Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna J Stewart

Hi Anna J , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

I started writing on a whim in high school. A group of friends and I wrote what would now be considered fan fiction featuring ourselves and our favorite rock stars (it was the 80’s–I’ll let you all guess who might have taken a starring role, LOL). Around that same time I read my first romance novel: Partners, by Nora Roberts. It was a Silhouette romance (Silhouette would eventually come under the umbrella of the Harlequin brand). All my friends outgrew and moved beyond the stories but I didn’t. I knew from then on that this was what I wanted to do. I wanted to write happily ever afters. Took me a while to get there professionally… six changes in my major in college, flitting around for a good number of years, playing at writing rather than taking it seriously. But at one point I was asked to imagine myself in five years and I still wasn’t published. How would I feel? What would I think?

It felt crushing and it felt as if I needed to make some serious changes and shift my priorities. That was in 2011. I got to work on a new project, something completely different and FINISHED it. When I entered it into some contests, it finaled and… by late 2013/early 2014 I landed contracts with both Berkley and Harlequin within months of each other. It wasn’t writing what that contest winning story was, though. I needed to make a shift into contemporary romance, but that was the best shift I ever made. The goal was to get published and I got there. I’m still there. Since 2014, I’ve published upwards of sixty romances, more than half of them for Harlequin and I’ve got plans to keep going….and to make more shifts to make my career flourish.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

There are always struggles I think. Making the shift from writing urban fantasy/paranormal romance, which at the time was all I wanted to write, to another genre in romance was tough. I wanted my dream the way I’d imagined it, but it was soon clear to me that if the real goal was to publish traditionally I was going to have to re-evaluate what it took to get there.

Being an author is a tough job. And it has its specific challenges. There are days the words just aren’t there and you feel like a complete failure, but there are other times when the words flow and you write twenty pages and you’re literally on a high. That’s what I try to chase every time I sit down at my desk.

Whatever other tough times there are are smoothed out by a tremendous support system. I have a number of fabulous writer friends, and two in particular who have at times pushed me on when I’ve just wanted to quit. I think that’s the best weapon any writer can have in their arsenal. Support of friends who want your success as much as you want it. You can’t buy that and it’s not a given. But when you find it, it’s gold and I’m grateful for them every single day.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I write romance novels. And I wear that as a badge of honor. I LOVE writing happily ever afters and giving readers an escape with a guaranteed happy ending. That’s what I always wanted as a reader.

I’m fortunate that I write in a few sub-genres of romance. I write sweet, small-town contemporary romance for Harlequin’s Heartwarming line. I also write spicier romantic suspense for Harlequin as well. I’m fortunate that another publisher asked me to write for them so for Arc Manor Books (their Caezik Romance line), I write gritter, edgier romantic suspense (almost a kind of noir).

I think what I’m known for is that I write about family: the ones we’re born to and the ones we create. I always have a large circle of community be it a family or a group of friends. It wasn’t something I intentionally set about creating, but it’s something that’s just been a natural thing for me. I love having lots of characters to write stories about. I think this is something that sets me apart from others as well. It’s distinctive and what a lot of readers like.

What am I most proud of? That I’m still writing. I never imagined I’d have the list of novels that I do, or that I still have dozens of stories in my head waiting to be written. But I do. And I’m not quitting, not even if I were to win the lottery. Writing brings me a sense of purpose and satisfaction, which is really what most artists want, right?

What matters most to you?

Being part of a community of writers. Beyond family and my hobbies and everything else that creates a life, I love being around other writers because we’re the only ones who truly understand one another.

One of the great things about romance writers in particular is that for the most part, we are so incredibly supportive of one another. There’s no back-stabbing or scrambling to the top. We all want that for one another. That’s pretty special in any business, especially a creative one so yeah. Community. Definitely.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.AuthorAnnaStewart.com
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/AnnaJStewart
• Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/AuthorAnnaJStewart
• Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/AJStewartWriter

Image Credits

Author photo by Stephanie Dandini

Cover credits to Harlequin Art Department, and Authors on a Dime (EXPOSED and VANISHED)