October 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM

Celebrating Annabelle McCormack

Annabelle McCormack has always loved stories. From the first page to the last, books have been a lifelong source of joy and inspiration. In recent years, that passion has expanded into a remarkable writing career spanning historical fiction, contemporary romance, and now, romantasy.

This season, Annabelle is celebrating three new releases: her latest WWI historical novel, plus two others, including her romantasy debut.

We’re excited to share Annabelle’s reflections. From how books inspire her, fuel her creativity, and encourage her to take bold risks.

Let’s dive in!

There Is No Enjoyment Like Reading!

A Guest Post by Annabelle McCormack

Do you remember the first book you ever read that made you feel? That transported you? That felt like a friend?

I do. It was, maybe unsurprisingly, Pride and Prejudice. I was in seventh grade. I’d read books I’d enjoyed before this, most notably the Nancy Drew series. But there was something magical about that book. While I read it, I stopped feeling like a lonely kid who’d just started homeschool in a new state. No, suddenly, I was Elizabeth Bennet! And I experienced a love story like I’d never known before, in an enchanting time and place.

That’s the power of reading, though, isn’t it? And once you’ve experienced it, as I know all true readers have, there’s a constant seeking of that immersive high once again.

From Reader to Writer

For me, the result of experiencing that magic was that I became a voracious reader. I consumed books faster than I could borrow from the library. Some brought that feeling again, some didn’t. And then, one day, my sister handed me a blank notebook. She suggested, “Why don’t you write your own book?”

So I did. And I was hooked.

From Writer to Published Author

From that point on in my life, writing became my whole world. I still loved reading, of course. (Still do. I firmly believe good readers make good writers.) But the magic of creating my own world? Incomparable. I could be anywhere—all I needed was a notebook and pen and I was happy, wanting nothing else.

Windswept: A Novel of WWI

eBook $7.99

Add to Bag

See All Formats & Editions ›

I’ll spare you the long story of how I went from falling in love with writing to realizing that I wanted other people to read my books (and the even longer story of the journey to publication). But suffice it to say, writing has always been a part of how I define myself. So when my dream of publishing finally came true in 2021, with the publication of my debut historical WWI novel, Windswept, I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

Since then, I’ve taken advantage of one of my favorite aspects of the current indie publishing world: the freedom to have the career I want to have. For me, that involves writing in multiple genres, including historical fiction, contemporary romance, and (just recently) fantasy romance. My goal is for every book I write to be an immersive read. This includes high stakes and timeless love. Flawed characters that feel real. And epic, emotional journeys. Love stories are the heart of everything I write because I’m in love with romance and happy endings.

When Inspiration Strikes (and Writer’s Block Hits)

I didn’t really expect to be debuting in fantasy romance this year, but that freedom to write what I love is what brought about my upcoming release, Carved in Crimson. Last year, while writing the latest historical in my Windswept Saga, writer’s block hit. Bad writer’s block—the result of working on intense research, since my historical novels require reading about twenty research books per project.

So, I did what I usually do when I get stuck: I worked on something else for a while. In this case, it was a passion project. A fantasy had been brewing in the back of my mind. I was determined to write it just for me, for fun, returning to the genre I first started writing back when I was in seventh grade.

That novel turned into an epic adventure romantasy that I realized I couldn’t wait to share with my readers. And while I wouldn’t change a thing about being a multi-genre author, as it truly allows me to write books I’m passionate about and sustain a strong sense of creativity, there are challenges in the path I’ve taken. Branching out from one niche to reach readers in multiple genres requires a lot of work, and that’s exactly where Barnes and Noble Press is so crucial to my success as an author.

It Takes a Village

From the beginning of my publishing journey, I wanted to work with retailers and distributors who are reader-friendly and as passionate about books as I am. Barnes and Noble Press was one of the first retailers I signed up with to distribute my debut novel and I credit NOOK readers with being an integral part of that book’s success. I discovered very quickly not only how loyal NOOK readers are (which I shouldn’t be surprised by, considering that the very first e-reader I ever bought way back in the day was a NOOK!), but also how much support B&N Press gives to its authors.

B&N Press doesn’t just give authors a place to publish, they go above and beyond to work with authors to offer opportunities to find and connect with their readers through a variety of incredible promotions. Their team is top-notch and they truly put a personal touch in getting to know their authors—they make it clear that they’re readers, too, and often share the awesome reads they discover in the NOOK marketplace.

The result is that I’ve gone from a brand-new author to happily publishing fourteen books with them in the last four years. Every title I publish gets distributed directly to my NOOK readers. And when the team at Barnes and Noble Press heard I was publishing three titles in three different genres this fall: Carved in Crimson (a high stakes, enemies to lovers fantasy romance), A Spark in Ashes (a 1930s historical romantic adventure), and One Time in Paris (a brother’s best friend contemporary travel romance), they reached out to me to make sure I had all the support I needed for this huge launch season.

These newest titles continue my mission to write the gripping and romantic fiction that my readers love. I would not be where I am in my author journey without Barnes and Noble Press and I’m so grateful to them, and my amazing NOOK readers, who continue to make this incredible career possible.

About Annabelle McCormack

Annabelle McCormack writes historical romantic fiction and contemporary romance packed with sprawling adventures, epic love, and soulmates who just can’t stay away from each other (even when the world is falling apart). If there’s a sweeping love story with high stakes and deep emotions, she’s probably writing it—or at least dreaming about it while chasing down her next cup of coffee.
When she’s not wrangling words, she’s wrangling five home-schooled kids, a couple of dogs, and an unreasonable amount of books in Maryland. If life had more hours (and less laundry), she’d be traveling, painting, or becoming a professional pastry chef. For now, she’s content with baking, reading, lifting heavy things at the gym, and plotting her next great escape—er, novel.