Today we are lucky to meet Anna Durand. See which music groups
she enjoys listening to. Some of my favs are there as well.
Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Anna. Tell us, what inspired you to write your book Intuition?
Intuition is the second book in my Psychic Crossroads series. When I wrote the first book, Willpower, it felt like Grace and David's story wasn't quite finished. They were engaged again – she didn't know they'd been engaged already, thanks to her amnesia – and happy in their relationship. But I wanted to tell more of David's story, and make them both suffer a bit more for their final happily ever after. As writers, we must torture our characters – and I'll admit I love dreaming up ways to make them suffer (insert evil cackle here).
Have you been a lifelong reader of romance? What are some the first books you remember reading?
I've always enjoyed a good love story with a happy ending, but for most of my life I didn't realize that meant I loved romance novels. One of the first books I remember reading wasn't romance, though. It was the story of a little toy guy in a canoe riding the currents downriver. I wish I could remember the title, but my brain must've dumped that data a long time ago!
What do you do to rev your creative juices?
Pump up the music! While writing, I listen to film scores, but when I'm preparing to write, I crank up the stereo with vocal music. I love a good pop anthem, or an uptempo tune to make me dance. You'll often find me singing along with OneRepublic, Rob Thomas, Delta Goodrem, or Vanessa Amorosi. I studied music in college, with concentrations in voice and piano, so I'm not too shabby while belting out my favorite tunes. :-)
What would be your advice to people who are considering a writing career?
Develop a thick skin and incredible patience. You'll hear stories about so-and-so who sold her first novel to the first publisher she queried, or maybe she self-published and became an instant sensation. Some of these stories are true, but many have secret truths behind them – like the author's father is best friends with the president of the publishing company, or the author paid for fake Amazon reviews. The key to success in anything, but especially writing, is to ignore these legends and focus on crafting the best stories you can. You'll get rejected (many times). You'll get savaged by contest judges (for no good reason). You'll start out with five Twitter followers (who are your family and friends). Be patient, don't take nasty comments to heart, and KEEP WRITING.
You’re having a dinner party. What character from your novel do you hope doesn’t show up? Why?
I'd pray Karl Tesler doesn't show, because he'd whip out his nasty gadgets and torture the other guests to make sure they don't have psychic powers. If they do...Well, they won't be attending my next dinner party, for sure!
Give us a brief summary of Intuition:
Torn apart by their haunted pasts, Grace Powell and her fiancé David Ransom are struggling to reclaim their passionate bond and build a normal life — one without danger and paranormal powers. But David can't renounce his obsession with hunting down Karl Tesler, who abducts and tortures psychics. David endured Tesler's tactics himself, but despite what Grace believes, he's not out for revenge.
Tesler covets her unprecedented abilities and her mysterious connection to a source of limitless psychic power. David will do anything — even abandon and lie to her — to protect Grace from Tesler.
With a psychic stalker on her trail, Grace charges into a desperate mission to uncover the truth about David's obsession. But Tesler's agents are closing in on her, and a terrifying new enemy is rising…
As events drive Grace and David toward a battle of epic proportions, they must risk everything — their relationship, their lives, and even their souls — to defeat an enemy who wields unspeakable psychic power.
Buy Links:
Bio:
Anna Durand is an award-winning writer, a freelance librarian, and an audiobook addict. She specializes in sexy romances, both paranormal and contemporary, featuring spunky heroines and hunky heroes. In her previous life as a librarian, she haunted the stacks of public libraries but never met any hot vampires hunting for magical books.
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Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteIt's great to have you as my guest today. The books sound really interesting!!
Hugs
L.A.