Oh be still my trembling tummy! Look who I’ve managed to ‘bale up’ on Author Harvest AND she has a book to giveaway to one lucky person, somewhere in the world.
Yes, it’s Regency romance author queen – Anna Campbell – who I am certain will have prepared a lavish feast fit for a contemporary fiction princess like me (although with queen-like aspirations) and also have rogues on hand (out of bed, but drapped in a shimmering gold toga and…. ) Okay, so, wrong century. Maybe we’ll just ask Anna…
What HAVE you prepared for me?
Hi Jenn! Delighted to be here with you today. Here, have one of my famous chocolate slices. I’ve got the kettle on for tea.
(Tea? Oh, right-o, no rogue then? That’s okay. Not sure I’d know what to do with one anyway. Hand me a choccie slice instead and tell me….)
At home…
My mum says garden gnomes make a house a home! Are you loud and proud in your love of garden gnomes at home, a closet gnomer or with a strict ‘no gnomes’ policy at your place?
No gnomes, no pack drill!
(No roaming rogues either?)
What vegetable (or fruit) have you always wanted to grow at home?
Actually I grew up on an avocado farm. Growing things to eat at home has always seemed too much like going to work as a result!
(Hmm, that reminds me, I must ask you about my heavily pruned Mango tree that’s developed a white fungus rather than leaves! On the bright side, that avo tree with wet feet we talked about a while back is still trying. Bless it!)
If I came to your home and looked in the refrigerator, what would I find?
Wine.
(Woot! I’ll get the glasses. Wine – good. Company – good. Life – good! Who needs a rogue?)
If you sorted your wardrobe by colour, what colour would stand out? (Ahh, do you sort your wardrobe by colour?!)
Black.
(And I so thought you’d say shimmering gold satin!! Black, huh? Is that black as in classic black? As in the new black? Or as in grunge black? Or, Anna Campbell, are you a secret Goth under that mask of elegance?)
What are you wearing now? (Be honest!)
Snort! You’re out to destroy the glam romance writer image, aren’t you? Let’s go for stained lime green singlet from Target and navy shorts. Not Vogue material! Gardening Australia perhaps.
(Hmm, probably not even Gardening Australia!)
Whose home would you like to housesit and why?
Chatsworth, the Duke of Devonshire’s house in Derbyshire in England. As long as someone else did the housework! Hey, I’d like to live the lifestyle of my Regency characters for a while. Purely for research purposes, you understand.
(Sorry, could not possibly survive without a flushing toilet, a coffee machine, and a computer – possibly in that order.)
Country curiosities…
We love a sunburnt country (slip, slop, slap and all that). What’s your ideal hat? Or are you a boots person?
I’m a boots person. Always feel like I’m Queen of the World when I’ve got a pair of boots on.
If you were a tree (or animal) what kind of tree (animal) would you be?
I think I’d like to be a dolphin. All that surfing and playing? Sounds like fun.
Now for the big question… Why did the chicken cross the road?
To buy the latest Anna Campbell historical romance! That chicken has taste (especially when roasted).
(LOL – Hey, leave the jokes to the host, will ya! )
About you…
Your turning point: when was that point in your life that you realized that being an author was no longer going to be just a dream but a reality and a career?
I sold my debut historical romance CLAIMING THE COURTESAN at Easter 2006. That was the turning point for me – before that I’d pretty much convinced myself that it was
never going to happen.
(OGG! 2006. I had no idea. I thought you’d been at ‘it’ for ages (the writing, not the rogues!) The things you learn on blog posts! I’m even more impressed. Now I also know why you love your Easter bunnies! here’s a celebratory bunny just for you.)
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
First drafts are tough.
If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?
She Has Wine in Her Fridge.
(Not anymore! Hic! Well, we are toasting the latest novella – These Haunted Hearts – aren’t we?)
Fun stuff…
If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?
Play selections from shows on the piano. I do a mean “Stranger in Paradise”. Hmm, ‘mean’ has so many connotations, doesn’t it?
(Ah, yes, Kismet. I do love a musical. number or two. Love South Pacific, so maybe after Stranger in paradise we could spend One Enchanted Evening with a Bloody Mary or two, enjoy a little Happy Talk, before we Wash That Man Right Outa Our Hair, and end up feeling Younger Than Springtime!)
So… how many of you know what on earth I’m talking about?
What food would you be, Anna?
The big cheese – at least in my dreams.
What was the best thing before sliced bread?
Men in boots!
(And only boots? You cheeky minx, Anna Campbell. Have another drink. This interview is getting interesting.)
Name 5 uses for a stapler that has not staple pins.
- Paperweight.
- Burglar cosher.
- Toy mobile phone.
- Baby shark trainer.
- e-stapler
(LOL e-stapler. Love it!)
How weird are you? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (not) to 10 (very).
Hmm, that would be telling!
Now for the GIVEAWAY…
Pour more champagne, someone, Anna Campbell will be sending a copy of her e-book These Haunted Hearts to one lucky commenter.
To go into the draw just tell us what we’d find if we peeped in your fridge. Wine is optional! (Open internationally. You have one week from now. Winner announced here.)
AND THE WINNER IS……. BRENDAAT59. Yay! Thanks to everyone for your comments – from wonderful to slightly weird! That was fun.
These Haunted Hearts is on Amazon and on Smashwords
And the blurb:
On one fateful wedding day at Marston Hall in 1818, four linked destinies hover in the balance.
Josiah Aston, Earl of Stansfield, wakes to discover he’s seventy years dead and he alone can free his beloved wife Isabella’s tormented soul. But first he must convince her to trust him against all the evidence…
Lady Isabella Verney, beautiful and tempestuous, married the man of her dreams, only to die violently on her wedding day. Every clue points to Josiah as the murderer…
Is true love strong enough to defeat ancient malevolence forever?
Miles Hartley, Viscount Kendall, is society’s ideal catch, but what does that matter if he can’t convince Calista Aston that he loves her? When an age-old curse strikes, only by proving himself worthy of her faith can he save their happiness…
Lady Calista Aston, noted bluestocking, fears she loves Miles Hartley not wisely, but too well. On her wedding day, her doubts place her at evil’s mercy. When death and disaster loom, is it courage or mad folly to believe that Miles loves her in spite of all her faults?
On one fateful wedding day at Marston Hall in 1818, will the lovers emerge triumphant or will darkness conquer all?
Website link to read an excerpt. If you don’t know Anna, or if you haven’t seen her gorgeous books, check out her website: www.annacampbell.info
Today marks the one-month anniversary of House for all Seasons and what a month it’s been.
My favourite collective noun has to be:
e noun: A Red Carpet of Hollywood A-Listers! We were ‘just’ a festival of hard-working authors, albeit at varying stages of our journey, and even with a line up including short-listed 2013 award nominees: Jessie Cole, Druscilla Modeska, Carrie Tiffany, Romy Ash, and Cate Kennedy I definitely felt part of a tribe. (Oh, and in the pic above – that’s Me (L), Katherine Howell & Jessie Cole (R)
