At the end of April, I participated in a panel discussion at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College in St Kitts with other authors from St Kitts and Nevis. It was a pleasure to meet my fellow writers, chat with fans, and speak to a new audience about what drove me to write romance novels in the first place.
It started with a love of reading on my small island of Nevis, where, growing up, I devoured up to three books a week. I read everything from Mills & Boons, to Silhouette and Harlequin, to Regency and Historical. There was one point when I went to the library and found that I had read every novel on the shelves, and I had to wait, rather impatiently, for the next shipment of books to arrive from England and the U.S.
My siblings and childhood friends still remember when I started my own library in my village. I made patrons sign out their books and even charged them a late fee when they were past due! LOL
Later, as a young woman and mother living in the United States in the early nineties, I continued to devour romance novels and frequented my local library. My love for this pastime had not faded, but by then I had started to think critically about the romance genre. I had just finished reading a novel that I loved, but afterwards I started thinking, “What if the characters were black?” We also fall in love, have drama, fight, break up, and get back together, just like everyone else!
That’s when I started writing A Mother for Precious, which would become The Doctor’s Secret Bride. I have to say, it is so exciting that that book––and the others in the Billionaire Brides of Granite Falls and Beyond Granite Falls series––are now in libraries across the country and around the world.
Have you come across an Ana E Ross book in your local library? Did you know you can request that your library add your favorite books and authors to their catalogue? Most libraries have a system for reviewing community requests. Get in touch with your librarian and ask them to add The Doctor’s Secret Bride to their shelves.
Check out the replay on the CFBC YouTube page to hear more about my writing process and the kernel behind Seduced by Passion, coming later this year. While there, leave a comment about one of your favorite reading or book related memories.