Happy New Year!  May 2011 be a bumper year for all my readers!

My website is having a makeover just in time for Valentine's Day. The brilliant Paula Roe has done a brilliant job creating a brand-new look that's the perfect mixture of Regency sensuality and elegance. There are new pages, including one devoted to my next release MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION and one where you can find all my videos and trailers together. I'm also going to have a super-duper contest to celebrate the launch. So make sure you visit next month to ring in the changes with me!

2011 has definitely started off well with some beautiful covers that I'm delighted to show you. First up is the gorgeous North American cover for MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION (May 2011). Isn't that just beautiful? I love her expression, the colors and that glamorous, romantic dress she's wearing.  Next month, I'm putting up an excerpt and the blurb so keep an eye out for that with the new website launch.

I also received this dramatic, sensual cover for the Australian edition of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION (also May 2011). I love the way the Aussies have kept the gothic feel of the first couple of covers.

Finally on the subject of covers, here's the very sexy German cover for MY RECKLESS SURRENDER.  This is out from Blanvalet on 15th August 2011. The title translates as 'a lady full of secrets' which describes Diana pretty well! You can already pre-order the book at German Amazon.

Australian and New Zealand readers who missed out on the trade paperback edition of MY RECKLESS SURRENDER, the mass market edition is out in January. Keep an eye out of it at Big W, KMart, Target and all the bookstore chains.

While I was in Denver, Colorado, for RomCon, Sue Grimshaw from Borders Books videoed this interview where I talk about MY RECKLESS SURRENDER and my penchant for torturing heroes.

News about a couple of events I'm involved with in the next few months:

I'm doing two library talks called Love a Good Romance with fabulous Brisbane author Amy Andrews.  Amy, who is currently President of Romance Writers of Australia, writes for Mills & Boon Medicals and is soon to enjoy her mainstream fiction debut (writing as Alison Ahearn) with SISTER PACT from HarperCollins Australia.

I had a marvelous time. Luckily, the ship was full of romance fans (the gift shop had trouble keeping up with the demand for books!) and the talks were extremely well attended. I did six talks in all, three on how to write a romance on the sea days to New Zealand and favorite romances, my backlist and MY RECKLESS SURRENDER and MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION on the sea days back to Australia. In between there was a week of wonderful touring around that beautiful country. Thank you to everyone who participated in the talks and asked such interesting questions and gave me such a wonderful warm welcome. I'm hoping to do another cruise as a guest speaker late next year - watch this website for details.   In the meantime, here's a photo of wonderful Kayleigh from the gift shop who turned out to be the world's greatest saleswoman when it comes to shifting books by A. Campbell Esquire. The other two photos are of me in Milford Sound and some of the gorgeous, rugged scenery in Dusky Sound, Fiordland National Park on the South Island.

Also new on the website this month, check out a short article on marketing materials that recently appeared in HeartsTalk, the newsletter of Romance Writers of Australia.  And don't forget the current Backlist Bounty for the New Year contest which closes on 31st January. I'm giving 10 people the chance to win their choice of my currently published books. Good luck!

Registration has opened for the Australian Romance Readers Association Convention at Bondi Beach which takes place from Friday, 25th March, to Sunday, 27th March, 2011. This is an absolute must for Aussie romance fans. I'm one of the keynote speakers and I'd love to see you there. For the registration form and more information, please visit the ARRA website. 

My Favorite Things this month gives me a chance to share some photos from my cruise to New Zealand on the 'Pacific Dawn' at the beginning of December. But I thought I might sneak in a few extras here for your viewing pleasure.

Things are looking very different in Campbellandia! People who have visited the website before will notice the spectacular new look, courtesy of brilliant designer Paula Roe. I love the sensual, romantic feeling of the design and the elegant Regency flavour. The portraits are by Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), a famous Scottish artist of the Regency period and the photos are from my British travels.

I hope you'll check out the new pages:

Other new material includes a piece on my teenage romantic reading in My Favorite Things and an article about my New Zealand trip. And make sure you enter the HUGE new contest to launch my website.

On a more serious note, as many of you know, my home state in Australia, Queensland, has been devastated by flooding in early 2011. Here's a link for donations.

For those of you in south-east Queensland, there's a couple of events in February to watch out for. I'd love to see you there!

I'm doing two library talks on Love a Good Romance with fabulous Aussie author Amy Andrews. Amy, who is currently President of Romance Writers of Australia, writes for Mills & Boon Medicals and is soon to enjoy her mainstream fiction debut (writing as Alison Ahearn) in Australia with SISTER PACT from HarperCollins.

There has been some nice news over the last month. Romance maven Kate Cuthbert, who reviews for Booktopia and runs the Australian Romance Readers site, listed her 10 Best Romances of 2010 in the latest Australian Romance Readers Association newsletter. I'm delighted to report that MY RECKLESS SURRENDER came in at number eight. Kate says: "How wonderful when a best of 2010 is also a best of the author. All the lushness you've come to expect from Anna, with a hero who is impossible not to love."

I also found this wonderful recent review of UNTOUCHED on The Romance Nerd. Mindy says: "Man, was this a juicy book. I loved the tension between Matthew and Grace. I love how they both helped one another in opening up their hearts and lives to each one. It felt real, passionate and endearing.  I was very moved by this book. I was laughing, crying and at times I felt as if my heart had been ripped from my chest after learning of all that Matthew had to endure in his life. Five Stars."

As many of you know, I'm one of the keynote speakers at the Australian Romance Readers Association convention at Bondi Beach from Friday, 25th March to Sunday, 27th March. The program has just been released and it looks wonderful. I'll be involved in a number of sessions including a long conversation with Anne Gracie which promises to be great fun! I hope you can be there!

Finally, three great books to watch out for in February. The first is the North American release of a beautiful fairytale romance by Annie West that recently received a 4.5 star review from RT Book Reviews, PROTECTED BY THE PRINCE  (PASSION, PURITY AND THE PRINCE in the UK and Australia) is a gorgeous Cinderella story that you'll find utterly irresistible.

The second is the long-awaited debut from fabulous Romance Bandit Suzanne Ferrell, her delicious Ellora's Cave release THE SURRENDER OF LACY MORGAN on 4th February. For quite a while, Ms. Ferrell has been wickedly teasing those of us in the lair with excerpts from this passionate tale - I think the Bandits will be fighting to get their hands on a copy!

And keep an eye out for another Bandita's latest release. Tawny Weber's  BREAKING ALL THE RULES looks delicious (yeah, I'm talking about the cover too!). I love Tawny's books. They're really smart and sexy and then sneak up on you with a huge emotional punch.

See you next month!

Thank you to everyone who contacted me to say how much you love the new website design! I'm madly in love with it too!

It's been a big month for news!

First up, I'm delighted to announce that I've been included among the finalists in the Australian Romance Reader Association Awards again this year. As many of you would remember, I was absolutely thrilled to win favorite Australian Romance Author award last year. Anyway, this year, MY RECKLESS SURRENDER is included in the list of historical romance finalists and I'm up for favorite Aussie romance author again. Competition is fierce with some fabulous books and writers in the running! The winners will be announced at the convention dinner in Sydney on Saturday, 26th March. Congratulations to all the finalists!

If you haven't already booked your spot for the Australian Romance Readers Association Convention in Bondi from Friday 25th March to Sunday, 27th March, there's still time! It's going to be the biggest romance party in Oz this year and you'll kick yourself if you aren't there. The first convention in 2009 in Melbourne was an absolute hoot. To tempt you, here's a link to the program.

Some good news for a couple of my books. Epsilon Yayinevi are going to release MY RECKLESS SURRENDER in Turkey. MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION is going to Rhapsody, Doubleday and Book of the Month Club as a Featured Alternate in May. I'll have some delicious hardback copies of the book to give away in a future contest so keep an eye out for those.

February is Valentine's Day month and I did a lot of media around the traps, including a number of radio interviews and I got some nice coverage in the newspapers. When I get links to the articles, I'll put them up. So far, we've got:

Thank you to everyone who came to Noosa Library for a Night of Romance with Anna Campbell on Wednesday, 9th February. We had a great evening as you can see in the photos. Photos from the Brisbane library talks at the end of February were a bit late to make the deadline for my updates so I'll include them in April's latest news.

A special blog event to look out for. On Saturday, 5th March, the Romance Bandits will invade debut author Ashley March's March Madness Blog party. Prizes and mayhem! How can you say no?

My Favorite Things this month is a piece on Frank Sinatra that appeared on the Romance Bandits blog a couple of months ago. I thought it deserved a longer life so I'm putting it up again here. Long live the Chairman of the Board!

And don't forget to enter the great contest that closes 31st March where you can win hardback copies of either RAVISHING IN RED by Madeline Hunter or THE WEDDING OF THE SEASON by Laura Lee Guhrke and your choice from my backlist.

The big news in Campbellandia this month is that MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION comes out on Tuesday, 26th April in North America. Here's the blurb:

You can read an excerpt here.

To whet your appetite, check out this wonderful review from Shayna at Joyfully Reviewed.  I particularly like this bit: "Readers beware: do not start reading MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION late at night.  You'll stay up, as I did, telling yourself you'll only read one more chapter before putting it down for the night.  Next thing you know, you've finished this marvelous book and discover that it's nearly dawn.  And, as you feel yourself dragging through the next day, running on little to no sleep, you'll say it was worth it.  Because an evening spent with Antonia and Nicholas definitely is.  Anna Campbell is a master at drawing a reader in from the very first page and keeping them captivated the whole book through."

Kathe Robin at RT Book Reviews awarded MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION 4.5 stars and Top Pick status and had this to say: "It isn't just the sensuality she weaves into her story that makes Campbell a fan favorite, it's also her strong, three-dimensional characters, sharp dialogue and deft plotting. Campbell intuitively knows how to balance the key elements of the genre and give readers an irresistible, memorable read."

I'm just back from the Australian Romance Readers Association convention in Bondi Beach which was a hoot from beginning to end. I'll include a more complete report in next month's updates but just wanted to share some wonderful news - MY RECKLESS SURRENDER was voted favorite historical romance of 2010 (this is the third year in a row one of my books has received this award) and even more thrilling, I was voted favorite Australian romance author of 2010! I'm utterly beside myself with gratitude - it's wonderful when the home crowd gives you a cheer. And even better, this year, I was at the awards dinner to accept the beautiful trophies in person and thank the wonderful voters of ARRA. Congratulations to the other winners - Nalini Singh (who collected three trophies - I told her she was showing off!), Hélène Young, Paula Roe and Kandy Shepherd.

Speaking of lovely reviews, I came across this five star and gold star award review of MY RECKLESS SURRENDER at Just Erotic Romance Reviews.  I particularly love this bit from Aggie's take on the story: "You quickly realize within the first few pages of MY RECKLESS SURRENDER that this story not only engages your emotions, but pulls at them like a vice and doesn't let go till the very last page. Ms. Campbell executes a sensual romance that had me enthralled. Her Regency noir tale is laced with light moments of humor and candid self-awareness between the main players to counteract the emotional and sensual highs that you go through with Tarquin and Diana."

I had a marvellous visit to Brisbane for Library Lovers Month when I did talks with Amy Andrews, Medical Romance writer extraordinaire and President of Romance Writers of Australia, at Arana Hills and Albany Creek Libraries. Thank you to all the librarians who worked so hard to make the visits a success and thank you to the people who came and asked such interesting questions. I've put up a short article about my three library talks in February on the website - check it out.

If you'd like to see some photos from the Noosa Library talk on 9th February published in the Weekender magazine, check out my Facebook page.  There's also a really nice article in the Westerner about our Brisbane talks.

My Favorite Things this month is about David Attenborough's wildlife documentaries (just love them!). And make sure you enter my great Midnight's Madness contest where you can win one of SIX copies of my latest release MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION.

Thursday, 5th May - I'm guesting on Vauxhall Vixens. Giveaways!

Thursday, 9th May - I'm guesting on historical romance author Bronwen Evans's blog. Giveaways!

It's May! It's May! And that means both the American and the Australian editions of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION are on the shelves and available as e-books. How exciting! It also means that the beautiful hardcover edition of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION is available at Rhapsody Book Club.

And you can win lovely REAL opals from the wonderful folk at Avon who are celebrating MWP's release with a fantastic giveaway on Facebook. The draw closes on 16th May and all you have to do is like Avon's page. Details here. Good luck!

May is a big month not just for me, but for my Romance Bandit sisters. Three of them have releases - so readers have much to celebrate.

First up, Tawny Weber, one of my favorite writers, has a new Harlequin Blaze out. JUST FOR THE NIGHT is a sexy reunion story and it looks absolutely wonderful. I've already got my copy!   RITA-winning author Beth Andrews, who wrote the wonderful A NOT-SO-PERFECT PAST, has a new book out this month. THE PRODIGAL SON looks like Beth's usual breathtaking mixture of romance and emotion. Can't wait to read it either! Finally New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle has her fourth Bibliophile Mystery out this month. Can't wait to see what's going to happen with Brooklyn and Derek.

 

This month's My Favorite Things is about my childhood love of Enid Blyton's books. This month's contest is a beauty - you can win one of THREE signed hardcover editions (from Rhapsody Book Club) of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION. Good luck!

May also means Brenda Novak's Auction to raise money for research into a cure for juvenile diabetes. Over the last few years, Brenda has raised more than $1 million for this worthy cause - an amazing example of the power of one. The auction runs from 1st to 31st May and as usual I've got a couple of items up for grabs. Bid strong and bid often!!! 

I'm seeing some wonderful reviews for MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION.

I thought you'd like to see a few shots of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION on bookshelves in Australia. Thanks to avid reader, Deanna Lang, for these pictures from Dymocks in Sydney.

Wow, what a huge month! Thanks, everyone, for making the launch of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION in North America and in Australia such a buzz.

First up, I've joined the Twitterverse. You can find me at AnnaCampbelloz.  And now for the news about Midnight.

Here's Amanda Bergeron from Avon talking about MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION in an Avon Monday moment.

I've been a bit overwhelmed by the wonderful reviews. Here's a selection to whet your appetite:

Phew, I need a cup of tea after all that! Isn't it lovely the book's making so many friends out there?

For people on the Sunshine Coast, I'm doing a talk for the Friends of Maroochydore Library about the story behind MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION.  I'd love to see you there! Here are the details:

Some news about MY RECKLESS SURRENDER. MRS finaled in the Regency section of the Phoenix Desert Rose RWA Golden Quill. It's also out this month in Turkey from Epsilon Yayinevi  - the lovely yellow gets to live another day!

And further news in foreign editions, May marked my first release in Indonesia. UNTOUCHED is out from Gramedia Pustaka Utama. Isn't that a lovely cover?

If you'd like another chance to win a signed copy of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION the brilliant Annie West is running a great contest on her website (closes 28th June).

One winner will receive:

The other winner will receive:

This month's My Favorite Things is about the sacred Isle of Iona off the western coast of Scotland. And if you haven't entered my Hardback Heaven Contest, it closes 30th June. There are three beautiful Rhapsody Book Club hardback editions of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION up for grabs and all you have to do is answer one simple question. Good luck!

I'm writing this on the shortest day of the year here in Australia so happy solstice to you all! I hope my Northern Hemisphere friends are having a wonderful summer and I hope my Southern Hemisphere friends are cuddled up somewhere warm with a good book.

Thank you so much to everyone who has contacted me to say how much you love MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION.  It's been wonderful to hear how this book has touched a chord with so many of you.

The good reviews are still coming in. CarolAnn at The Romance Reviews gave MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION five stars out of five and a top pick, saying, "An emotive story of revenge, desire, love and redemption, Anna Campbell's new book, MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION, is an unforgettable experience." Rosemary at Romantic Rose's Bookshelf gave it an A-plus and said, "This book was incredible. I'm going to keep this review short so that I don't waste precious time you could be using to rush to the store and pick up a copy to read - immediately."

On Thursday, 16th June, the Friends of Maroochydore Library invited me to launch MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION on an unsuspecting world. It was a great night with a wonderful crowd. Thank you to the Friends, the staff of the library and Teresa from Angus and Robertson, Maroochydore and Kawana, for being our official bookseller. Here's a couple of shots of me in full flight during the talk.

As you know, I'm a long-time fan of Harlequin Presents author Annie West. PRINCE OF SCANDAL, her latest, a glamorous Cinderella story featuring a gorgeous tortured hero prince, is out mid-July. This is such a great romance - dramatic, emotional and passionate! You'll love it.

This month's My Favorite Things talks about my visit to the extremely romantic stately home Haddon Hall and don't forget to check out my latest contest where you can win one of three copies of THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF REGENCY ROMANCE, featuring my short story "Upon a Midnight Clear". Each winner will also receive a signed copy of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION. Good luck!

I'm delighted that this month UNTOUCHED is my first release in Indonesia from Kompas Gramedia. Isn't that a gorgeous cover? I love that romantic dress!

As I write this, many of my writing friends are preparing for the Romance Writers of America national conference in New York City. This year, I'm taking a break from that long trip. I'll be sad to miss the fun and I wish all the Golden Heart and RITA Award nominees the best of luck.

There are two really fantastic new books to look out for this month.

I read HEIRESS IN LOVE, the first instalment in Christina Brooke's magnificent "Ministry of Marriage" series, for a quote and I was absolutely bowled over by this beautiful historical romance. Rush out and buy it NOW!!! Here's the fun trailer for the book:

Happy August, everyone!

August is Australian and New Zealand romance conference month so it's party time in the Southern Hemisphere. I'll be in Melbourne for the Romance Writers of Australia conference from 11th to 14th August. I'm taking part in a roundtable discussion with lovely Avon author Terri Garey on Friday afternoon between 4:30 and 5:30 and I'm also doing a workshop with uber-talented Christina Brooke on Writing a Single Title that Sells on Sunday morning between 10:45 and 12:15. A highlight of every conference for me is the awards dinner where I get to present the Anna Campbell award to the highest-ranking unpublished historical manuscript in the Emerald Contest. I'm also looking forward to hearing the winners of the Romantic Book of the Year Award, the R*BY. You can see the list of fabulous finalists here.

For German readers, watch out for the release of the Blanvalet edition of EINE GEHEIMNISVOLLE LADY (MY RECKLESS SURRENDER) on 15th August. My schoolgirl German indicates that title means "a lady full of secrets" which is completely apt for my heroine, Diana. You can pre-order the book on Amazon Germany here.

Two pieces of great news for my 2010 release MY RECKLESS SURRENDER. The book has finaled in the Historical category of the Heart of Denver Romance Writers Aspen Gold Contest.  And that beautiful yellow cover is one of 15 finalists in Romance Writers of Australia special 20th anniversary cover contest where the quest is to find the best Aussie cover of the last two decades. The winner will be announced at the conference in August.

Just a bit of advance warning for people in south-east Queensland (or anyone considering a trip to Brisbane to soak up the early spring sunshine). Over the last few years, Christine Wells/Christina Brooke and I have run a workshop on Writing a Romance that Sells for the Brisbane Writers Festival. This year, we're doing our workshop twice, on Saturday morning, 10th September, and on Sunday afternoon, 11th September. Bookings don't open until the program comes out on 30th July but in previous years, our workshop has been the first to sell out (hence the doubling up this year) so if you're interested, get in quickly because numbers are limited! 

I've had some more nice reviews for MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION this month. Heather at Fresh Fiction called it "one not to miss." A very nice print review from Debbie Phillips has been doing the rounds of regional newspapers in Queensland, including The Gold Coast Mail, The Toowoomba Chronicle and The Noosa News. She starts the review with a very nice accolade: "Anna Campbell has quickly gained a reputation as the queen of regency love stories. There is a real sense of fun in her stories along with a healthy dash of romance and hot-blooded passion."   And thank you to everyone who has given Midnight a review on Good Reads and on Amazon. Lovely to see that so many of you have really loved this book!

This month's My Favorite Things  talks about one of my favorite actresses, the brilliant Judi Dench and don't forget to check out my latest contest where you can win one of three copies of THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF REGENCY ROMANCE, featuring my short story "Upon a Midnight Clear". Each winner will also receive a signed copy of MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION. Good luck!

It's always exciting when I have a new release to talk about. This month THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF GHOST ROMANCE is out in the UK and my mini-novella "The Chinese Bed" is included in the anthology. You can read an excerpt from this tale of two loves lost and found (there are two romances in this one - what great bang for your buck!) here.  The American release has been delayed until March 2013 but in the meantime, you can order the book post-free anywhere in the world from the Book Depository. Check out my contest this month where I'm giving people three chances to win TMBOGR - for American readers it means getting in well ahead of the crowd!

For people in south-east Queensland, there's still time to book a spot on one of the two workshops on writing a romance that sells that Christina Brooke and I are running at the Brisbane Writers Festival.

10am to 1pm, Saturday, 10th September. 

Details are here.

1:30 to 4:30, Sunday, 11th September

Details are here.

Look at this beautiful cover Gramedia Pustaka Utama have given CLAIMING THE COURTESAN, out in August in Indonesia.

While we're on the subject of lovely things, Romantic Rose May gave CAPTIVE OF SIN a lovely review on her blog. "One thing I find fascinating about Anna Campbell's books is that I always get more than I expect. I pick up the book, read the synopsis, and place it in my basket thinking I'm getting another fluffy, sweet historical romance. Not so, fellow readers. Every time I pick up an Anna Campbell book I am dazzled, stunned, turned into a puddle of adoring goo, and sucked into the intensity and passion that it seems only Campbell can pull off. From sweet and endearing heroines to dark and tortured heroes the stories Campbell writes are unstoppable forces in their complete and utter power over one's imagination and emotions. Campbell holds me in thrall with yet another book to be highly praised - Captive of Sin.  May I just say, and pardon my French - holy shit."

Speaking of pictures, check out this article from The Age, with a fun photo of a whole gang of us at the conference. From left to right, front row: Trish Morey, Sarah Mayberry, Stephanie Laurens, Melanie Milburne, Barbara Hannay, Lisa Heidke. Back row: Anne Gracie, Amy Andrews, Valerie Parv, Michelle Douglas, Anna Campbell, Helene Young.

As I write this, I'm just back from the 20th Romance Writers of Australia conference which was held from 11th to 14th August at the Hilton on the Park in chilly Melbourne. I had a marvelous time catching up with writing friends and attending workshops and parties. Personal highlights were a roundtable get-to-know-you discussion with Terri Garey and eighteen eager participants and a packed workshop I gave with Christina Brooke about writing a single title that sells.

The climax of the conference is always the awards dinner on the Saturday night. You can find a complete list of award winners for unpublished manuscripts here and details of the Romantic Book of the Year Award winners here. Special congratulations to Anne Gracie who was awarded a lifetime membership for her tireless efforts on behalf of Australian romance writers.

I'm delighted that the Anna Campbell Award for the highest placing historical manuscript in the Emerald Award (our equivalent of the Golden Heart) went to the incoming president of Romance Writers of New Zealand, Iona Jones. Iona wins a check from me for $200 and a critique of her first three chapters and synopsis.

I'm doing a picture blitz next month in My Favorite Things but here's a couple of shots to whet your appetite.

Some recommended reads this month and they're all by my Romance Bandits sisters.  First up, Jeanne Adams has received a Top Pick from Romantic Times Book Reviews for her latest romantic suspense release, DEADLY LITTLE LIES. RT said "Nonstop action and heart-stopping danger make this book unputdownable."

Another RT Top Pick for Donna MacMeans's historical REDEEMING THE ROGUE, the first in her new Chambers trilogy. Michael Rafferty, the roguish hero, also received a Knight in Shining Silver Award. Sounds delicious!

Jo Robertson makes her publishing debut with THE WATCHER , which won the Golden Heart  in 2006 as best romantic suspense manuscript. New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak describes this book as "a first-rate thriller".

As mentioned above, this month's contest gives three lucky entrants the chance to win the new THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF GHOST ROMANCE which includes my long short story "The Chinese Bed." This month's My Favorite Things keeps up the ghostly theme with a piece on one of the most romantic movies ever made, THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR.

Anyone want to come to Berlin next June? I’m among one of many guest authors at the LoveLetter Convention run by the popular romance magazine. I’d love to see you there!

Great news for MY RECKLESS SURRENDER which has won the historical category of the 2011 First Coast Romance Writers Beacon Contest. Yay, Diana and Tarquin!

More good news! Two lovely reviews for MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION this month. Debra at Bookishly Attentive had this to say: "MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION is a wild ride, indeed. Anna Campbell wrings every emotion out of her characters and her readers will feel the same.  Her gifted writing is sensual, emotional, and simply draws us into the characters' lives.  I was left drained and then exhilarated by the time the last page was turned. It's rare that a romance novel has this effect, but it's something I could definitely get used to."

Historical Romance Addicts gave MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION five out of five stars: “Yet another gem to add to your collection! If you’re looking for a good rake and wallflower story, you’ll love this one!”

Check out this interview with me in the West Australian newspaper. Nice bit of coverage!

And finally some photos from this year’s Brisbane Writers Festival which took place from 8th to 10th September in what is usually a very sunny spring state capital. Sadly, this year, the cold winds were out in force – and I mean IN FORCE! Still the warmth of the welcome made up for that. Wonderful local historical romance author Christina Brooke and I conducted two workshops on Writing a Romance that Sells (our sessions are so popular, we’ve gone into encore screenings) and I had a wonderful time catching up with friends and attending writer talks.

Speaking of photos, as promised, this month’s My Favorite Things is a photo essay on the 2011 Romance Writers of Australia conference. And don’t forget to enter the backlist contest where five lucky entrants will win their choice from my books just for the sake of asking.

How is it October already? Sheesh!

Firstly, huge apologies for the mixup with THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF GHOST ROMANCE.  I held a party and the cake never arrived. In other words, the publication has been pushed back until at least the end of next year. Disappointment all round!

Who can believe it's November already? Hands up? Nobody! Fairly concise latest news this month as the news in my neck of the woods is that I've got my head down on my latest book which is due this month. It's a gothic take on Beauty and the Beast and the launch book in my first series and I really look forward to telling you lots about it in coming months. Am I being mysterious? Why, yes, I think I am!

The big event in Campbellandia is the re-launch of the fabulous Romance Bandits blog. Have you checked out our flashy new digs yet? They're quite spectacular but we'll still have all the fun we had back at the old place. Cabana boys, Golden Rooster, margaritas, Sven the masseur, my wonderful Bandita sisters, the regular commenters. And the prizes! We've gone mad on prizes lately so it's definitely worth your while to come and visit us. And check out my latest contest which celebrates the Bandits' new look with the party favors going to YOU!

You can also follow the Romance Bandits on Twitter and Facebook - and while you're there, why not follow me on Twitter and Facebook if you haven't already?

During November, I'm joining with what looks like half the romance authors in the known universe at the Romance Reviews wonderful Year End Splash (YES!) Party. Lots and lots of prizes with a grand prize of a $100 gift card. You can find details and play some fun games here.

A couple of books to watch out for this month. The first is the wonderful Annie West's very sexy THE SAVAKIS MERGER which is out from Harlequin. You don't want to miss this - it's one of her best. And that's saying something! By the way, don't miss Annie's visit to the Bandit lair on Monday, 21st November, when she's talking about the Savakises and doing a lovely giveaway.

The other is Sarah Wendell's EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE, I LEARNED FROM ROMANCE NOVELS. Sarah, famous as one of the Smart Bitches, canvassed a lot of writers for their feelings on this important topic - even moi!

This month's My Favorite Things is about one of my all-time top movies, DIRTY DANCING (Nobody puts Baby in the corner!). And make sure you enter my contest where four lucky people will win a pack of Romance Bandits books.

It's my last latest news for 2011. This year has just flown by. I hope it's been happy and healthy and full of achievement for you all! I've been hard at work finishing my latest story, a sexy Beauty and the Beast tale which is the first book in my first series. Watch this space - I'll tell you lots about this story once I've got a confirmed title and release date. At this stage, it's going to be out late in 2012.

News of a wonderful e-bundle of three books available at a bargain price for Australian and New Zealand readers. HarperCollins are releasing three of my books, CLAIMING THE COURTESAN, TEMPT THE DEVIL and MY RECKLESS SURRENDER as an e-bundle called THE COURTESAN COLLECTION at a bargain price. It's out 13th December and you can get it from all good local e-book retailers. Here's the Amazon link.

The Sunday Mail in Brisbane included a wonderful article on Queensland romance writers in their edition of 20th November. Locals mentioned included Christina Brooke, Ally Blake and Mandy Magro. Oh, and MEEEEEE! Here's a link to the piece.

TEMPT THE DEVIL is out from AST in Russia. Here's the gorgeous cover - isn't it romantic?

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There's good news on the awards front too. MY RECKLESS SURRENDER won the historical category of the Heart of Denver Romance Writers Aspen Gold Award. This is wonderful news as it's my second year in a row with the Aspen - TEMPT THE DEVIL won the same category last year. MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION has been nominated for a prestigious Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award in the Best Sensual Historical Romance of 2011 category.

A couple of nice reviews to share with you this month. Firstly, Barb at Sugarbeats had this to say about MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION: " This is a delightful story. It is full of highly flawed characters. It is about how their flaws bring them together to heal them in a way. The writing is compelling. This story grabs hold and insists that the reader keeps reading. I found it a difficult book to put down and was reading into the wee hours to finish. The story is steamy - the chemistry between Nicholas and Antonia sizzles. The story telling has the reader laughing, gasping, quickly reading and flipping pages through the tense parts and certainly reaching for kleenex at parts. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to anything else that Anna Campbell writes!"

Melanie at Bookworm2Bookworm gave CAPTIVE OF SIN a lovely review: "From the first to the last paragraph of this book, you WILL be enthralled, pulled, sucked and torn! You WILL be on the edge of your bed, chair or just pace back and forth! The tension in this book is palpable, emotions raw, and the courage of both hero and heroine will take your breath away!"

Don't forget to enter my latest website contest which celebrates the new Romance Bandits website. Four lucky readers will win a bundle of Bandita books and their choice from my backlist. Contest closes 31st December.

This month's My Favorite Things is about a couple of my favorite Hitchcock films. I love his work!

Wishing you all the best for the Holiday Season and lots of wonderful books to read!