Anya Bast

Hi all! I posted this last Friday on Fire & Ice and thought I’d post it here too. 🙂

I was blog-blocked today, so I enlisted the help of those on Twitter and Facebook. They asked me questions (below) and I’ve answered them. I left off names and stuff like that, but I do want say THANK YOU to all who came to my aid. If you have any questions for me, go ahead! I’ll be around all day today to reply to comments (weather and internet connection permitting).

When did you know you wanted to write? What is it like? I know it’s a ‘job’, but how does it feel to create?
I knew very young. It was the thing I told people when they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. “I want to be a writer”. I’m not really sure why I decided on writer as a child. I come from a family of pilots. Flying should have been my natural inclination since I was around it so much, but it was always writing. I read all. the. time. Maybe that had something to do with it.

The plotting stage and writing the first draft are the parts of the process that feel the most creative to me. I love forming the world, creating the characters, and getting everything out during that first draft. Some days the words come sluggish and slow, but other days they just pour out. When I’m “in the zone,” so to speak, there’s no better feeling in the world. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

If you wrote a historical… what would it be?
I already did! My first book was a medieval historical that weighed in at about, oh, something like 200k. It was a door-stopper. It contained every rookie writing mistake known to man. It also skated the edge of paranormal. Back then, though, there was no such thing as paranormal romance, so my medieval historical was an odd book indeed.

I cut about half the book and rewrote it about ten times. It resembles almost nothing of its former self, but if you want to check it out it’s titled Strands of Sunlight and it’s for sale at Ellora’s Cave.

What is the one “position” you have written that you thought… oh dear god… is this even possible?
As a writer of many a ménage a trois romances and a few books with four-way scenes, I can’t even count the times I’ve stared at my manuscript, cocked my head to the side, squinted, then shook my head and deleted several paragraphs. When you get all those body parts in there, it can get confusing. Far too many arms, legs and other…appendages, if you know what I mean (and I think you do).

Are u doing any more of the elemental witch books cos i really luved them they were so grippin!!! i read all the books in a matter of days :))
First of all, thank you so much! 🙂

At the moment I have no more plans to write Elemental Witch books, though I do get many emails from people asking for more. I am starting a new series, however. The first full length novel of the Dark Magick series is Wicked Enchantment and it releases in January. If you enjoyed the witch series, I think you’ll like the Dark Magick series. It’s just as action-packed and hot as the witch series. New world, though. New characters. I’m SO excited about it, too.

Out of all the books in your elemental witch series which was the most challenging to write? and why?
Looking back now I’d have to say it was Witch Fire, the first one, only because I was so nervous about the book. I nearly choked that thing to death trying to get it “perfect” because it was going to be my first mass market release. It wasn’t until a while later that I came to the understanding that there is no “perfect”. Or at least “perfect” is in the eye of the beholder. You can’t please everyone, you know? So I loosened up and just wrote. I’ve been having a lot more fun since then.

Witch Heart gave me some fits too because the plot arch for the series took an unexpected turn in that book. I plot out all my books beforehand, but loosely to leave room for the unanticipated. Witch Heart took a few surprising detours while I was writing it. It made me beat my head bloody on my keyboard a few times.

I would like to hear about your new series.
Why, thanks for asking because I love talking about it!

The worldbuilding of the Dark Magick series is fae-based and most of the action occurs in a prison-like territory called Piefferburg. Essentially it’s a resettlement area for the fae, in a reality in which the fae are real and the human population knows about their existence. In this world, humans both fear and are fascinated by the fae.

With the help of the Phaendir, an order of druids, the fae have been captured and are being held in this large, warded territory of the United States. Of course, the fae want OUT of Piefferburg. That’s their overall struggle in this series–how do the fae break out of Piefferburg? How do they defeat the Phaendir? How do they deal with the humans who fear them? As an added complication, there’s internal strife between the Summer Queen of the Seelie and the Shadow Royal of the Unseelie. Lots of political intrigue and lots of friction between the fae and the Phaendir.

The Dark Magick series is action-packed paranormal romance, just like the Elemental Witches series, with each book focusing on a single couple (with HEAs), but with the series telling an overarching story. If you enjoyed the Elemental Witches series, I’m pretty sure you’ll like this one too. I do believe this one might be longer than the witch series, too. I think this one has some long legs. However that, of course, will be up to my publishing house, in the end.

Here’s a blurb for Wicked Enchantment, the first full length book of the series:

When you’re a half incubus, your reputation precedes you…

All eyes are on Gabriel Mac Braire the day he makes his first appearance in the Seelie Court, including those of Aislinn Finvarra. Despite deep bitterness over her last failed relationship, Aislinn cannot help but be curious about the half incubus who is known to possess dark magick, both lethal and sexual in nature. Rumors abound of the women who have become enslaved to his irresistible charms.

So when the Summer Queen of the fae orders Aislinn herself to act as his guide in the court, she is understandably on guard. She’s fallen under the spell of far less persuasive men before. In addition, Gabriel might be more than he seems and his true mission is far from innocent.
This time, Aislinn must protect not only her heart, but her very life…

I will say that this blurb is a little misleading…but in a good way. It doesn’t give any spoilers away. However it also doesn’t really tell the reader just how much conflict there is in this story. Big, sweeping change and conflict. I can’t say more than that without saying too much.

The Hot for the Holidays anthology has a taste of my series in it, too, with Sweet Enchantment. That one is available now.

Does your writing of sex scenes influence you sexually in real life or vice versa?
I get this question a lot. LOL. What I write is fantasy, just like vampires or faeries are fantasy. So, no, I’m not participating in lots of kinky sex acts every day, sorry to disappoint. Most of it comes from my own twisted imagination, just like everything else. I will say that I have a healthy (and not very repressed) attitude toward sex. I think that does help me to write sex scenes, but, then, I don’t know for sure. I know lots of very conservative and tight-buttoned women who write some scorchingly hot books.

Describe your writing day and your writing environment.
My dining room table. I have an office, but my toddler does not allow me to be secluded in my cave very often. I have to write when/where I can these days, as she takes priority. I’ve found that being in the center of my house on my laptop helps me be both a mom and a writer best.
Every day I set a writing goal for myself, usually something like two or three thousand words, depending. If I’m editing pages, I set a page count I need to reach. Sometimes I obtain my goals, sometimes not. I work until I reach my daily goal (unless I absolutely can’t). Some days I’m done by noon, sometimes I’m still working at midnight. I try very hard to be done by six pm every day, though, so I can take my evenings off. I can’t remember the last time I took a whole weekend off.

Thanks again for the questions, everyone!