EQ Welcomes Anna Markland

 The Interview

EQ welcomes Anna Markland! Tell us a little bit about yourself, Anna.

I was born in England, but I’ve lived most of my life in Canada. I have a keen interest in genealogy and this has had a tremendous influence on my stories. I write medieval romance about family honor, ancestry, and roots. My novels are intimate love stories filled with passion and adventure. Following a fruitful career in teaching, I transformed my love of writing and history into works of fiction. One of the things I enjoy most about writing historical romance is the in-depth research necessary to provide readers with an authentic medieval experience. And I love happy endings!

EQ: Which of your characters do you connect with the most and why?

Caedmon FitzRam (A Man of Value) is my favorite character. At a point where all seems to be finally going right in his life, he discovers he is the epitome of everything he has always despised. Having grown up in exile believing he was the son of a Saxon warrior killed at the Battle of Hastings, he finds out he is actually the illegitimate son of a powerful Norman Earl.

The new found knowledge sends him off the deep end and he leaves his new wife, who is pregnant unbeknownst to him, to become a Crusader.

The plot revolves around his journey to find himself amid the perils and challenges of the ill fated First Crusade.

Because my books follow families though successive generations, Caedmon reappears in several books, both as warrior with his half-brothers (Passion in the Blood) and eventually as a father of adult children (Carried Away). I suppose this is why I got to know him so well! One of the difficult things about following a dynasty is that characters eventually have to die. I cannot read the passage describing Caedmon’s death without blubbering!

EQ: Describe how you create characters.

Following a family means you have no shortage of possibilities for the hero or heroine of the next book! The longer the saga goes on, the more you have to choose from! Usually, a certain character will “speak” to me. I don’t believe in woo-hoo, and that’s not what I mean. He or she simply keeps turning up in my thoughts. Then of course I have to match the appropriate age to some interesting historical event or period. There’s a danger that because they are related all the heroes might tend to resemble each other. I’ve made 3 of the female descendants heroines (Dark Irish Knight, Carried Away, Wild Viking Princess), but the majority of my stories follow the men of the Montbryce family.

EQ: What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your writing?

I recently decided to tear myself away from the Middle Ages and write a contemporary romance. As if that wasn’t challenge enough, I made it a baby boomer romance about two mature people exploring the world of kink! I’ve established Anna Markland as a medieval brand, so I created a different pen name for the new venture. Hence Roxanne Rogerson!

To complicate matters further I chose two unlikely settings: Victoria, British Columbia (where I live) and Panama (where I have a condo).

On top of that, I made the hero an ex-cop turned private investigator who looks into cases of alleged elder abuse. Could I have picked a more obtuse topic? However, elder abuse is a growing problem worldwide and I thought it important enough to focus on. Difficult as it may be to believe, all the cases I have Michael investigate in the book are taken from actual police reports.

EQ: Tell us a little bit about your most recent release.

Boom! Listen to Your Heart is a humorous, tongue-in-cheek look at the world of kink as seen through the eyes of two people exploring cravings and desires they have suppressed for years. It’s also a romantic suspense. Michael Atherton is a private investigator whose work unwittingly puts Jessie’s life in danger.

Here’s a blurb:

A near-fatal heart attack changed Michael Atherton’s life. He learned from it, transforming his lifestyle. Healthier and in great physical shape, Michael tries to come to terms with long-buried cravings and desires unleashed by his near-death experience. His wife does not share his inclination to what she refers to as disgusting erotic shit, and they divorce. Now alone, he explores the emerging Dom side of his personality.

But a good Dom needs a Submissive to complete him.

Jessie Halliwell’s debut novel, His Willing Slave, catapults her to the New York Times Bestsellers List.(sigh) Only she knows that her knowledge of the Dom/Sub lifestyle comes entirely from research and avid reading of erotic novels. Recognizing she has suppressed her Submissive cravings through two unsuccessful marriages, she creates an ideal Dom/Sub relationship between the hero and heroine of her blockbuster novel. Will she find her own Perfect Dom?

Set in the intimate West Coast city of Victoria and the lush country of Panama, the story takes Michael and Jessie on a roller coaster ride of emotions as Michael’s work as a private investigator unwittingly puts Jessie’s life in jeopardy.

If you enjoy contemporary erotic romantic suspense with a touch of humor, you’ll love BOOM!

Anna's Titles:

Conquering Passion

If Love Dares Enough

Defiant Passion

A Man of Value

Dark Irish Knight

Haunted Knights

Passion in the Blood

Dark and Bright

The Winds of the Heavens

Dance of Love

Carried Away

Sweet Taste of Love

Wild Viking Princess

Hearts and Crowns

Roxanne's Titles: 

Boom! Listen to Your Heart

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