaps become accepted by some readers as the Presents heroes. What I remember most about reading that book that impressed me so much is that it made me laugh as well as care – smile both in amusement and delight as well as in appreciation of the emotion in the story. As she says, she doesn’t do ‘angry heroes’ - but she does write wonderful ones! Ones I find it very easy to fall in love with.


But then, Anne and I share a ‘first love’ . Way back when, when we were both young and our ‘hero templates’ were being formed – we both fell in love – thousands of miles apart and years before we ever knew the other existed – with the same man. Jess Harper The ‘second’ hero – but to us always the first – of the Western Laramie - acted by the gorgeous Robert Fuller.

If you want to read more about Anne’s personal contact with Robert Fuller (and yes I am jealous – very jealous) then check out her blog here. So we share an eye for a hero – we did then and we do now. The story of how we both spoke (twice each at each conference) at the Romance Writers of Australia and the Romance Writers of New Zealand a couple of years ago and we both used the same ‘visual aid’ – a photograph of Hugh Jackman in a towel – to illustrate every possible point – has become well known. So we still share an eye for a hero – and we both have very good taste. (But Anne is a thief – she stole the picture of Mr Jackman and took it home to America with her)

Of course, it’s not just me who loves Anne’s books She has won two RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America -- for COWBOY PRIDE and THE STARDUST COWBOY -- and has had seven other books which were RITA finalists. Her books have also been finalists for the National Readers' Choice Award. In 2000 she was named Midwest Fiction Writers "Writer of the Year" and also received Romantic Times' Career Achievement Award as "Series Author of the Year." And every bit of it deserved. Now you’ll see why I’m including one of Anne’s books in the Bag of Books. And Lessons from a Latin Lover is one of my personal favourites of her titles. I ‘lived with’ Joaquin Santiago through emails from Anne as he was being created and the little snippets I heard made me hungry to read his story in its final form - I wasn’t disappointed. Again, it was a book that made me smile, made my breath catch, tugged on my heart, and warmed me with its slow-burn sensuality.

Of course I can’t write about Anne McAllister without mentioning Sid. (That cat can get into any post without even trying.) Sid and Anne are best friends. They ‘met’ by email - apparently when I’m not looking, Sid gets his paws on the keyboard and writes eloquent letters to a select few friends. She appreciates the fact that he is A Cat of Superior Breeding and he is prepared to tolerate a few of the rough edges that belong to the ‘Colonials’ as he is devoted to his ‘Dear Lady Across the Pond’. I am very much aware of the fact that when Anne comes to visit – as she will be doing in September this year that she comes to see Sir Sidney first and myself and the BM very definitely second. Sid knows this too and as The Lady Across the Pond knows of his partiality for salmon and also knows just the right spot to rub him behind the ears, then she’s very welcome to share his bed when she stays in his house.

But then Sid has excellent taste. He knows a good friend when he sees one – as do I. Anne McAllister’s books gave her a special place in my life as a reader and a writer long before I met the writer herself. Now, she has a special place in my life as a friend too (though I know I stand second in line to a large, handsome tabby cat with a good line in head butts). And that’s why one of her books is included in the Bag of Books. Unfortunately, I only have two copies to give away – so if you haven’t tried an Anne McAllister book before – why not check out The Antonides Marriage Deal which is still around and find out for yourself.