The Jaunty Quills are excited to present veteran author and Romance Bandit Anna Campbell today. Anna’s newest book is Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed. Keep reading to find out how to win your copy.

Shana: Welcome back, Anna! We didn’t tell Jaunty you were coming, so this time you can be interviewed without harassment. Tell us about Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed. That title alone is intriguing.

Anna Campbell: Hello, JQ sisters! Shhh! Don’t let Jaunty know I’m here. He has such a flamboyant personality and I really want a chance to tell you all about my new historical romance Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed (out 25^th September) without all his flirtatious badinage.

I laugh when people ask me what my new book is about. Um, check out the title – that pretty much covers it! Actually not quite, there’s plenty of angst and drama once our lovers leave the shelter of isolated Castle Craven and brave the real world so really it should be called Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed and a Whole Lotta Trouble After that. It’s a very gothic take on Beauty and the Beast. Brave and innocent Sidonie Forsyth turns up at ruined Castle Craven (in a thunderstorm, no less!) to offer herself in her sister’s place to scarred and ruthless loner Jonas Merrick. But neither gets quite what they expected in this devil’s bargain. You can read an excerpt here: http://annacampbell.info/rogue.html

Shana: Your hero, Jonas Merrick, sounds like the kind of hero readers love—scarred and tortured. Your heroes do tend to be a bit dark in character. Why do you think you’re drawn to those dark tortured heroes? What makes them so sexy?

Anna Campbell: That’s such an interesting question, isn’t it? I think readers (and I include myself in this) love seeing a lone wolf drawn back to the companionship of the campfire. At heart, my stories are about redemption and when the hero is dark and wicked and tortured, the stakes are so high when he sets out on the painful path back to the light. And let’s face it, we all love seeing the beast be, well, beastly as he fights falling in love.

Shana: Your book is set after the Regency, 1826. Why did you choose to write in this period, and what drew you to historical romance?

Anna Campbell: Oh, what a great question. In historical romance terms, of course, anything pre-1837 and Queen Victoria’s accession is considered Regency. I really like the fact that the 1820s into the 1830s are really the last hurrah for Georgian decadence before Victorian mores became the norm. Books set earlier in the century are shadowed by the Napoleonic Wars and I wanted to explore different themes and stories away from the nation being involved in a global conflict. As for what drew me to historical romance, I’ll sound so shallow if I say the clothes, won’t I? Actually I love that historical romance lends itself to larger than life stories and I love writing about people negotiating their happiness against draconian social rules. Like the tortured heroes, it just makes the stakes that much higher.

Shana: Every author I talk to who lives in Australia or New Zealand, and quite a few who don’t, mentions you as being a wonderful mentor and inspiration. How’d you get such a good reputation?

Anna Campbell: Wow! What a lovely thing to say! Because the Australian romance community is fairly small, we’re all very supportive of each other. I think this collegiate approach has paid off in spades as I’m always astonished at the worldwide success of Down Under authors. Just think of Stephanie Laurens or Nalini Singh. And I could easily keep going!

Shana: We’ve spent some time together at various conferences and dinners, and I know you’ve had a plethora of jobs. What’s the most interesting job you ever had, besides that of famous author?

Anna Campbell: Ah, famous author! That’s on my passport now, you know! I worked in an art gallery for a while. That was interesting. I sold Indian perfumes in carved jars at Covent Garden market for six months in my 20s. Eliza Dolittle, eat your heart out! I even had a guvnor, you know waddoymoin? A job that was really useful for my writing was working as a captioner for the Deaf, transcribing films and TV programs. That was a great lesson in showing not telling, how dialogue advances a scene, and dramatic structure.

Shana: Finally, tell us what you have coming next.

Anna Campbell: A new passport? Oh, you mean with my writing! I’m just putting the finishing touches to A Rake’s Midnight Kiss, the second book in the Sons of Sin series. Sir Richard Harmsworth, the hero, appears briefly in Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed. Having said dark and tormented, this guy is a Scarlet Pimpernel type who hides his inner demons under elegance and wit. Needless to say, he was huge fun to write. He falls in love with bluestocking vicar’s daughter Genevieve Barrett, a woman who has absolutely no time for rakes. It’s the old irresistible force and immovable object vibe which I always love. That’s out next year. Just before that’s on the shelves, there’s an e-novella linked to Sons of Sin called Days of Rakes and Roses featuring the Duke of Sedgemoor’s sister Lydia.

Thank you for having me as your guest today. I always love to visit you guys. Porcupine for President!

Shana: Oh, no. Don’t encourage him!

Readers, now it’s your turn. Do you love those dark, tortured heroes? What makes them so sexy? One reader who comments will be randomly chosen to win a copy of Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed (open internationally).