Anna James and the Bradford Sisters Trilogy

Thanks to Anna James for being with us today!
 
First, would you tell us a bit about yourself? What area of the country do you live in, do you have a family, pets, etc. Are you a coffee fiend, or do you have another “addiction” you must have on your desk at all times? What’s your education, if it’s relevant to your writing, and how does that education help you/or do you find that you can write well even without the diploma others might think they must have?
 
 Hi Everyone,
 
A special thanks to Alana for having me here today! To answer your questions:
 
My name is Anna James and I write contemporary romance stories that allow people to take a break from everyday life and get lost in a world filled with passion, drama and romance.
 
I live in Connecticut with my husband of 21+ years and our two youngest children.
 
I LOVE coffee but I think of it as an experience to savor and not just another hit of caffeine.
 
I have a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. I know you are probably thinking Engineering… How is that related in any way to writing romance novels? Well, on the surface you’re probably right. They’re about as far apart as you can get but getting this degree taught me how to think logically which I find very useful when it comes to plotting out a story.
 
Tell us about your most recent publication.
 
Today I’d like to talk to you about Shattered Dreams – Bradford Sisters Trilogy #2. Here is a taste of the book to whet your appetite:
 
 Natalie and Reed seemed so happy when they got married just a few short months ago, but an unexpected pregnancy and a subsequent miscarriage throw their marriage into turmoil.

Natalie deals with the loss by burying herself in work. Reed is supportive but do’t understand why she is spending so much after-hours time with her handsome, sexy boss. And what about their dream of having a family? How can that happen when with each passing day Natalie becomes more distant?

Will Reed and Natalie find a way to work things out, or will all their dreams be shattered?

 
 
Check out the video trailer I’ve created: Shattered Dreams
 
 
 
 
Watch the Book! wX5UBsI3k8w
 
 
 
What inspired you to write this story? What interesting thing did you learn or research to write it that you didn’t know before?
  
This is the second book in a trilogy about three sisters so the inspiration actually came when I wrote Guilty As Charged which is book 1.
 
As for what I learned while writing this book, I learned it can be very difficult to create conflict between two characters that are already married and are in love with each other.
 
 How would you best describe your books?
  
My books invite you to take a break from everyday life and get lost in a world filled with passion, drama and, of course, romance! They are contemporary stories that have lovable characters that linger long after the reader finishes the story.
 
 What is your favorite genre to write? To read?
 
 Contemporary Romance is what I am most comfortable writing but I recently wrote a romance novella which contained paranormal elements entitled Visions which is currently available from Sugar and Spice Press . That was a lot of fun to write as well. I’d also like to try my hand at a sci-fi romance sometime in the future.
 
I love reading romance stories. I enjoy contemporary, paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi to name a few genres.
  
What would you write if you could do write anything you wanted to write?
 
 I would continue to write romance. I really enjoy it.
  
What do you most like about writing? Least like? When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
 
 What I like most – creating stories:
 What I like least – the amount of time it takes me to finish a story. I have a full time job and a family and both of those are very demanding so I don’t necessarily get to write as often or for as long as I want.
 
 When I realized I wanted to be an author – I got hooked on romance novels when I was pregnant with my daughter and I was so sick that all I could do was lie on the couch for the first and last trimesters of the pregnancy. After reading so many of them I thought it would be great to be able to write them as well.
 
Do you belong to any writing groups? Are there any writing websites you find particularly useful?
 
 I have recently joined the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association but have not had an opportunity to participate in their meetings.
 
 The Passionate Pen is a website I found when I was first looking for romance publishers. I still find this site useful. It has a list of major publishers and links to their submission requirements, small press publishers and their submission requirements, epublishers, Christian publishers; it has a page that has a list of agents and other useful information. It also indicates if a publisher is not recommended.
 
 Is there any special music you like to listen to while writing? How does it inspire you?
  
I don’t listen to anything in particular.
 
 Do you belong to a critique group? What do you find most valuable about the experience?
 
I don’t belong to a critique group but I have two people who I like to have read my drafts before I submit them. The first is my mother – who got me hooked on romance novels. I know I’m on the right track if she likes my story line and characters. The second is a friend of mine who had never read a romance novel (and probably never would have) until I asked her to read one of mine. I knew I was on the right track when she told me the story line was interesting and she liked the characters. I am lucky because both are kind enough to help me out with each story I write.
 
 Tell us a little about your path to publication. How many books have you published? How many books did you write before selling one?
 
My publication story:
I submitted my story, entitled Coming Home, to what is now Melange-Books which is a small press publisher (www.melange-books.com) and waited for a reply. Several weeks passed and I became obsessed with checking my email several times a day to see if I had any response. On Friday, December 11, 2009 I checked my email around 5 pm and didn’t see anything in my in-box so my husband and I went out to dinner. When I got home I checked my email just for the heck of it – I assumed that it was already after the close of business so I wouldn’t hear anything until at least the following Monday. To my great surprise there was a response waiting for me. I was a nervous wreck as I opened it. I had been rejected several times before. Can you imagine my reaction when I saw the words “we’d like to offer you a contract…”? To say I was excited would be an understatement! Coming Home was released on April 23, 2011.
 
Although Coming Home was the first book I received a contract for it was not the first book I published. Isabella’s Dilemma was my first story ever published and was released on July 17, 2010 from Sugar and Spice Press. Sugar and Spice Press also released Guilty As Charged(Bradford Sisters Trilogy #1) on April 16, 2011 and Visions (my contemporary novella with paranormal elements) on June 11, 2011 and Shattered Dreams – Bradford Sisters Trilogy #2 on November 26, 2011.  Christmas Collectibles – featuring “A Picture Perfect Christmas” was released by Melange-Books in November 2010. I have another story, entitled To Love and Trust Again, wich is due to be released on January 29,2012 from Melange-Books.
 
 I had started three stories (but had not completed them) before I actually had my first novel contracted.
 
What’s your favorite thing about the book featured here today? Any special memories you have in the creation of it?
 
I liked continuing the Bradford Sisters stories.
 
What are you writing now? What’s next for you—will you be making personal appearances anywhere our readers can find you?
 
Unfortunately, I do not have any personal appearances scheduled in the near future.
 
As for what I’m currently working on, I am writing the last book in the Bradford Sisters Trilogy entitled Shattered Illusions. This story is about Kate Bradford, the youngest sister. Here is a taste of the book to whet your appetite:
 
 Four years ago Kate Bradford met Raffaello D’Onofrio while attending a semester abroad. Rafe ran the family vineyard in the Lazio region of Italy but the thing that attracted her to him most, besides his ruggedly handsome good looks, fathomless deep blue eyes, and well-toned body, was his love of art. It was a passion they shared.
 
He had been the perfect man as far as she was concerned and in a few short months she fell deeply in love. She had thought that love was returned. Then she found Annalisa De Luca in Rafe’s apartment wearing nothing but the shirt he had been wearing the evening before and… an engagement ring. All her illusions were shattered. Distraught and wanting to escape the pain of Rafe’s betrayal, she returned to her home in Chicago, IL.
 
Now Rafe is back in her life and much to her chagrin, she is still attracted to him. How can just one look from those sexy blue eyes affect her so deeply and what is she going to do about it?
  
Rafe D’Onofrio has just agreed to allow the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art to display his unique art collection—a collection he has always kept private until now. This after learning the museum’s new assistant curator was none other than Kate Bradford. Once he had thought himself in love with her but after her abrupt departure from his life with no explanation he convinced himself it was just an illusion. So why, after all this time, can the mere mention of her name still send his pulse soaring? And what is he going to do about it?
 
Will Rafe and Kate shatter the illusions of the past and find love again? Or are they too much to overcome?

What would you like to tell readers?

 
If you’d like to learn more about me and my books, visit me at www.annajamesromance.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Anna-James-Author-of-Contemporary-Romance-Novels/129394040447020
 
 
I look forward to hearing from you!  
Happy Reading,
 
Anna James

Leave a Reply