Meet Anitra
Reading, writing, and white-water rafting are the three things Anitra Lynn McLeod enjoys the most.
Little FAQ
What do you write?
I write erotic futuristic historical fantasy. Sound confusing? Well, the novels are set in the future and these people have advanced technologies but much of their culture is historical. A while back Romantic Times Book Reviews ran an article about Steampunk and that is very similar to what I do.
How long have you been writing? How did you get started?
I've been writing since I was twelve so 31 years this April. I entered my first writing contest in 2004 with Honor Bright, a German Medieval. It came in forth, but the final editor said something really snarky about the setting. That's when I realized they would never sell and created a new series.
Several years and writing contests later, I entered my erotic futuristic historical fantasy Virgin Harvest in the "Launching a Star" contest. That was finally the contest that got me my agent. When Roberta Brown read the first 20 pages of my manuscript, she immediately called the contest coordinator to get my information. I signed with her three days later. Five months later, we sold three novels and a novella to John Scognamiglio at Kensington. Virgin Harvest, now renamed WICKED HARVEST, releases August 2009 and the novella, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, releases October 2009 in SEXY BEAST VII.
Any advice to aspiring writers?
It's been said a million times but read, read, read, and write, write, write. You have to do a lot of both to succeed. Also, never ever give up. Time after time, I stood on the verge of potential success only to see it vanish into thin air. After a pity-party (and some chocolate ice-cream) I would dust myself off and try again. Nobody was going to tell me I couldn't do it when I knew damn well that I could!