We chat with author Anna Savas about Hold Me, which is a breathtaking second-chance, forced proximity romance following two dancers as they navigate heartbreak, healing, and hope.
Hi, Anna! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Yes of course! 🙂 I’m 32 years old and a fulltime author since 2023. I love writing and books (obviously) and although I write romance, my favorite books are romantasy. Last year I started knitting and crocheting, but unfortunately I’m not very good at it. But it’s fun, so it’s fine 🙂
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was nine when I first started writing, but I fell in love with reading a long time ago, when my mom read to me and my siblings. In 3rd grade we had to write our first stories and I wrote a fantasy story about a witch and a fairy. I don’t remember anything about the story itself, but once I started writing I couldn’t stop. So I never did. I wrote many, many bad stories in my teenage years and back in 2017 I published my first book. I always dreamed of publishing my books but I never thought that mine would be translated into english one day.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Guess How Much I Love You by Sam MacBratney
- The one that made you want to become an author: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: There are way too many to choose one!!
Your latest novel, Hold Me, is out March 24th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
- ballet academy
- second chance
- emotional scars
(six words, I hope it’s okay :))
What can readers expect?
They can expect an emotional second chance/forced proximity romance at a ballet academy with two broken characters who couldn’t forget each other although they really tried. It’s a story about secrets, finding friends, falling in love and finding a second home.
Where did the inspiration for Hold Me come from?
Dancing was the only sport I ever really liked. I tried contemporary, ballet, modern dance and ballroom dance when I was a teenager and although I was never good at ballet, I had so much fun trying it. I admire the passion ballet dancers have and it’s so fascinating to see what they can do with their bodies. Everything seems so easy although it really isn’t. Back in 2021 I wrote a college romance (Keeping Dreams) about a former ballet dancer. I really loved writing it, my editor loved reading it, so we thought it could be a great idea to write a whole series about ballet. There were many things that inspired Hold Me but mostly it was the love for dancing.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Oh yes, there were many moments, but I can’t tell without spoiling, I’m so sorry! But I can tell that I really, really enjoyed writing Lia’s story in the third book of the series Shine Bright. She is my all time favorite character and I’m really proud of her. Maybe you don’t like her in the first book, but I promise you will understand later!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
There were many challenges whilst writing. I always have problems with the beginning, because I’m a perfectionist and I always want the beginning to be perfect. So I start over and over again until I have a beginning that finally feels right. That’s another point: if something doesn’t feel right for me, it isn’t right and I have to try and try again to find the right way to tell the story. Sometimes it’s really frustrating but in the end it’s always worth it, and I have a great editor and great friend I can talk to when I’m stuck. Talking to them always helps.
What’s next for you?
This year is very exciting! There are the US-Editions and a German Special Edition of the ballet series. I also have some secret projects and some of them might take place in the same universe as the ballet series 🌝 Sadly I can’t tell you more!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I’m really looking forward to every book written by Liz Tomforde. I loved her Windy-City series so much! Oh and I’m excited to read The Grandest Game series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I loved The Inheritance Games last year!
