Interview and Giveaway with Anne Marsh

I'm very excited to welcome paranormal romance author Anne Marsh to my blog today!  Anne is the author of The Hunt, and her latest book is Bond With Me, filled with devilish fallen angels.  (See my review of Bond With Me HERE.)  Bond With Me was released in digital form last month, and it will be published in trade paperback next Spring. 

Welcome, Anne!

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Anne: During the daylight hours, I’m a professional technical writer—which means I translate Engineering into English, writing all those lovely online helps that no one reads. After a series of ups and downs (read: got laid off from my dream job and was therefore at home with the task of reinventing myself), I decided I was going to write something someone would read. Better yet, I was going to write something I wanted to read. I started seriously moonlighting with romance novels four years ago. It took some time to figure out how not to write a book (that was the easy part—no surprise) and then even more time to figure how to write a book and now here I am.

2. When did your passion for writing begin?

Anne: I’ve always had a thing for words. I remember getting pulled out of class in middle school by the school librarian who had decided to mentor me in creative writing. In what was probably a terribly indicative moment of my future, I also remember rushing to write something for her at the very last minute as my deadline was suddenly here and I was out of time. All I remember now is the lined paper I was using. I spent most of high school and college doing the angsty literary magazine thing, and also dabbled in playwriting. I did some young playwright festivals, won a trip to NYC (went the wrong way on my way to the theater and ended up in what appeared, to my young eyes, to be a porn district), and distinctly recall defending romance novels and happily-ever-afters to a fellow festival member.

3. Could you tell readers a little bit about your current release, Bond With Me?

Anne: Bond with Me is a very sexy paranormal set in Moscow in the near future. The year is 2090 and Russia has become a dark world in which humans have become increasingly aware of their paranormal neighbors and of the power those neighbors exert. My hero and heroine meet in a club, surrounded by the pounding rhythm of the music and the erotic possibilities of strangers meeting, touching—and slipping away from each other. Brends Duranov, of course, spots Mischka Baran as soon as she sets foot in his club and decides instantly to pursue her. Before the night is over, he’s made her a darkly seductive offer: bond with me. In exchange for her soul, he’ll grant her one favor. Any favor at all. Surrounded by the pulsing beat of the club music and the hotter heat of the Fallen angel bracing her against the wall as he whispers his dark offer, Mischka Baran is tempted.

4. In your opinion, what does the future hold for the paranormal romance genre?

Anne: Oooh… crystal ball time. Honestly, I have no idea. From what I’ve heard and seen (not to mention read lately), paranormal is still going very, very strong. I know that what draws me to the genre are the strong, alpha males and the world-building: there’s just such a delicious difference between the authors. Vampires are here to stay; fallen angels are gaining steadily in popularity (woot!); and I’ve seen my first zombie romances, which an editor once swore to me would never, ever take off (I believed her). One of the things I’ve personally enjoyed is the new variety in shapeshifters. I love me my cats (after all, the hero of THE HUNT, my first book, is a feline shapeshifter), but there are so many other shifters out there now—it’s fabulous.

5. What are your writing quirks?

Anne: Quirks? I’m supposed to admit to quirks out loud? Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never really watched anyone else write, other than the story group at Pixar. And that was more of a “Listen to them yelling because my desk was right outside their conference room” kind of a thing (excited yelling, though—not angry, so the script must have been going well). I certainly talk to my laptop. And I like to be absolutely surrounded by books (so no ereader for me). Plus, my Siamese is excellent for pinning me in place to make my word count for the day.

6. What are your current writing projects?

Anne: I’m revising the second book in the BOND series—it’s tentatively titled HIS DARK BOND and it will be coming out in trade paperback from Kensington Brava early in 2012. After that, I’m writing the second book in the HUNTER’S MATE series, also for Kensington Brava. I’ve also just started a sexy contemporary that my agent is shopping right now (fingers crossed!). All in all, I’m pretty busy right now, but that’s great. I’m very grateful, given the current state of the publishing industry and all the shakeups at Dorchester, to have a new home for both of my series, plus a really amazing agent.

7. Besides writing, what are some of your other passions in life?

Anne: I garden, with an absolute obsession for day lilies. There’s a great daylily farm in Missouri that does mail order (Homestead Farms) and they keep tempting me with pretty pictures and I keep digging more holes in my yard. Fortunately, day lilies are terribly forgiving (even if you plant at the height of the California drought season). I’ve also got a horrible weakness for traveling to tropical destinations and never pass up an opportunity to snorkel. We were at Caesar’s Forum, in Vegas, the other weekend and we ambled past the huge aquarium they had there and I just wanted to hop on in. I strongly suspect Vegas security would have frowned on that—even in Vegas—so I restrained myself.

8. In closing, is there anything you would like to pass on to your readers?

Anne: Just a resounding thank you—it’s because of all of you that I get to keep on doing what I love doing most. I also appreciate all of the support and lovely emails I’ve received in the wake of the changes at Dorchester. When the publisher announced that Bond with Me would be coming out in ebook form on August 24th, followed by a trade paperback next spring, I was, frankly, disappointed. So I’ve appreciated all the support and all the people willing to try ebooks with me for the first time!

Thank you for being with us today, Anne!  You can find Anne on the web here: http://annemarsh.wordpress.com/ and on Twitter @sexygoblins. 

Here are the Goodreads summaries of her books:

Fallen angels… They rule Moscow’s seedy underworld, promising untold pleasure to the females who dare to mate them. That promise – and Brends Duranov’s own raw sexual power – has hopefuls mobbing the velvet rope outside his elite club G2’s.  But Mischka Baran has no intention of hooking up with one of the Fallen. Not even after Brends gives her an unforgettable taste of the sin and seduction he can deliver with those wicked lips. She’s after information, not a stint as some Goblin’s toy of the month. What she doesn’t know is that with a sadistic killer carving up his brethren, Brends is playing for keeps, hunting the one woman whose bloodline can end the mayhem, whose bond can restore his lost wings.

No matter how they try to flee, the virgins who enter the twisting tunnels of the Guardians are destined to be caught. Actually, most don’t try too hard. The stories of warriors who can take on Cat form, of lovers who can make a woman scream with pleasure, are just too enticing.  But Miu is no virgin, and she’s joined the Hunt with her own agenda. After she steals the moonstone necklace she’s been sent for, she has no intention of becoming some Cat’s tasty morsel. Too late she discovers these kitties have some deliciously kinky habits, and the dark hunter on her trail isn’t about to let impudent thievery go without punishment of the most exquisite kind.

Giveaway Details

Anne has offered to give away a signed print copy of The Hunt OR an eBook (digital copy) of Bond With Me to one commenter today (the winner will have her/his choice of book).  The contest is open to everyone worldwide.  To enter, just leave a comment about the interview, or let me know what you think the future holds for paranormal romance!  Also, please leave me a way to contact you if you are the winner.  Contest ends 9/14/2010 at 11:59 pm Central Time.  Good luck!