We recently had the chance to connect with Anya Summers and have shared our conversation below.
Anya, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
At the start of 2024, I was diagnosed with Covid for the first time. I am immuno-compromised and the virus hit my system particularly hard to the point that I was diagnosed with Long Covid in April of 2024. There were quite a few instances within the first half of 2024 with all the complications that made me face my mortality. It was an eye opening and rather revolutionary experience. For me, it made me look at all the things I had hesitated on, the chances I didn’t take, and even had me re-evaluate the relationships in my life. One of the preeminent regrets I had was there’s a passion project that I began getting downloads on and researching in 2019 but I hadn’t written it yet. I kept putting it off for a later time because of my release schedule, how to fund it, etc., any excuse I could think of not to write it. After battling and beating Long Covid last year, I’m no longer waiting to write this project. I’m loving every second of it. It’s in a different genre, and will be published under a different name. Although the more I think about it, I believe I had to wait to write it until now. The perspective I have gained given the experiences I went through last year has added a richness and depth to the story that I am not certain would have been there before. I can’t wait to share this project with the world.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, y’all! My name is Anya Summers. I have been writing spicy romance for more than a decade. My books have hit number one in their genre on Amazon thirty-three times. I began writing spicy romance shortly after the success of Fifty Shades hit the market. It was a genre I didn’t intend to write in but one that wound up suiting me perfectly. I love writing about sexy heroes who give their all to be with the woman they love, with some smexy times tossed in for good measure. I write stories about love and the resilience of the soul. I write stories about characters who defy the odds and find hope even in the darkest of times. In many ways, I put parts of me in these stories. I have had every obstacle known tossed in the way of my being an author. My family is not supportive of my work. I have had a former business associates steal my work, steal my profits, attempt to destroy my business, and even attempt to steal my brand. And yet, I haven’t let any of that stop me. I’ve taken every hit, every failure, every betrayal, and used them as fuel to make my work that much better. There’s nothing I love more than storytelling. If I had a motto it would be: Scribo ergo sum, which translates into, I write therefore I am.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that served its purpose but no longer has a place in my life, is my pathological people pleasing. I used to think I had to bend over backwards for scraps to keep people in my life. But getting seriously ill last year illuminated that those relationships weren’t strong and were only working because I bent over backwards for those individuals who couldn’t be bothered when I needed them most. The thing is a part of me did die last year. My time, my energy are valuable commodities, and if someone wants to be in my life, they will be and will show up correctly. For some individuals, who were only there to use me and that pathological need I had to people please, cutting off that energetic supply and setting boundaries has turned me into a villain in their eyes. Yet, I am in a place in my life where I’m cool if that’s how they want to paint me because I know who I am and I like her.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, there have been plenty of times I almost tossed in the towel. The most recent and devastating was last September. One of the hardest things with Long Covid was the brain fog. For the first six months of last year I could barely stitch together a single sentence. I was confronted with the possibility of never writing again. As an avowed wordsmith, I was at a total loss. But at the same time, I had an individual I considered one of my best friends betray me horrifically. When I use the term best friends, I’m talking, I knew her husband, had watched her raise her kids. We had traveled together. We talked almost daily. We met when we were both baby authors in 2002 and had been friends since then. Only to have this person steal the copyrights to the foreign translations of my work. This came to light last September. At the time, I was just beginning to see my way out of Long Covid. I was finally starting to write again. And this act took the winds out of my sails. To say it devastated me, is like saying the sun is hot. This betrayal shattered me. It left me questioning every decision I have ever made. But in the aftermath I came to the realization that if I quit, she wins. Her betrayal speaks to her lack of character and is not a slight against me for believing in them. And then there’s also this deep need in me to write. Any time I think about doing another job to bring in income, none of it satisfies me the way writing does. It’s the career that feeds my soul. I would write even if I was working another job to pay the bills. And I have no plans to give it up ever again.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Taylor Swift. No, really. I know she gets a lot of hate. A few years ago I started studying her business acumen. I do that with a lot of professionals in different industries to see what they are doing and if there’s anything they are doing that I can apply to my business. Regardless of whether you like her music, she is one of the most brilliant business personas on the planet. I admire her because she has built a billion dollar business doing what she loves most, and doing it her way. She discovered a niche she could excel in and has played the game better than anyone. While I have never met her, from all indications she is a generous boss, she always has a kind word for everyone, and is an incredibly hard worker. She is also a role model for young women to follow their dreams, and to follow those dreams with intelligence and integrity.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I am absolutely doing what I was born to do. Writing is my lifeblood. It feeds my soul. I love every part of the writing process, from the initial draft–that I will never show anyone, to the editing process–which I love just as much as the rest. In fact, I might love the editing process even more. For me there’s something so satisfying about writing a phrase and turning it into gold. It’s the secret sauce that creates iconic phrases. And then there’s the day when it’s ready for the world, and like any proud parent you send it out, hoping that you raised it right. It’s a process I rinse and repeat time and again, because I simply have so many stories to tell. If there comes a day when I run out of stories to tell, then I will stop. But I haven’t reached that point yet. In fact, I worry more about whether I will get everything I want to write written, because there always seems to be another story. I’m quite certain when the Angel of Death finally visits, I’m going to be bargaining with them, like I’ve got one more story to tell, just give me that extra time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://anyasummers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anyasummersauthor/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/anyabsummers?lang=en
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnyaSummersAuthor
- Other: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15183606.Anya_Summers
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Summers/e/B01EGTVRKC/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anya-summers
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@anyasummersauthor
Anya Summers Book Club https://www.facebook.com/groups/384405777168999/
