Please Welcome Author Anne Ashby

       Today I'm pleased to introduce Author Anne Ashby. Anne and I live on opposite sides of the world, but we're able to connect thanks to author support groups on the internet. I've enjoyed reading about her latest release, The CEO Gets Her Man and asked her to answer a few questions about herself and her writing. She's led a very interesting life!

       Thanks so much for inviting me to visit with you. I look forward to interacting with your readers. Please be aware our time zones differ so my responses may be a while after comments are posted. But be assured, I will respond to every comment.

Thanks for visiting, Anne. What do you do when you're not writing?
You mean other than dreaming about writing or what my characters might want to do next? I'm sure I'm allergic to housework so I do my level best to keep that to a minimum. My husband has very recently retired from the Royal NZ Navy so spending relaxing time with him is still a novelty. He loves to cook and has offered to "take over the kitchen" - am I complaining? You'd better believe I'm still jumping with joy.

But on a more serious note, we have four toddler grandchildren living close by so I spend a certain amount of my down time with them and their parents. I'm also embarking on speaking/facilitating new writers side of my career which takes time. My interest in genealogy has taken a back seat for a few years but family history still remains high interest for me. Other than that, I enjoy reading (obviously) and watching TV (when there is something worth watching), and rugby - at the moment the rugby championship between South African, Australian and New Zealand teams (called the Super Fifteen) is well underway and with four or five matches every weekend, well I get to watch a lot of rugby right now.

Sounds like fun. What's your idea of an ideal vacation?
Any vacation (our term is a holiday) is a great one. I love to travel and see new places and meet new people. Of course that leads to problems because I then want to return to visit those new friends I've made instead of experiencing something new and different. We hope to be able to travel, both within New Zealand and overseas, more frequently now my husband has retired. I guess my ideal holiday would incorporate both visiting friends and going somewhere new. Living so far away from Europe/North America initial travel costs are expensive, so the theory is to try and spend as much time as possible if heading to the Northern Hemisphere. Currently on my wish list is a return to Shetland Islands to stay with cousins (5x removed) and soak up the home my ancestors left many, many years ago. Next year we hope to pay a return visit to Rocky Mount NC to visit friends (who have become more like family). Because we haven't seen much of the southern USA, we are currently talking about flying into Dallas, getting a car and meandering across and around to NC. I'm going to throw the idea of a Caribbean cruise into the mix at some stage in the near future. Not sure how that will go down with my sailor husband but it'll be worth a try.

Good luck! What life experiences helped you become an author?
I'm not sure what things have helped me become an author. First I must give credit to my mother who is a great reader. She instilled in me a love of the written word and the certainty that you can never be alone or lonely if you have a book beside you. Being fortunate enough to encounter and attend a romance writing course conducted by Loree Lough was a huge boost for me. Prior to this writing had been a dream which I was sure would remain just that, a dream. Her ongoing encouragement enabled me to turn that dream into reality. The writers group I became involved with until I returned to NZ also helped me tremendously.

I also pay tribute to my time serving in the Royal NZ Navy which definitely contributed to my perseverance and determination to succeed. Serving in any military corps instills enormous self discipline which has been invaluable. The routines I set early in my second (writing) career continue although my life has changed dramatically. I no longer need to fit writing around the needs of my children or household duties but my routine is firmly entrenched and ensures I have plenty of hours each day to devote in some form to my writing.

I too enjoy the flexibility that retirement brings. How did you choose the genre you write in?
At the beginning of the writing course, Loree Lough very quickly solicited our ideas and then told the class only one of her 20 odd students knew exactly what she would write. Me. I write sweet/clean/traditional contemporary romance because this is what I read. I very rarely read anything else. I guess you could say that this being the case, then my expertise lies within the sweet contemporary genre.

That's great that you found your niche right away. What inspired you to write your first book?
Apart from the scribbling future writers do as children, my first real story (Worlds Apart) was about a New Zealander visiting America. I got the idea of sharing some of the odd and unusual experiences we had adapting to a foreign culture and language when we shifted to Maryland for two years. Incorporating these into a romance between a kiwi and her US hero was a lot of fun. 


Those "fish out of water" stories are often fun. What books/authors have influenced your writing?
There was a prolific New Zealand romance writer in 1960-1980's called Essie Summers. I loved her stories. She wrote sweet (as most writers did back then), set many of her stories in locations near my childhood home, and often touched on genealogy sub-plots. Looking back now, I realise her books sent me into reading heaven. She showed that New Zealand could be used as a setting, that stories didn't need to be in more recognizable location to be popular and successful. This suits me as I like writing about my beautiful country. Not only am I trying to be an ambassador but I can also write about what I know, rather than relying on the Internet or memories to help make my stories locations sound authentic. 


Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
I have been one of the most fortunate writers because my first book "Worlds Apart" was published. But it was a struggle and I only continued to persevere because Loree had suggested to me years before that it would get published. Remembering that this era was before emailed submissions were accepted by most publishers and that I live on the opposite side of the world from the publishing houses. My book was finished in 2001. I spent over 4 years submitting proposals, 3 chapters, then full ms to publishers via snail mail, taking up to about 12-15 months each time. Mills & Boon in London suggested I send it to Superromance in Toronto, then Superromance suggested I send it to M&B in London. M&B then suggested they would consider it if I cut 15-20,000 words - very annoying as I'd just attended a conference where M&B representatives stressed word counts no longer governed acceptance. I decided to keep trying elsewhere rather than butcher what I thought was a great story. Treble Heart Books was at the Romance Writers of NZ conference (I think in 2006) and after a pitch I received a contract. After almost two years of nothing happening I was offered a release from that contract because the editor/owner had suffered a heart attack and had got so far behind in honouring all the contracts. At our conference in 2008 I pitched to a representative from The Wild Rose Press who contracted my story. After months of working with my lovely editor - who made the courageous suggestion to change spelling and idioms when we changed POV characters (a suggestion she has never repeated I might add) "Worlds Apart" finally hit the world in May 2010. Highlighting some of what happened during this road to publication now, I can hardly believe how long it took. 
I'd like to share with you my latest release which is initially set in the southern region of New Zealand before shifting to our capital city, Wellington. 

Back Blurb of The CEO Gets Her Man: 
       Ensuring her company's success is Debra Laurie’s life. But when she goes undercover to investigate a failing hotel in southern New Zealand, she finds her confidence crumbling. Masquerading as a waitress is a disaster—especially when the hotel’s assistant manager is a former rugby star she once had a crush on.
       Jase McEwan is struggling to keep the hotel afloat. An unpredictable manager, ridiculous demands from the head office, and employee unrest are problems enough. Now a haughty new waitress is causing mayhem in the restaurant—and in his heart.
       Determined to be impartial, Debra sets out to discover if Jase is responsible for the hotel’s drastic situation. But the more she investigates, the more she likes his work—and the more their attraction sizzles. Before long, Jase has turned Debra’s world upside-down. But what happens when he learns the new waitress is really his CEO?

Excerpt:
       Jase had been surprised at the improvement in the new waitress’s service when he was in the dining room earlier chatting to guests. He dismissed his earlier concern about her employment. However now she caught his eye again. Not because she’s doing anything wrong. 
       Jase swallowed. His attention had little to do with anything except hormones. She was so very attractive. And the dark uniform, possibly a little on the tight side, accentuated her curves very nicely thank you. He didn't even try to look away when she glanced in his direction and their gazes locked. Time ceased as his pulse rate quickened.
       Her smirk as she hoisted a tray of wine flutes up to her shoulder irritated him. Clearly she found his regard amusing. His lips tightened. 
       He kept his narrowed gaze on her as, after what seemed like an intense but short conversation with George’s head waitress, she headed across the floor toward Karin Laurie’s table.
       Within a couple of paces Jase detected movement on Debra’s tray. A faint wobble that experience had taught him would soon increase and cause a debacle. The breath caught in Jase’s throat. Disaster loomed.
       Well before his sprinting legs could take him anywhere near close enough to prevent the shambles, as if in slow motion, the tray tipped first one way and then the other. The flutes took on lives of their own and acting like lemmings they fell to their death on and around the table of the hotel’s owner. 
       Karin Laurie’s guests both leapt to avoid the cascade of red wine and orange juice but she stayed remarkably still after an initial shocked jolt. Sliding to a stop beside her, Jase was horrified to see her clutching her leg, red of an alarmingly different hue from the wine slowly oozed between her fingers.

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You can find Anne at her website, and blog, or on facebook, Goodreads, Wild Rose Publishing, and on Twitter.


Buy Links for The CEO Gets Her Man:
Book is available in both print and digital from:

Publisher - The Wild Rose Press http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=679

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/The-CEO-Gets-Her-ebook/dp/B00AU50QHW

B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ceo-gets-her-man-anne-ashby/1115202539

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