Veronica Scott for AMAZING STORIES: Welcome to my periodic series of author profiles. Today I’ve chosen Anna Hackett, a wonderful creator of many worlds and some of my favorite book series. I first started reading her books back when we were both Carina Press authors, with At Star’s End, the first in her Phoenix Adventure series and then came the wildly inventive Hellsquad Series (dinosaurlike aliens invade Earth), the incomparable Galactic Gladiators, Eon Warriors, the Galactic Kings and now a new series, the Oronis Knights. Yes, I’m a genuine fangirl here!
VS for ASM.: What was the first scifi romance book you ever read and what did you like about it?
AH: Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey! I absolutely loved it. It had all the things I love: a smart, tough heroine, and a big, overprotective alien warrior hero, along with lots of action and adventure.
ASM.: What was the first scifi romance book you wrote?
AH.: My first sci-fi romance was a holiday novella called Winter Fusion. I loved the idea of mixing the holidays with sci-fi, so I combined the holiday of Yule with two rival trade negotiators on an ice planet.
Former space marine and trade negotiator Savan Bardan will do anything to close the deal for powerful fusion crystals, even seduce his beautiful, infuriating rival who is icier than her planet.
ASM.: I’m going to have to reread that one. Which of your SFR books is the bestselling?
AH: My most recent SFR series, Galactic Kings, is my bestselling – the first book is Overlord. But that series is closely followed by my Eon Warriors and Galactic Gladiators series.
ASM.: I think my heart will always belong to Cyborg, in the Galactic Gladiators series. How do you go about world building? Do you do elaborate planning, keep a big file, use post its, wing it – what method works for you?
AH: I’m somewhere firmly in the middle of elaborate and wing it! I do some basic planning in a notebook, to flesh out the main worlds in my series, including their environments, cities, animals etc. But a lot of it I add on the fly as I’m writing.
ASM.: What was the story spark or inspiration for your new book, Knightmaster?
AH: The Oronis Knights series kicks off with Knightmaster. The Oronis knights made some cameos in my Eon Warriors series (it is a standalone series though, no need to have read Eon Warriors beforehand). The obvious inspiration for these guys was knights in space. They live by a code of honor, dedicated to their people, planet, and their knightqueen. I had such a great time writing the first book and I’m itching to get to work on the next one in the series.
ASM.: Do you also write other genres? Which ones? How does writing a book in that genre compare to writing an SFR?
AH: I also write romantic suspense. I love writing action-packed romance, and I tell my readers all my books have smart heroines, tough heroes, and lots of action…just some of my books also have spaceships. My contemporary set romances usually require a little more research, as they’re based in real locations. I get to let my imagination run a little wilder in my sci-fi romances! And I would say the action and adventure is slightly higher in my sci-fi series as well. For me, I just love switching between the two genres—it keeps me fresh and inspired.
ASM.: What’s next for you?
AH: I’m currently back working on the next book in my romantic suspense series, Sentinel Security. The second Oronis Knights book will arrive in July, along with the audiobooks for that series.
ASM.: What’s on your To Be Read List?
AH: I actually finally got Radiance by Grace Draven. I don’t read a lot of fantasy romance, but I’ve heard such great things about this book, so I’m excited to read it.
ASM.: Radiance is one of my alltime favorite fantasy romance, SO good. Give us your short author bio and where you can be found on social media.
AH: I’m a USA Today bestselling romance author who’s passionate about fast-paced, emotion-filled romantic suspense and science-fiction romance. I love writing about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. I like to believe it’s possible for all of us to do the same. For more information on me and my books visit: www.annahackett.com.
For social media, I’m mostly on Facebook and Instagram.
ASM.: Here’s the blurb for Anna’s new book Knightmaster (Oronois Knights Book One):
She was sent to forge an alliance with the deadly Oronis knights…and instead finds herself framed for abducting their queen.
Xenoanthropologist Kennedy Black loves exploring new cultures with Space Corps. Everyone in her life has left her, so she happily fills the void with exciting adventures. When she’s assigned to escort the new ambassador to the planet Oron for an opulent ball, she’s thrilled to get an up-close look at the Oronis knights, and their culture of honor and duty to their knightqueen. But she never expected her reaction to cool, controlled Knightmaster Ashtin Caydor, head of the Oronis Knightforce.
And she really didn’t expect a savage alien attack that leaves the knightqueen missing and Earth fingered as the culprit.
Knightmaster Ashtin Caydor lives to protect his planet, his people, and his knightqueen. He came from nothing, and the code of knighthood is the cornerstone of his being. When Knightqueen Carys is abducted by their mortal enemies, the ferocious Gek’Dragar, he’s icily enraged, especially when he finds evidence that Earth, and the far too enticing Sub-Captain Kennedy Black, are involved.
But Kennedy vows to clear Earth’s name by helping Ashtin and his knights find the queen. As she and Ashtin embark on a risky mission to a dangerous jungle planet, they’re forced to rely on each other, and their sizzling chemistry is soon undeniable. But love can’t be an option, not for a knight bound only to his duty and a woman whose heart already has too many scars.
