Ask the Author: Anna Bradley
Answered Questions (11)
Anna Bradley
Thank you, Sara! I hope you enjoy the book! It's part of anthology I did with five other historical romance writers. I'm really excited about it!
Anna Bradley
Hi Sara! Thank you for your question, and my apologies for such a delayed answer! I have such a soft spot for Lord Archibald, and I always intended to write his story - he's definitely some lucky lady's hero! Somehow he got lost in the Sutherland Scandals shuffle and doesn't have his HEA yet, but never despair! I think he'd make a perfect hero for a Christmas novella!
Anna Bradley
Hi Tera -
Thank you for your question! Lord Archibald is one of my favorite characters, and I'd love to do a story with him, yes. He deserves his HEA! I originally thought I'd match him up with one of the Sutherland sisters, but it didn't quite work out that way (!), so now I have a novella in mind for him with a completely new heroine. Let me ask you, though - as a reader, would you rather see a full length book for Lord Archibald, or a novella?
Thank you for your question! Lord Archibald is one of my favorite characters, and I'd love to do a story with him, yes. He deserves his HEA! I originally thought I'd match him up with one of the Sutherland sisters, but it didn't quite work out that way (!), so now I have a novella in mind for him with a completely new heroine. Let me ask you, though - as a reader, would you rather see a full length book for Lord Archibald, or a novella?
Anna Bradley
Thank you for asking, Nancy, because I'm really excited about this book, and I love to talk about it! For readers who have been wondering about the Sutherland sisters, once Sept. 5 hits, you'll wonder no more! "Lady Eleanor's Seventh Suitor" is the first in a new 2-book series, Sutherland Sisters, which features Ellie and Charlotte, the two younger sisters of the notorious Sutherland brothers, Alec and Robin.
Lady Eleanor Sutherland has refused so many suitors the ton has dubbed her Lady Ice, a title she plans to keep until she finds a gentleman she truly loves. Only a fool would trade her freedom for anything less than love, and Ellie is no fool.
Unfortunately for Ellie, her current suitor isn't a fool, either, and he's determined to have his bride, no matter how reluctant she is. The Sutherlands owe Camden West, and he never forgets a debt. Willing or not, Cam is determined Lady Eleanor will become his wife and pay her family’s debt with her name, her body, her freedom, and her future. She may think herself too good for every gentleman in London, but with her sister’s reputation Cam’s to ruin, this isn’t a negotiation. It’s a conquest, and Lady Eleanor will surrender.
But she won't go quietly, which is, of course, where all the fun comes in...
Blackmail, a sham courtship, a defiant bride, and a suitor with a secret that could destroy them both. Instead of the wedding day every lady dreams about, Ellie is trapped in a nightmare. But love can turn nightmares into dreams, and villains into heroes. Will Ellie open her eyes in time to see the man she despises is the only man she can’t live without?
I had such a great time writing this book, and I'm hoping readers will love Cam and Ellie just as much as I do!
Lady Eleanor Sutherland has refused so many suitors the ton has dubbed her Lady Ice, a title she plans to keep until she finds a gentleman she truly loves. Only a fool would trade her freedom for anything less than love, and Ellie is no fool.
Unfortunately for Ellie, her current suitor isn't a fool, either, and he's determined to have his bride, no matter how reluctant she is. The Sutherlands owe Camden West, and he never forgets a debt. Willing or not, Cam is determined Lady Eleanor will become his wife and pay her family’s debt with her name, her body, her freedom, and her future. She may think herself too good for every gentleman in London, but with her sister’s reputation Cam’s to ruin, this isn’t a negotiation. It’s a conquest, and Lady Eleanor will surrender.
But she won't go quietly, which is, of course, where all the fun comes in...
Blackmail, a sham courtship, a defiant bride, and a suitor with a secret that could destroy them both. Instead of the wedding day every lady dreams about, Ellie is trapped in a nightmare. But love can turn nightmares into dreams, and villains into heroes. Will Ellie open her eyes in time to see the man she despises is the only man she can’t live without?
I had such a great time writing this book, and I'm hoping readers will love Cam and Ellie just as much as I do!
Anna Bradley
Hi Tiara -
A few people have asked me that. I would love to do a prequel because I spent a lot of time thinking about Henry and Millicent's story. My only hesitation is that readers know they end up dying tragically. Do you think that would interfere with reader's enjoyment of their love story?
A few people have asked me that. I would love to do a prequel because I spent a lot of time thinking about Henry and Millicent's story. My only hesitation is that readers know they end up dying tragically. Do you think that would interfere with reader's enjoyment of their love story?
Anna Bradley
Another tough one to answer. Generally the ideas come to me in bits and pieces so it's hard to say precisely how I got the idea. This book features a very independent heroine, and I knew I wanted her to have just decided as the book opens that she never wants to marry - an unusual decision for a woman to make in Regency England! Then I began to think of how I could structure a plot around a heroine who has vowed never to marry and a hero who wants to compel her to marry him for his own reasons, and the idea was born.
Anna Bradley
Someone once said a professional writer is am amateur who didn't quit. I agree completely with this statement. I'm a writer, but I also teach writing, so I know writing students and aspiring writers tend to think "Writers" (capital W, that is!) don't struggle with writing. I tell them all the time that writing is hard for everyone - professionals, students, amateurs and aspirants. The idea that the "Writer" simple sits down and words flow from them is a complete fabrication. We all struggle with it - those who earn the capital "W" get there because they don't stop struggling.
Anna Bradley
There are days when I absolutely am inspired to write - days where bits of dialogue and interesting plot plots swirl around in my head and torment me until I get them down on paper. I get inspired to write by writing - it's the act itself that causes the ideas to come.
Then there are the other days - the days I have very few ideas and don't feel inspired, and I write on those days, as well. The only way through the uninspired times is to persevere, even if I end up deleting everything I wrote that day. Eventually the spark ignites again, but only if I keep going in the days I want to quit.
Then there are the other days - the days I have very few ideas and don't feel inspired, and I write on those days, as well. The only way through the uninspired times is to persevere, even if I end up deleting everything I wrote that day. Eventually the spark ignites again, but only if I keep going in the days I want to quit.
Anna Bradley
I'm working on Book 3 of the Sutherland series - a four book Regency historical series. I'm not quite a third of the way into the first draft so the book is very much still clay at this point - anything can happen!
This third book features Eleanor Sutherland and Camden West, a mysterious man with a vendetta to settle against the Sutherland family. Cam demands Ellie marry him, and will stop at nothing to get her to agree - including blackmail!
This third book features Eleanor Sutherland and Camden West, a mysterious man with a vendetta to settle against the Sutherland family. Cam demands Ellie marry him, and will stop at nothing to get her to agree - including blackmail!
Anna Bradley
This is a tough question because all the best things about being a writer can also sometimes be the worst things - it depends on which day you ask! The reason writers say that writing is both a delight and a torture is that something you care very much about has a power over you. It can offer intensely gratifying moments, but it can also crush you under the weight of disappointment.
Even on the worst days, I wouldn't trade it for anything under the sun.
Even on the worst days, I wouldn't trade it for anything under the sun.
Anna Bradley
I try and avoid writer's block instead of deal with it, though I do spend my fair share amount of time staring at the computer screen. If I can possibly make it work, though, I never leave myself in a position where I don't know what I'm going to write next. I may have to sit in front of the screen and struggle for a while, but I tend to persist when I'm having trouble rather than giving it up until the next day.
I get motivated to write by reading other writers, so if I'm really stuck I sometimes will pick up a book and just browse through it. Often an idea will spark. Like most writers, I am indebted to other writers for inspiration!
I get motivated to write by reading other writers, so if I'm really stuck I sometimes will pick up a book and just browse through it. Often an idea will spark. Like most writers, I am indebted to other writers for inspiration!
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more