Who doesn't love, love? Love can be gentle, calm and subtle or a little more intense... Published under our more adult romance imprint Chimera, The Older Woman by Anna Leigh Brooks is a saucy and racy read for the lovers.

We spoke with Anna about the pressure of crafting her two charismatic leads, the incredible writing journey Anna went on with this book, and her preference for adult romance.

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You have previously shared with us that your writing journey began four years ago. What made start on your path towards publication?

I’d self-published before to test and see if it was a novel that people would want to read. Fortunately for me they did and as you can see from the five star reviews it receives, it’s a love story the readers fall in love with. I also knew that The Older Woman was and is special, so for me it was all about getting out there for everyone to have the chance to read and for them to also fall in love with Jamie and Jess.

Lead characters Jess and Jamie are commanding and captivating presences whose romance keeps readers engaged till the very end. What would you describe as Jess and Jamie’s main characteristics?

I totally agree that these two are captivating, their romance is quite simply a ‘second chance first love’ romance, however, both characters have their own strengths and weaknesses especially as they’re from completely different backgrounds, Jamie, who is one of five, grew up in a single parent household living on the breadline where as Jess who is an only child grew up in a middle-class family.

Jess is a quiet lady. She is also a little shy until you get to know her, her strengths are her ability to see the good in everyone, she never judges, she loves hard and wants to be and feel loved back, especially after her failed marriage, she always aspired to live the life her parents had shown her, which was provided to her by her now ex-husband because she realised that way of life made her unhappy. When she decided to move to a new village, with in an hour or so drive away and start a fresh new life for herself, she finally discovered her own independence, and because of this she was open to the prospect of a new relationship with someone who would love her as much as she loved him, she needed to be loved and feel what true love looked like, this person would be someone she chooses and wants to be with not the one her parents want for her to be with.

Jamie, Well Jamie is confident, outgoing and a lads lad but at the same time he is sensitive, to a woman’s feelings and his siblings would describe him as a ‘mummy’s boy’, he’s also the life and soul of the party, Jamie works hard and trains harder, he wants to be at the top of his game both physically and mentally. He is a soldier who knows what he wants from his career, and that is to be successful, to move up the ranks as quick as possible, because for him it means a better income, this is purely because of his upbringing, the more he earns the better his lifestyle, he never wants to experience poverty again in his life.

Is it true that you started this book by writing on your mobile phone? Reflecting on your experiences, what did you enjoy most about crafting The Older Woman?

It is true, but not just The Older Woman, I also wrote the Sequel ‘Ring of Hope’ and first twenty chapters of Jamie, the final in the trilogy on my mobile phone. To be honest it still amazes me to this day, as I cannot even write an email now! What I enjoyed most was watching the characters develop and grow, seeing the love story of Jamie and Jess develop as they settled in to their relationship.

Your book is a romance, with plenty of racy passages focused on both lead characters. What drew you to the genre of erotic romance and what similar books would you recommend to entranced readers?

Ah, well, I always knew I had a flare for writing eroticism, but didn’t really tell anyone, until The Older Woman was written as I always felt embarrassed about writing erotic romance, but it was my friend Jarra Brown who encouraged me to write this, I’m really glad he did to be honest.

As far as recommending any others books in this genre, I really wouldn’t have a clue, it’s not a genre I read my self, surprisingly!

With The Older Woman being your debut publication, do you see yourself continuing the drama of this narrative or would you see yourself moving forward with another set of ideas?

I have a fair few novels that I’ve written over the last four years, one of which is an action and adventure, but the majority of them are of the erotic romance genre, but all different in their own way, so I think it’s fair to say the next five years is going to be busy with publishing.

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The Older Woman is available now in paperback.