Anna Jacobs writes about 'Loves Me, Loves Me Not'

‘Loves Me, Loves Me Not’ is an anthology that you just have to buy! It’s huge, with a stellar cast of authors, incredible value for money. The stories cover a wide range of topics, ranging from amusing to deeply romantic, poignant to just about everything! Even if you don’t normally read romantic fiction (that does happen, strangely) you might like to try this book.

I’m thrilled to be writing the opening entry for this blog, because I’ll be back in Australia when the Romantic Novelists’ Association November party takes place to launch the anthology. (Sobs quietly into handkerchief). Life is hard. They have great parties. In fact, they’re a great organisation.

I’d written a novel set in Western Australia in the 1920s, so set my anthology story ‘Gracie’ there too, as it’s such a fascinating era/place. Gracie emigrates to avoid returning to a maid’s job after her war work, and can only get a job as a maid at first. But she’s determined to branch out.

The novel is ‘Freedom’s Land’, a story about the Group Settlement Scheme, an almost forgotten part of history. The West Australian government gave away forest land to ex-servicemen, many from the UK, on condition they cleared it and set up dairy farms. The trouble was, you had to be married, so widowed Andrew and Norah made a marriage of convenience and set off with their children to build a new life. Could they make a go of this hard life? And of their hasty marriage? Read ‘Freedom’s Land’ and find out.

I write historical sagas for one publisher and modern novels for another. The variety keeps me happy and readers don’t seem to object. I’m either a storyteller or a madwoman (the former I hope!) because I have characters wandering around inside my head all the time nagging me to tell their tales. I try to keep up with these ‘people’, but three novels a year is all I can manage. ‘Saving Willowbrook’, my next modern novel, comes out in November 2009 in paperback.

You can find details of all my books on my website http://www.annajacobs.com and read the first chapters. I should warn you in advance that my stories all have happy endings, so if you like feeling miserable, don’t buy them. I prefer to leave my readers and myself feeling happy!

NB If you’re not in the UK you can buy the anthology post free to anywhere in the world from www.bookdepository.co.uk You can buy my books there, too!

And now, I’d better get back to the current set of characters who are still struggling to sort out their lives and populating my dreams.

Happy reading!

Anna