So Long, Farewell!

by Anna Campbell

I've put up a picture of my first historical romance CLAIMING THE COURTESAN here because not long after Avon accepted me as one of their authors back in 2006, lovely Lee Hyat who runs this blog asked me to be a contributor to Tote Bags 'n' Blogs. It was the first time anyone had asked me to blog - in fact, back in 2006, even blogging itself had a lovely new shine.

Fast forward to over eight years later. It's 2014 and after many happy years of being a dedicated contributor every month to this wonderful blog, I'm moving on to new pastures.

Next year holds a lot of changes for me. Hopefully a new house in a new city.  A long trip to the U.K. Some new stories (always new stories in the life of a writer!). And a cutting down of some of my commitments outside my writing.So sadly after my many years here, I'm hanging up my tote bag!

We've talked about so many interesting things over my years here at Tote Bags. All my new releases and the inspirations behind them, life in Australia, other books I've read and enjoyed, travel, silly daily stuff like my love affair with a new appliance or a new piece of office equipment (my scanner still occupies a niche in my heart, you'll be glad to know!).

Thank you to everyone who has read my columns over the years and thank you especially to those wonderful people who have taken the time and trouble to leave me a comment. I've so enjoyed our conversations over my time here.

I love how the blogoverse has allowed me to find so much stimulation, discover so many likeminded people and also make so many friends. You've enriched my life immeasurably so please take a bow.

I'd also like to offer my deep gratitude to Lee, firstly for inviting me onto the blog (such a thrill for a new author!) and also for letting me meander through whatever my current preoccupations were over the last eight years. I hope one day, Lee, you and I can meet face to face and I can say thank you in person.

I'm not abandoning social media. I'll still be blogging a couple of times a month with the Romance Bandits and I update my website (www.annacampbell.info) at the beginning of each month with latest news. And of course I'll still be active on Facebook and on Twitter so I'd love to see you there if you don't already follow me.

So given I'm looking backwards and forwards in the spirit of yesterday, today and tomorrow, I thought I'd put up the cover for A SCOUNDREL BY MOONLIGHT, my next Sons of Sin book which is out at the end of April 2015. And also the cover for my current release, my Christmas novella, HER CHRISTMAS EARL (only 99 cents), which hit the shelves 21st October.

I wish you all a very happy festive season and the best in 2015. With lots of happiness, health and great books! 

Goodbye and good luck! Here's a red rose from my garden for luck - and for romance!

From Foreign Climes!

by Anna Campbell

One of the fun bits about writing romance is that it's a worldwide industry. That means an author gradually starts to see foreign translations of her books. So far, I've sold books to Germany, Australia, Italy, Russia and Japan, apart from my U.S. editions. I wanted to share some of the lovely European covers with you (nothing as yet for Japan!).

What prompted this column is that I've only just seen my German cover for the book that comes out in the U.S. next January as TEMPT THE DEVIL. VERBOTENE UMARMUNG translates as "Forbidden Embrace" which I rather like. And I just adore this cover with its gorgeous aubergine and that breathtakingly sexy clinch. The picture looks exactly like my characters too! AKA The Earl of Erith is a handsome devil like this guy!

Here are my other two German covers. I'd say, at a guess, the Germans really like a sexy bedroom scene! Or perhaps that's just what they do for my books! I love the solid colors under the pictures. REBELLISCHE KUSSE translates as "Rebellious Kisses" and ZART WIE DIE NACHT translates as "Tender as the Night." Wonder what F. Scott Fitzgerald thinks of that! Finding out what the foreign titles are is always a fun part of this particular game too!

This month, CLAIMING THE COURTESAN comes out in Russia and Italy. Someone told me that the Russian title translates as WINNING THE HIGH-CLASS PROSTITUTE which made me laugh. I guess you could say that's "claiming the courtesan"! I love the Russian cover. It's so exotic and fairytale-looking. Although the Scottish Highlands suddenly look VERY Swiss in their white jagged iciness! Is that the Matterhorn in the background? I also like the idea of being AHHA. Not sure why! Perhaps Aha sounds like I know what I'm talking about!

IL CUORE DI UNA CORTIGIANA translates as "The Heart of a Courtesan" which is marvellously romantic! This cover makes me smile, not just because it's so pretty, but also because my heroine is kissing my hero and he's turning away. If any of you have read CTC, you'll know that's not precisely the plot!

So let's talk about covers. What sort of covers do you like? We've seen so many fashions over the years. There's the classic clinch (all of my covers so far fall into this category and I must say I love them!). These divide into the dressed and undressed category in my mind! There's the girl on her own. There's the hero on his own. There's a 'bit' of somebody - a torso or a shot from the chin down or some bare legs sliding out of a bed. There's the non-person cover. You know, champagne glasses or a locket or some other object of significance to the story. There's the landscape covers - often with a country house in the distance. Are you embarrassed to be seen reading a romance in public, because of the covers? I used to be. Must say I'm over that now! Are there any covers you'd like to see more of?

Celebrations!

By Anna Campbell

I've had a very exciting month and to cap it all off, I found out at the end of March that both of my books finaled in the RITA Award Best Regency Historical Romance category. The RITAs are like the romance Oscars and they're awarded every year by Romance Writers of America at a huge and very glamorous ceremony that marks the end of RWA's annual conference, which this year is in San Francisco.

Of course I'm going to be there and of course I haven't got a dress yet! When I was an unpublished author, I used to dream about one day maybe having a book in the running for a RITA - which was saying something as I had to cross the barrier to publication first and that seemed completely impossible at times! Now both CLAIMING THE COURTESAN and UNTOUCHED have been nominated. Pinch me! I don't believe it's real!

Congratulations and good luck to my fellow finalists and also to the unpublished writers who finaled in the Golden Heart, the world's most prestigious contest for unpublished romance manuscripts. You can find a complete list of RITA finalists here and a complete list of Golden Heart finalists here. I'm so looking forward to cheering for all these great writers in July!

This week, I got to celebrate the news with some local writer friends at the lovely Stamford Plaza Hotel right on the river in Brisbane. Here are a couple of photos. Photo one, me! Photo two clockwise from left: Allison Rushby, June Monks, Anna Campbell, Tina Clark, Amy Andrews, Rowena Cory Daniells, Sandy Curtis, Denise Rossetti.

Apologies to all those people who tried to enter my Great Spring Cleaning Contest after my blog here last month. There was a hiccup (all my fault!) and details weren't yet up when I posted my piece on luck. The details are well and truly there now, so I hope you'll come over, answer a simple question and enter. It's a great prize this month - four signed books, Annie West's FOR THE SHEIKH'S PLEASURE, Marion Lennox's RESCUE AT CRADLE LAKE, Christine Wells's SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER and Stacey Kayne's BRIDE OF SHADOW CANYON. Good luck!

Have you had any wonderful news to celebrate lately? Let us know so we can celebrate with you!