February 2010 Issue
Main Street Magazine (MSM)

The Woman Behind the Pen: Interview with Anna Campbell

Tilly Rivers

If you are a fan of dark, sexy Regency Historical Romances, than the name “Anna Campbell” author for Avon Romance books is not foreign to you. If you are a virgin……reader- (inserting sly smile here)- you will want to pick up one of Anna’s captivating journeys. After all ladies, don’t we all have secret cravings for “…Something stirred and smouldered in her belly as she stared at him in the electric silence….” {Sentence from Anna Campbell’s novel-Captive Sin}

With the February Issue of MSM focusing on love, I asked Anna if she would be available for an interview, she graciously accepted and what I discovered was an absolute delight- she is charming, funny and I quickly began to understand why she has so many followers: aka- Fans! And yes, for the record, you can consider me one!

Join MSM in getting to know Anna….

“I’m an Aussie who lives on the East Coast by the sea.” Anna told MSM, “I’m a voracious reader, always have been. Otherwise I love music, travel and a good laugh my friends.”
MSM: Where can readers find your books?

AC: All good bookstores, including the Internet sellers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. My books are also available as ebooks in all the major formats. I was really thrilled when CAPTIVE OF SIN, my most recent release, was chosen as one of Publishers Weekly’s best 100 books of 2009, one of only five mass market paperbacks on the list. Otherwise I’m looking forward to the release of my next book, MY RECKLESS SURRENDER, in late May. I’ve also got a short story in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF REGENCY ROMANCE which is out in late June.
MSM: When and why did you begin writing?

AC: I’ve always been captivated by books so it seemed natural to try to write my own. I started my first novel when I was eight, a rip-roaring little number in the style of Enid Blyton about horse napping. I still remember the sheer joy of telling that story although like most of my early efforts, I never actually finished it.
MSM: What inspires you to write “red hot romances?

AC: Hey, I’m a romantic at heart. The “red hot” thing just seems to come naturally.
MSM: How many books have you written?

AC: I wrote for 27 years before I was published and in that time I completed 13 manuscripts and started lots more. MY RECKLESS SURRENDER in June is my fifth historical romance for Avon.


MSM: What are your current projects? Any upcoming events?

AC: I’m currently writing like a lunatic on the first draft of my latest historical romance which will be out in 2011 from Avon. I’m doing the Romance Writers of Australia Roadshow in Adelaide in May which should be fun. I’m really excited that I’m coming to the United States for a month in July. I start the month with RomCon in Denver http://www.romconinc.com/ and finish it with the Romance Writers of America annual conference in Nashville. In August, I’ve got the Romance Writers of Australia conference in Sydney and then the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference in Auckland. With all that travel, you can see why I’m trying so hard to get the book finished ahead of time!
MSM: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

AC: I almost always find first drafts difficult. I have to dig deep and get the bones of the story on the page. The part of the process I really enjoy is polishing the manuscript and getting it to say what I want it to.
MSM: Do you have any advice for other writers?

AC: If you’re starting out, sit down and write the book from the beginning to the end. That will teach you more about writing than anything else you can do. Once you’ve written it, put it under the bed for six months and write another one. Only then go back to polishing the first manuscript. You’ll be amazed at what you see when you’ve got some distance from that first effort and you’ve also got the experience of writing your second manuscript to help you.
MSM: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

AC: Thank you to everyone who has contacted me to say how much you love the books. I can’t say how much those emails and messages have meant to me. I love to hear from readers – my email is anna@annacampbell.info
MSM: What feedback from readers have you received?

AC: Readers seem to really love the emotional, intense tone of the books – and my heroes have struck a chord out there in Romancelandia. I love it when someone develops a crush on one of my guys – I always have a crush on them when I’m writing them!
MSM: What is your favourite book out of all the ones you have written and why?

AC: Oh, no, that’s like asking someone to pick their favorite child. Impossible. I love CLAIMING THE COURTESAN because Verity and Kylemore were so passionate and real to me as I wrote them. Also that was the first book I sold. I love UNTOUCHED because of the way Grace and Matthew fell in love with each other so completely and so unselfishly and I thought Matthew was a gorgeous knight in shining armor. TEMPT THE DEVIL was special to me because Erith and Olivia were older, closer to my age, and they couldn’t just give up the world for love, whatever they felt. CAPTIVE OF SIN features such a tortured, noble hero in Gideon and I loved the way Charis matured into a strong woman through the events of the story. MY RECKLESS SURRENDER features a really strong heroine and my first non-tortured hero who I fell in love with as I wrote him. At least the Earl of Ashcroft is non-tortured until he gets involved with Diana, the heroine! She certainly gives him a run for his money!
MSM: Who is the woman behind the pen?

AC: Anna Campbell is an international woman of mystery who can be seen at the summit of Everest or at Milan Fashion week and is completely chic at either. Multilingual and a skilled tango dancer, Anna Campbell is an ex-member of the Australian Gold Medal equestrian team. She… Oh, you mean, the REAL me! Sorry, got carried away in my fantasy life there. I’m a lifelong dedicated romance reader who can still hardly believe my dream has come true and that I’m writing luscious love stories for a living. You can find out more than you probably ever wanted to know about me on my website: http://www.annacampbell.info/