Anna J. Stewart
USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J. Stewart writes sweet to sexy romance for Harlequin’s Heartwarming and Romantic Suspense lines as well as ARC Manor. Early obsessions with Star Wars, Star Trek, and Wonder Woman set her on the path to creating fun, funny, and family-centric romances with happily ever afters for her independent heroines and the men who love them. A former RWA Golden Heart nominee, Anna’s books have finaled in the Daphne DuMaurier and National Reader’s Choice awards. Her sweet romance RECIPE FOR REDEMPTION was recently turned into a holiday movie for UPtv (A CHRISTMAS RECIPE FOR ROMANCE) which aired during the 2019 holiday season. Since her first novella with Harlequin in 2014, Anna has written and published more than forty romances in multiple sub-genres. Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural, a Jason Momoa addiction and two slightly nutty cats named Rosie and Sherlock. When she’s not writing, you can find her cooking and baking, binge-watching classic TV and cooking shows, attending fan conventions, or heading to the movies.
Marina Raydun: I know you’re a Wonder Woman fan. Do you consider her your muse?
Anna J. Stewart: I don’t know if I actually have a muse. The idea of Wonder Woman (and other female empowerment figures I grew up with) definitely influence the characters I write, so in that way, yes. My heroines in particular are always very independent and forward moving women. I’ve always said they don’t need a man, but when they find the one they want, they’ll fight to keep him.
MR: What is the first experience you had when you learned that language had power?
AJS: I think I’ve always known. I came out of the womb reading, my mother always joked. Libraries, bookstores, books, they’ve always been a part of my life and some of my earliest phots I have of myself, there’s a book in my hand. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t transported into another place or time. If you’re asking for one of the “aha” books I read that changed my life? For commercial fiction it would be Stephen King’s CARRIE and for “assigned” reading, it was TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. The first because there were no boundaries as to what could happen and the second because it opened a positive dialogue within my family that has resonated with me to this day.
MR: How did publishing your first book change your writing process?
AJS: It intensified it. Until that first book was contracted, writing was almost a game. I could dabble at it when I wanted to, set it aside because I could write at my own pace. Now, with multiple books contracted, it’s my job. That adds a different kind of pressure and obligation that at times, can be stifling. I try to remember what my friend Melinda Curtis says and to write the best book I can at the moment.
MR: What’s the most difficult part about writing characters from the opposite sex?
AJS: Making them realistic. I’m not married, never have been (don’t anticipate ever being), so that day to day interaction just doesn’t happen. Nor can I rely on media (tv, movies, etc) to give me realistic examples. Trying to keep men realistic and believable is always a challenge, but then the same can be said for my heroines as well. I do have to remember that men don’t tend to be talkers and emoters, which can make dialogue in the story challenging at times.
MR: How do you select names of your characters?
AJS: Sometimes they just come to me, or they’re inspired by people I know, have met, or have seen in TV shows or in movies. Most of the time, thought, I use The Character Naming Sourcebook, which is a huge collection of names and their meanings organized by ethnicity and cultures. Best reference book I’ve ever bought (and I have 3 copies of it!).
MR: What’s the best and worst book review you’ve ever received?
AJS: I try really hard not to read reviews. I write my books and put them out there. People will either love or hate or be meh about them. My job’s done when the story is turned in. That said? I had a few reviewers who compared stories to my writing idol, Nora Roberts. That was off-the-charts fabulous. The worst? I had one who said she couldn’t stand to read about these pathetic rich people and their problems, but the review also mentioned something that happened at the end of the book…which means she read the whole thing, so in the end? I won.
MR: Is there a thing you’ve written that makes you cringe now?
AJS: So much. So so much. But every word I’ve written has gotten me to where I am now, so I don’t regret them. Well, most of them.
MR: So the word on the street is that you leave Supernatural Easter Eggs scattered throughout your novels. Please tell us more!
AJS: I’ve been a fan of this show since it began. Seriously, I think there’s been maybe four episodes over the fifteen years I’ve not seen when it actually aired (says a lot about my life, I’m sure). Like all my books, this show, at its core, is about family—the one you are born to and the one you create for yourself. Adding names from the show, or references to Baby (the boys’ Impala), naming animals after characters, I’ve even mentioned the show flat out or alluded to “demon hunting brothers”, it’s just my way of paying homage to probably my favorite show ever. The show also taught me a lot about storytelling and mythology and interweaving the two. I’m going to miss it so much, but I won’t stop putting in those little surprises into my books.
MR: What is it I hear about Barbies sitting on your desk as you write?
AJS: I have a whole line up of them. I still consider myself a collector even though I don’t buy very many anymore. Before I was published, each of my heroines would have their Barbie representation. Some of the early stories’ heroines are still standing behind my laptop (even though those stories have yet to be published. Hopefully one day).
MR: If you could have drinks with any person, living or dead, who would it be? Why?
AJS: Can I have two? One of my earliest idols and influencers was Marilyn Monroe. We share the same birthday so that probably has something to do with it, but she was just so multi-faceted as well as misunderstood. And far smarter than so many of her counterparts, male and female. She’s a woman I don’t think we ever really peeled back all the layers on and the conversations with her would be amazing.
My second choice? Carrie Fisher. Princess Leia, probably as much as Wonder Woman, helped to shape who I am now. Women get it done. They don’t take crap from anyone. The just do the job. That was both Leia and Carrie. It’s strange to believe, but she’s someone I miss every day. I don’t know that she realized the impact she had on women my age, about the mindset they could create because of her work. I would give anything to be able to thank her for that.
To learn more about Anna, please visit her website at http://www.AuthorAnnaStewart.com.