Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.
Hey, all! I’m Anna Blakely, and I write romantic suspense. I live in rural Missouri with my hubby of 21 years, our three kids (19, 16, and 14), and a whole slew of animals…including a Donkey named Fred. I’m an avid reader, and I write what I love…strong, sexy, alpha heroes who’ll do whatever it takes to protect the women they love, and heroines who aren’t afraid to try to save themselves. My stories are filled with love, adventure, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, but I always give my couples a happily ever after!
When you are writing a book, which is harder? The first book in the series or the others after it?
For me, the first in the series is definitely the hardest. That’s the readers’ first introduction to the new group of characters, and the success of the series tends to rest on that first book being well recieved. So yeah, that’s a lot of pressure for sure!
When writing a series how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
To keep things fresh, I try to give each of my heroes and heroines their own unique story, including their backstories. Because I write romantic suspense, there are certain aspects of my stories that remain the same. There will always be a bad guy (sometimes more than one), they’ll always find a reason to go after the heroine–giving the hero a reason to protect them–and there will always be a climactic rescue scene. But for the meat of the story, I let my characters lead me and I just go with the flow. Typically, I have a general idea of where the story is going, but sometimes even I’m surprised by how it all plays out.
Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips for aspiring writers?
If you get bogged down or frustrated by a particular chapter or scene, take a break. Even if it’s only for a few minutes, sometimes stepping away from the keyboard is the best thing to do. For me, I will often step outside with my dog and walk around the yard for a bit. That almost always clears my head and allows the new words to start flowing again.
On a typical day, how much time do you spend writing?
I typically work anywhere from 8-10 hours a day. Sometimes more if I’m on deadline.
Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.
Wow, that’s a hard question to answer! My characters are like my kids…they’re all special to me in their own way. But if I had to pick just one, I’d say Adrian Walker was the most fun to write. He’s a total smarts who started out as an antagonist in Rescuing Gracelynn (Bravo Team Book 1), and I had full intentions of killing him off at the end of the story. But at the last minute, I decided to let him get away. Then, I was going to have him be a reoccurring bad guy throughout the series…but by the end of Book 3, I decided to redeem him. That was a lot of fun!
If any of your books were to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it? What book and who?
I’d love to see Taking a Risk (parts one and two) made into a movie. I’d have Alex O’Laughlin as Jake McQueen (he was my muse for that character). For Olivia, I’d say either Natalie Portman or Lacey Chabert.
What is your definition of success?
My definition of success is being happy with the work you’ve produced.
What are your social links?
• Join Anna’s Reader Group: www.facebook.com/groups/blakelysbunch/
• BookBub: https//www.bookbub.com/authors/anna-blakely
• Author Page: facebook.com/annablakely.author.7
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/annablakely
• Twitter: @ablakelyauthor
• TikTok: https://bit.ly/AnnaBlakelyAuthor_TikTok
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18650841.Anna_Blakely
What are your buy links?
• Amazon: amazon.com/author/annablakely
• https://books.apple.com/us/author/id1444752029
• https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Anna%20blakely
• https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Anna+blakely
• www.annablakely.com