An Interview with Author Anna James

Buy it HERE!

 It's Monday. It's May 16, and we're back to the author interviews! I'm excited to have some fine fellow author ladies coming up for you this week. Today, it's contemporary romance author Anna James. You can visit Anna's blog HERE to keep up-to-date with all her publications, book reviews, and more!


***One lucky commenter will have their choice of either Coming Home, Isabelle's Dilemma, or Guilty as Charged (.pdf ebook), so leave a comment with your email addy if you'd like to win. Drawing one week from today!** 

Thanks for stopping in Anna! Now, tell us a little about yourself. Who's the woman behind the screen?

Good morning Mysti and thanks for having me here. I am an author of contemporary romance stories that allow women of all ages to get lost in a world filled with passion, drama and romance. I also have a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked as an engineer for many years. I went into marketing about 5 years ago and I love it. I had my first book, entitled Isabella’s Dilemma, published in July 2010 from Sugar and Spice Press. I have had three other stories published since then. “A Picture Perfect Christmas” was included in Christmas Collectibles, an anthology of Christmas stories from several authors, published by Melange Books this past Christmas, Guilty As Charged – Book 1 in the Bradford Sisters Trilogy was published by Sugar and Spice Press on April 16, 2011 and Coming Home which was published by Melange Books on April 23, 2011.

Buy it HERE!

It says on your blog (yes, I snooped) that you have a degree in mechanical engineering. Being married to an engineer myself, I've found that the gears are always turning in an engineer's mind. Do you find yourself thinking about a million things at once? Are you plotting stories while you're working on something else?

Definitely! There is always a scene or a plot for a story brewing in the background of my mind.

I've read your latest release, Coming Home (see my review HERE) and loved it. Can you tell us a little about some of your your other titles?

Buy it HERE!

Guilty As Charged is the first book in the Bradford Sisters Trilogy. This book centers on the love story of Nicole Bradford, the oldest of three sisters and Max Paradis. You will also meet Natalie Bradford (the middle sister) and Reed McNamara (Max’s brother) in this story as well as Kate Bradford (the youngest sister). Shattered Dreams – Book 2 in the Bradford Sisters Trilogy will feature Natalie and Reed’s love story and the third book (still toying with the title) will feature Kate’s story.

Now… here is a taste of Guilty As Charged to whet your appetite:

The door to Reed’s office burst open, crashing against the adjoining wall. Reed looked up. Nicole turned to see who had made all the noise. Max stood in the opening, a thunderous expression on his face.

“Well, big brother, what can we do for you?” Reed queried in a casual tone.

Max didn’t answer; he just stood glaring at Nicole.

“M–Max, you’re home early.”

“Surprise,” he said sarcastically.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Reed asked.

Instead of answering, he strode into the room and stopped in front of Nicole. 

Suddenly, she was on full alert. She noticed the large manila envelope in his hand. The letterhead on the front made her sick with shock.

“Care to explain this?” he drawled, his tone at odds with the aggression emanating from every fiber of his being.

“What is it?” Reed asked a confused look on his face.

It was what she feared most. Legal documents, containing, no doubt, her arrest record and everything else about that horrible incident that had happened so long ago.

“Well?” Max asked ominously.

Nicole couldn’t speak. What could she say? It was all there in black and white.

After several moments of electrifying silence, Max turned his attention to Reed. “Are you aware you’ve hired a convicted felon, little brother?”

“I am not a convicted felon.”

He turned toward her. “I stand corrected, you were never convicted, however…” Nicole made to speak, but Max overrode her efforts. His attention was on Reed again as he continued. “As I was saying, are you aware that you’ve hired a drug smuggler?”

Reed’s eyes opened wide and Nicole cringed in her seat.

She shot to her feet. “That’s enough.  You know nothing about what happened.”

“Oh, you’re ex-lover Carlo was more than happy to tell me what happened when he met me at the airport this morning. He told me what you’re really like. You present this sweet, innocent façade to the world, but these—” He picked up one of the documents that lay strewn across the desk and threw it at her. “These tell the truth about who you really are.”

“Max, you can’t be serious. There’s got to be some mistake.”

“There’s no mistake, little brother.  See, she’s not even going to deny it.”

Nicole glared at him, furious now, her body shaking with anger. “You think just because…” Her voice trailed off.  She threw her hands in the air, a gesture of defeat, and then slumped into her chair. What was the use in trying to explain?  He wasn’t going to believe her. No one had believed her before. No matter how hard she had tried to convince them that she was innocent of any wrongdoing.  She stood again and addressed Reed. “You’ll have my resignation on your desk tomorrow morning. I’m sorry.”  She turned and walked out the door with her head held high.

Isabella’s Dilemma features the story of Isabella’s Sheridan and Jake McAllister. Here is a short blurb from the story to spark your interest:

         Isabella Sheridan has a big problem and his name is Jake McAllister! Jake is now Isabella’s business partner. To make matters worse he owns more of the Sheridan Advertising Agency than she does. He is difficult to work with, has a hostile attitude toward her and makes business decisions without consulting her. So why does she respond with so much passion when he kisses her? 

        Jake McAllister does not like Isabella Sheridan. As far as he’s concerned she’s shallow and without moral values, both in her personal and professional life. So why is he so attracted to her? You’d think he’d know better based on past experience. And why, after just one passionate kiss, is he ready to give her the benefit of the doubt and become involved?

Will Jake and Isabella resolve their differences and find love or will past perceptions be too much to overcome?

What are you working on now and can you fill us in on any of it?

I am working on the Shattered Dreams – Book 2 in the Bradford Sisters Trilogy. Here is a blurb from that story to peak your interest:

         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 doesn’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?

Don't look now, but the random question is here to steal your cookies! Which of the characters you've written so far can you most relate to and why?

I think there is probably a little bit of me in every heroine I create. But, I most relate to Molly Quinn from To Love and Trust Again (Available January 2012 Melange Books). To Love and Trust Again was actually the first romance story I ever wrote (obviously not the first one published!) and it’s true what they say about writing what you know about. Molly, the heroine, is a Mechanical Engineer and some of the struggles she faces when it comes to her job are similar to what I faced when I first started my career.

Finally, Ms. James, can you share a short excerpt from one of your published works or even a work in progress?

I just received a contract for my erotic, contemporary, paranormal romance novella entitled Visions from Sugar and Spice Press. I am not sure of the exact release date yet but hoping for some time this summer or fall. Here is an excerpt from the story:

Sweat trickled down the sides of her face. Her eyes were huge with fear and tremors racked her body. “No! Please don’t.” Prudence Bailey could hear the terror in the woman’s voice as she begged for her life. Someone came toward the woman; he was holding a knife. Or was it a she? Pru couldn’t tell from this angle. She saw the woman’s arms shoot up to try and ward off her attacker. It was a futile attempt. He overpowered her easily. Then it happened. The knife plunged deep into her chest. The screams were terrifying. She saw the woman crumple but it wasn’t over. The knife plunged into the woman again and again. Finally, the screaming stopped.

Pru shot straight up in bed. She too was drenched with sweat and her body shook with fear. This was the third night this week that she’d had the nightmare. It was the same each time. She pulled the blankets aside and got out of bed. Why is this happening to me? she wondered as she went down the stairs to double check that the windows and doors were locked. She didn’t know but she was sure as hell going to find out.

 It was great having you here, Anna! I wish you much success! For more about Anna, visit her Melange Books author page here:

http://www.melange-books.com/authors/annajames/annajames.html

Her Facebook page here:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001402819536

And on Goodreads here:

http://www.goodreads.com/annajames


***Remember to comment with your e-mail addy if you'd like a chance to win one of Anna's books (an e-copy of Coming Home, Guilty as Charged, or Isabelle's Dilemma)***