40 for 40 - Anna Campbell

When I first met today's guest, she was a Virgin!
No - I mean she was an RNA Virgin. 10 years ago, I started  a scheme for people who were attending the RNA Conference for the very first time. It started as a casual thing, but later became the official 'First Timers' network.   The original  group consisted of just  four people - you'll meet two of them later in this celebration. The  following year, I  ran the scheme for the first time officially  and the group acquired the nickname the RNA Virgins.  I am truly delighted by just how many of those Virgins are now established and multi-published authors.

One of them was today's special guest  - Anna Campbell.  She describes herself back when I met her as 'A lost Aussie'  because she had come over from Australia to be at the conference, but the truth is that she fitted in just fine - she was as daft as the rest of us. 

In 2007 I was thrilled to see Anna's first book,  Claiming the Courtesan published and since then she's gone from strength to strength, collecting awards as she goes.

As she's in Australia, I don't get to see her often enough so I'm really glad she could  come here to celebrate with me.

Welcome Anna Campbell.


Happy anniversary to Kate and her lovely Babe Magnet!

Wow, 40 years! Clearly you’ve kept each other young because I wouldn’t have believed that for a moment. Even with the proviso that Kate was such a child bride, she was still playing on the swings (mind you, I still like to play on swings so that’s no guarantee of youth!).

Congratulations to both of you! And many more happy years together.

Thank you so much for asking me to blog here to celebrate this wonderful milestone in your lives. Your invitation sent me off on a trip down memory lane - and do you know what? Next year is OUR 10 year anniversary, Kate! How cool is that? Perhaps we should plan another blog party to mark the occasion!


We met way back in 2004 before I was published when you very kindly shepherded newbies through the Romance Novelists Association conference at Leicester. What I particularly remember from that was your warmth, your generosity and your wonderful sense of humor.

You were a very popular visitor to the Romance Writers of Australia conference the following year and at last, I got to witness the glory that is the Babe Magnet! I still use examples from your plenary session (with appropriate credit to your brilliance!) when I'm doing workshops. You're a great speaker!

Then we met again in 2007 during a flood of Noah proportions at Betty's Tea Rooms in York. Oh, what fun that was, even if I nearly drowned getting to the train station afterwards!

About time we met again, don't you think? Would love to be there to raise a glass in honour of the big 40!

Actually on a personal note (well, a booky personal note), ten years seems to be on my mind at the moment. The childhood sweethearts in my 2nd July release (sadly only available in North America at present, we are working on other territories!), DAYS OF RAKES AND ROSES, have been parted for ten years. There's something iconic about that decade figure, isn't there?

You can read an excerpt of DAYS OF RAKES AND ROSES on my website here: http://annacampbell.info/daysofrakes.html

So congratulations again to Kate and the Babe Magnet. I'm suffering nostalgia for a wonderful high tea in Old Blighty with you both.

If our commenters could have afternoon tea with us anywhere at all, where would it be and what would they like to see on the menu?

I've got a download of my new e-novella DAYS OF RAKES AND ROSES for a North American commenter today and a download of my e-novella THE WINTER WIFE for a commenter outside North America. Good luck!

Amazon

 

Website: www.annacampbell.info

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaCampbellFans

Twitter: @AnnaCampbellOz

 Blog: Romance Bandits  

A|ll About Alphas 10 - Anna Campbell

I have another single title author for you today - Anna Campbell who writes stunning historical novels with very very alpha heroes.

It's interesting to read what Anna has to say because coming up soon we have some wanderful category romance novelists who also write historical novels.

I write alphas. I always have, right from when I started my first
historical romance at the age of twelve. I find the breed endlessly fascinating.
Partly because there's an endless variety of alphas to play with. There's the
focused, driven, passionate, do anything to get the heroine type like many
Presents heroes and my own Duke of Kylemore in CLAIMING THE COURTESAN.


There's the wonderful protective knight in shining armour types like
Matthew in UNTOUCHED. There's the lone wolf, world-weary, cynical types like
Lord Erith in TEMPT THE DEVIL. There's the brave warrior alpha and the
protective alpha and the tortured alpha. There's numerous combinations and
permutations of the breed so no alpha is the same as another.


Two constants in the alpha male is that he's a leader (even if just of a
band of one, himself!) and he's an independent thinker. He's nobody's lackey,
even if his maverick mode of thinking places him outside the pale of accepted
mores. He's also remarkable in some way - always brave, smart, self-reliant.


Above all, he's always a hero even if it takes a story arc to get him
through his reluctance to the point where he's willing to make sacrifices or
take risks for the sake of the heroine or a larger cause.

Long live the alpha male. He's always been a staple of romance fiction and
I can't see that changing any time in the future.

Anna has Tempt The Devil our right now

For Olivia Raines, London's most notorious courtesan, and the infamous Julian Southwood, Earl of Erith falling in love will be the greatest risk of all in this wicked and wild romance from Anna Campbell.

Any man in London would worship her. Yet Olivia is, quite frankly, bored of them all. Despite her many dalliances, she's never felt true passion, never longed for any lover's touch . . . until Julian, London's most notoriously wanton rake, decides to make her his mistress.
From the moment he first sees her, Julian knows he must possess her. And when he discovers her greatest secret, a scandal that could ruin her reputation and end her career, he knows just the way to use this damaging information to his most delightful advantage. He offers Olivia a deal with the devil: he'll keep her secret . . . if she allows him the chance to show her true ecstasy.

But Olivia must be careful, for Julian has a secret of his own: he will not rest until she is completely, shamelessly his.

Great Big Blog Party #52 and #53 Winners - and of course Sid

I'm late posting today - that's because I've been doing my accounts (yeuch!) so I'm staggering in her with a frazzled brain and a blank mind - but the accounts are done!! And they've left the building so that my accountant has them all to play with - and I'm sure he'll enjoy the experience much more than I did.

It just made me think of that question - the one that people always ask me - 'How long does it take to write a book?'

The honest answer is 'I write 3 a year so that's one every four months - unless one of those months has an accounting date in it.'Then the darned accounts take up most of my time.

But they're done - I'm up to date even for part of next year! So I can relax a while. And I can celebrate by announcing some Great Big Blog Party winners.

Firstly, prizes from Samantha Storm and/or Chaoscat

She (they?) said:

I had a grand time hanging out at your blog. Loved reading all posts! Thanks for having me! And can't wait for your 100th book celebration!

Okay dokey I picked two winners:

Peggy - won a package with a four reads from the RJ book vault.

Sabrina - won a print copy of Eye of the Storm.

The winners can email me at chaoscat @ romance junkies .com with their snail mail addies

Peggy and Sabrina can you cc me in on your notes to Cat so that I know the prizes are sorted.
Thanks! And I hope everyone checked out Romance Junkies - it's a great site to visit and their Writing Contest always attracts a huge amount of interest.

And a second prize announcement from Anna Campbell (ably assisted by Sid the Cat)

Sid says he totally understands the way that creatures turn up at Samantha Storm's house - after all, that's the way he came to live here - I just opened the door and he walked in.

But when it comes to eating crunchies off a piece of paper with a name on it then the name was brownone and her turtle.

brownone will you email me with your postal address as Anna is at the Romance Writers of Australia Conference right now - so I'll collect your details and send them on to her.

Sid says he's never seen a turtle but of course all creatures listen when you talk to them! They just don't think you're talking very much sense unless you're saying how handsome and wonderful they are or announcing that very important moment of TEATIME!

Finally, on the post about Sid yesterday a sharp-eyed Rachel spotted something on my desk that had clearly been entertaining Sid and so in the Comments section she said:

Dear Kate,I think Sid is telling porkies. looking closely he's been up all night reading a very good book-just what is that intriguing pink book under his right paw?Rach

Well, Rach that book is a copy of Call Up The Storm by the late and great Jane Donnelly. I found 3 copies of her books when I visited Hay on Wye when I was in Wales. (More on that later) And as my friend Anne McAllister collects Jane's work, I picked them up in case she didn't already have copies of them.

But I was also going to post a scan of that cover on a blog that would follow on from our discussion of covers after lee's Guest Blog on that subject yesterday.

This is an example of that terrible moment When Covers Go Bad!

To me, the intense, passionate, Alpha hero looks like nothing so much as camp comedian Julian Clary right down to the head cocked slightly to one side - and I'm saying nothing about that yellow-brown suit!

Great Big Blog Party 53 Anna Campbell

So, as I said, today's Guest Blogger is another friend from downunder - she's Australian author Anna Campbell.

Anna is also one of my ex 'Virgins' from the RNA Conference in Leicester in 2004 when she came over to visit then. I also met Anna again on my own trip to Australia when we were both at the RWAus Conference in Coogee Beach. That was before she was published.

Since then she has had her first historical romance title - Claiming the Courtesan - published. (No prizes for guessing where my copy is - on the TBR mountain, scaling which has had to be suspended as I concentrate on writing my own next book). Her next title Untouched is due out in December this year. In June I was able to meet up with her again in York where she was staying as part of a research trip to England. A day that Anna describes in her post. That was also the Day of The Rain - the day when the rivers rose and the floods started. I shall never forget the torrential downpour in which we travelled to York - and the even more torrential downpour in which we struggled to get home, ploughing through floods along the roads, and praying we'd get back OK.

But it was worth it. Anna was as warm and friendly as ever and the few hours we spent talking as only writers can talk about books and writing and history passed in a flash - a warm, dry, interlude in a day when the rain never let up!

Anna must have been considerably warmer and drier - here ->
where she is pictured at the Literacy Signing at this year's RWA National in Dallas.

So here's Anna Campbell :

Firstly, a huge congratulations to the fabulous Kate Walker on the release of her 50th book. That’s a huge achievement in anyone’s life (said she, from the perspective of one book published, one book in the wings and one book still being polished). You’re an inspiration, Kate!

Thank you so much to Kate for asking me to be part of the party. I’ve been travelling which explains my late appearance at the fiesta. So glad I made the celebrations! I did however manage to meet Kate and her lovely husband Steve, who is a fellow history nut, on my jaunt. We had lunch at the famous Betty’s Café in York on the day in June when half of Britain decided to go underwater. I think we all had interesting journeys that day! At one stage, I thought I might be swimming to Edinburgh, my next port of call!

What I’d like to celebrate in my blog is the worldwide community of romance writers. Something I realised on my trip is that thanks to writing romance, I now have friends all over the world. That’s an amazing thought. But it’s true. And it’s always a treat to catch up with these clever, warm, wonderful women. My only regret is that you all don’t live closer. Mind you, with the way the weather has been in the UK lately, I’m sure at least the British contingent would like to live next door to me, at least until the downpours subside! I’m sending you all a nice bit of Aussie sunshine – I hope the postman delivers it soon!

After four wonderful weeks in Britain, I went to America where I also met up with so many romance friends. I went to the huge Romance Writers of America conference in Dallas which was so exciting, especially for a girl who usually sits at home in her ratty trackpants staring at a computer. It’s wonderful to catch up with old friends, make new ones and meet in real time people who I’ve only interacted with via the Internet. How did writers survive before email? And now I’m looking forward to the Australian conference in Sydney which is only a few weeks away. Whoo-hoo!

I do however have one regret about my British visit. I didn’t get to meet Sid the Cat!!! Whaaaah! Hoping for a Sid encounter was why I sat in a flying tin can for so many hours. But he was playing hard to get when I was around, that international man of mystery. I’m hoping now that he will deign to choose a winner for the signed copy of my historical romance, CLAIMING THE COURTESAN, which I’d like to give to someone who comments on this blog.

I grew up with animals. No, not my family! Hmm, we mightn’t look too closely at that statement. I mean, I grew up with lots of pets, although these days, I tend to borrow other people’s pets because circumstances just aren’t practical for me to keep an animal. I’d love to hear about a pet or an animal that has been important in your life. A childhood pet? A current creature? Someone else’s dog or cat who took a shine to you? An animal in a story. I personally still have a great fondness for the Silver Brumby!

Sid’s favourite comment wins my debut book from Avon and a signed coverflat for my second release, UNTOUCHED, which comes out in the US in late November. Good luck!

And congratulations again, Kate! Here’s to 50 more!

Best wishes.

Anna Campbell http://www.annacampbell.info/

GIVEAWAY QUESTION:

I’d love to hear about a pet or an animal that has been important in your life. A childhood pet? A current creature? Someone else’s dog or cat who took a shine to you? An animal in a story.

GIVEAWAY PRIZE:

Signed copy of Claiming the Courtesan, my debut book from Avon and a signed coverflat for my second release, UNTOUCHED, which comes out in the US in late November.