Interview with Anna Hackett

Published 2018-07-15.
Who are your favorite authors?
I love romances with some great action and adventure. My favorite authors include Linnea Sinclair, Nalini Singh, Pamela Clare, Ilona Andrews, and Meljean Brook.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
All the things I love: my two little boys, my love-of-my-life hubby, and the chance to write and bring my stories to life.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
If I'm not writing, I usually have my mommy hat on and am running around after my two energetic boys!
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
I discover new books all over the place: on the new release and bestseller lists, blogs, and most importantly, recommendations from trusted reader friends.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Yes. There were vampires. That story will never see the light of day, but I've borrowed elements and ideas from it for other stories I've written.
What is your writing process?
I do some high-level plotting and then I write my story notes by hand in one of my many notebooks. After that, I dictate my first draft off those notes. Finally, the story goes through several rounds of edits, including with my editor. It ends with a final polish and fixing typos from my team of typo hunters. I write or edit almost every day, and can often be found working at my local coffee shop.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I can't remember the first story I ever read but I have been a voracious reader all my life. I *always* carry my Kindle around with me. Reading is my escape, my pleasure, it gives me all the feels, and it has helped me through some tough times.
How do you approach cover design?
I have an amazing cover artist, but I like to think we are a team. I always have a pretty definite vision for a cover or the covers in a series. I toss a lot of ideas at my designer and she always turns them into something awesome.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
Oh, this is a really horrible question -- there are so many books I love. For sci-fi romance, I love Games of Command and Finder's Keeper by Linnea Sinclair, and Naked in Death by JD Robb. For paranormal romance, I love Slave to Sensation (and a bunch of other books in the Psy-Changeling series) by Nalini Singh and Burn for Me (and all the books in the Hidden Legacy Trilogy) by Ilona Andrews. For urban fantasy, the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Eek, that's way more than five books and I could go on...
What do you read for pleasure?
Romance. Primarily romance with a lot of action and adventure going on (which is what I love to both read and write). For me, that is usually found in sci-fi romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense and some contemporary romances.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
Kindle. I've had a long line of them.
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
Offering the first book in my series free and letting new readers test drive my writing has always been the best thing I ever did to help readers discover my books.
Describe your desk
I'm pretty neat and tidy! I have a large monitor that I dock my laptop into, but I'm often at the coffee shop or on the couch with my laptop or notebook.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Australia. I spent a lot of time playing outdoors on imaginary adventures with my brother. That definitely has influenced my action-packed writing!
When did you first start writing?
I never grew up wanting to be a writer but I was always a reader. I started writing when I first got married. I decided to try writing some of the stories in my head and I've never looked back.
What's the story behind your latest book?
I'm currently working on the last book in the my action-packed Treasure Hunter Security series. I have a driven FBI agent and the smart, classy hacker and co-owner of Treasure Hunter Security who are forced to work together to stop a dangerous black-market antiquities ring. Lots of action, danger, and a sexy romance!
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I was traditionally published first and it was the slow speed it took to get my stories published that convinced me to become an indie author. I could see that readers wanted the books sooner! I absolutely love being in control of my books and when I publish them.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
From the beginning, Smashwords has made is easy for me to distribute my books to retailers and libraries. The support they give authors is great as well. Anything that helps make the business-side of things easier for an indie author is invaluable!
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Every time I get an email or a message from a reader who tells me my book helped make their rough day a little easier, helped make the wait at the hospital a little shorter, or helped put a smile on their face...it reminds me that writing my stories matters. That's my greatest joy.
What do your fans mean to you?
My readers are awesome! They keep me inspired and energized to get to the laptop and write (even on the days when I want to slack off!)
What are you working on next?
I am working on a brand-new series that is a spin-off of my action-packed Treasure Hunter Security series. It features a mysterious covert team who are tasked with safeguarding some important relics...the women they must protect at all costs.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.

Books by This Author

Fury & Darkness (Warriors of the Wind #3)
Series: Warriors of the Wind. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 44,040. Language: English. Published: May 30, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Paranormal » General, Fiction » Romance » Fantasy
The Warriors of the Wind are the only thing protecting humans from a centuries-old evil, but with their potential mates, the Aurae, long gone, these alpha warriors are in danger of becoming the very evil they hunt. In Fury, Luca's new personal assistant is hiding more than just dangerous curves under her suit. In Darkness, Soren is a man on the verge of succumbing to the evil he fights.
Storm & Seduction (Warriors of the Wind #2)
Series: Warriors of the Wind. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 44,150. Language: English. Published: May 30, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Paranormal » General, Fiction » Romance » Fantasy
The Warriors of the Wind are the only thing protecting humans from a centuries-old evil, but with their potential mates, the Aurae, long gone, these alpha warriors are in danger of becoming the very evil they hunt. In Storm, the last thing Dante expects on his hunt is an alluring assassin out to kill him. In Seduction, Antonio is chained and naked with a beautiful woman who can never be his.
Tempest (Warriors of the Wind #1)
Series: Warriors of the Wind. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 23,910. Language: English. Published: May 30, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Paranormal » General, Fiction » Romance » Fantasy
Lorenzo Venti is Keeper of the Winds. A loner at heart, he’s fine that his duty to keep the evil Tempest Winds trapped on their island prison keeps him isolated and alone. He prefers his work with his horses to annoying people anyway. But his powerful foes are rising, and when one infuriating, tempting woman arrives on his island, she threatens everything...
Anomaly Series Box Set
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 93,140. Language: English. Published: September 20, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Paranormal » General, Fiction » Romance » Sci-fi
Step into the action-filled, suspenseful world of the anomalies, where some humans are gifted with extraordinary powers. Time Thieves, Mind Raiders and Soul Stealers are in a battle of survival against the crime lords and secret government agencies hunting them for their abilities. Includes four novellas where these anomalies risk everything to survive...and risk it all to fall in love.
Salvation (Anomaly Series #4)
Series: The Anomaly Series. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 16,400. Language: English. Published: October 16, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Action/adventure, Fiction » Romance » Paranormal » General
He was once a power-hungry crime lord and John Brown can never forget it. He’s lost most of his memories—most of his soul—but no one trusts him…not even himself. Then his calm, boring existence is shattered when he wakes up chained in a secret underground lab. Tortured, experimented on, his only hope is a feminine voice in the darkness.
Soul Stealer (Anomaly Series #3)
Series: The Anomaly Series. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 27,630. Language: English. Published: February 3, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Paranormal » General, Fiction » Romance » Sci-fi
Schoolteacher Cate Hartmann was kidnapped and forced to use her psychic ability to kill. Now she’s a killer with an addiction to stealing souls. She fights to recover but only one man calms the storm inside. A genius anomaly scientist—with a sexy, muscled body under his lab coat—a man she’s too afraid to touch: Dr. Gage Walker.
Mind Raider (Anomaly Series #2)
Series: The Anomaly Series. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 26,980. Language: English. Published: October 11, 2012 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Paranormal » General, Fiction » Romance » Sci-fi
Mara Ross takes crap from no one. Especially not the crime boss who tortured her for her psychic ability to control minds. Now he’s kidnapped another woman and Mara will do anything to save her—including joining forces with Callahan, the most deadly, powerful man she knows.
Time Thief (Anomaly Series #1)
Series: The Anomaly Series. Price: Free! Words: 28,850. Language: English. Published: August 13, 2012 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Paranormal » General, Fiction » Romance » Sci-fi
(3.00 from 1 review)
Bay North wants revenge, no, she craves revenge. Hunted for her psychic ability to steal time and forced to watch her family die, all she wants is to make the crime lord who’s taken everything from her pay. But now he's set the ultimate hunter on her trail and Bay will need all her skills just to survive the gray-eyed, hard-bodied man out to kill her.