#Authorpalooza2010 Day 11/12 featuring Anna Hackett and @MelTeshco

Anna Hackett has always been a reader and her favorite books are romance, action-adventure or both. When the urge to write got too strong to ignore, it was no surprise she combined romance, action and her love of ancient history in her stories. Her day job as a mining engineer keeps her busy but when she’s not wearing her boots and hard hat, she’s at her computer dreaming up deliciously dark heroes, strong heroines and action-packed, emotionally-charged paranormal romance.

Anna’s paranormal short stories are available from Nocturne Bites. For more info, please check out her website: http://www.annahackettbooks.com/

How long have you been writing?

I started writing around the same time I got married, so I can’t forget the answer to this question! Three and a half years.

How thrilled where you when you heard your first book was going to be released?

Ecstatic! Every writer dreams of the day they sell their first story but you can never quite imagine how great it will feel.

I participated in an online pitch at eHarlquin.com for Nocturne Bites (paranormal short stories) and I was so excited to be among the five selected to pitch online to an editor. The day I got the call from the editor (I still remember gasping when I saw the NY area code on my phone) and sold my story, Savage Dragon was very exciting.

What's one day in the life of Anna Hackett like?

Well, most days I head off to my day job as a mining engineer. I get up early, put on my work boots and hard hat and head to the mine.

Weekends are my writing days, so mostly after a lazy morning (I’m not a morning writer) I get to the desk in my study around 10am and work through until I hit my word count for the day. I love getting lost in my writing worlds and putting my characters through some action-packed hell! I usually feel exhausted by the time I’m finished in the evening (-:

Do you have a current project you’re working on or something you plan to begin soon?

I’m currently working on a paranormal romance set in Sydney, Australia (one of my favorite cities in the world) and putting my poor heroine through some tough times.

I also have an action/adventure thriller I plan to begin soon. It’ll have a touch of romance in it as well. It’s been begging to be written for some time now and I can’t ignore it much longer.

In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of being a published author?

That it’s not really much different from being unpublished (except for the deadlines). You still need to pitch each story and there’s never any guarantee someone will want to buy it.

What’s the most rewarding?

I love seeing my book covers with my name on it (-: But the most rewarding is hearing from readers who fell in love with your characters and your story.

If you could co-author a book with any of your fellow authors or anyone from anywhere, who would you choose and why?

Gosh, this is a hard question. I’m not sure I could co-author, the idea just boggles my mind and I admire the authors who can do it. My fellow Aussie Bites author, Mel Teshco is co-authoring a book and I don’t know how she does it.

In the romance world, I love reading Nalini Singh’s paranormal romance books, so I’d love to work with her. In the action/adventure/thriller world, I love Aussie author Matthew Reilly’s stories and would love to work on a project with him.

Describe your writing process.

I start with my characters and the hook, interesting premise or inciting incident that sparks my interest. I do a very rough outline of the story—just a couple of bullet points per chapter. Just enough to give me a road map but not so much that I lose interest.

Then I write the first draft. I try not to go back and edit, but I haven’t quite perfected that and do tend to reread the last chapter I’ve written and do some tweaking before I move one.

After the first draft is finished, I revise, send it off to my critique partners and then polish some more.

I try to write at my desk, but I can often be found on the couch or back patio with my laptop on my lap.

What is the most interesting place you’ve ever visited?

Egypt. I’ve been twice. I love the history, the Nile and the desert. It is so different to what I grew up with and it is so amazing to go inside the pyramids or stand in one of the temples and imagine the great civilization that created them so many thousands of years ago. If you can’t guess, I’m a huge ancient history fan which usually leaks over into my stories.

What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

 

I have a Nocturne Bites story out right now. Hunter’s Surrender is a paranormal short story featuring a battle-scarred vampire hunter and the vampire princess intent on seducing him. My vampire world is entwined with Eastern beliefs—so think chakras, out-of-control energy and Tantric sex!

Blurb for Hunter’s Surrender:

Vampire hunter Rand Wilder hated vampires – even if they were as beautiful and alluring as vampire princess Dominique Valois. For years he fought the beings who had killed his father, resisting their dangerous sensuality. Yet even Rand was tempted by the intoxicating Dominique and her shocking offer: to hurt the vampire court by taking her virginity….

A desperate need to ruin her reputation had forced Dominique to seek out the hunter known as The Darkness. But she hadn’t expected Rand to be so captivating and compassionate…. Soon a very different sort of need drove her desire to take Rand to her bed. And with Dominique’s survival depending on it, she would have to use all her skills of seduction to make this strong hunter surrender to passion….

Snippet from Hunter’s Surrender:

“Now, you don’t want to do that, chéri.”

The female voice floated through the night like an angel’s song. It stroked over Rand’s nerve endings like caressing fingers, setting his body aflame.

She came out of the darkness like an underworld goddess. Tall, slender, pale skin glowing in the dark. She wore a white leather catsuit, which should have looked ridiculous, but only accented slim curves and feminine limbs. A fall of raven hair reached her waist.

Light in the darkness. Rand blinked, unable to look away.

She stopped, pressed a hand to her hip and looked at the cops. “I believe you were leaving. You saw nothing here that concerns you.” Strains of France were threaded through her modulated tones.

The older cop nodded. “Yes, ma’am. You’re right. Let’s go, Johnson.”

The younger man stared at her with glazed eyes. “We were leaving. Nothing here that concerns us.”

Rand fought his body’s instinctive urge to follow the men.

The woman sauntered forward, moving with a liquid grace that mesmerized. She patted Johnson’s cheek, then watched them get in their car and drive away.

Then she turned to Rand.

A searing pain hit him between the eyes. Her unearthly beauty struck him like a blow to the head and his body hardened. Her features were perfect—slim nose, sharp cheekbones, sensual lips and eyes the color of amethysts.

Eyes that held an impossible blend of experience and innocence.

Veronica: Okay I got to say that is excerpt it just.. wow! I am definitely going to be adding this to my tbr wishlist.

Thanks Anna for being a part of my authorpalooza!

Anna will giveaway a download copy of Hunter's Surrender to one lucky random commenter.

To enter just tweet about #Authorpalooza hashtag and include link to the post/giveaway.

And answer the following question(s) below.

Do you enjoy the paranormal? If given the opportunity to be a member of Syfy's Ghost Hunters would you join it?