- What can we expect from you in the future?

A lot I hope! I am currently working on a young adult paranormal book about a teenage girl, Sam, who discovers she’s a medium and ends up having to rescue the most popular girl in school, Amy, when a particularly nasty spirit arrives with some furniture to Amy’s house. Amy’s boyfriend begins to have an interest in Sam which leads to all kinds of teenage drama!

- How do we find out about you and your books?

You can meet me at my website, www.kellyabell.webs.com, and you can find my books at www.heartsonfirebooks.com, www.amazonkindle.com, www.coffeetimeromance.com, and www.fictionwise.com

- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

I would say there is a mixture between my real life and experiences and fiction. The majority of my characters are made up but do contain some personality traits of people I really admire or people I know. I never totally copy someone I know as a character. Most people are not as interesting as those you make up in your head. I do a lot of research to make sure my character’s experiences are authentic. Whatever you do you should be true to your character all the way through the book. Don’t have them do something that is inconsistent with the personality you’ve built for them. Your readers will lose interest.

- When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms?

This is a cool story. I wrote a lot in high school but stopped shortly after that. I’ve always had stories swimming around in my head but never really thought about writing an entire novel. I was a manager for an insurance company and I was conducting a performance evaluation with one of my employees one day when we starting talking about hobbies. I told him I’d always wanted to write a novel. I mentioned a book on writing that I had seen at Barnes & Noble called The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray and how I’d thought about buying that book. The next day he brought in a Barnes & Noble gift card and gave it to me with instructions to use it only for that one book. I was deeply touched and I wrote my first novel that summer. It took a while for me to get published but Sealed In Lies is a direct result of that Barnes & Noble gift card and Chuck’s encouragement.

- Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?

Longer than I would like. With two active teenagers and a husband, my family takes up a lot of my free time. I love to write though and when I get in the zone I can get it done in a few months. Editing takes a little longer.

- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

I really wish I could have a set schedule. I have to go with the flow but generally I get in at least an hour or so a day either before my day job or in the evening. I usually tell my family that from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm is my writing time. I can do more on the weekends and that is usually done early in the morning before anyone gets up.

- What is your writing routine once you start a book?

Once I start a book I generally do a thorough character analysis on the characters.  I lay out their physical description, their personality traits, and what it is they want in respect to the story.  I list their goals and the obstacles that they will encounter along the way and how they might overcome them.  Then I write my back cover.  There is a great set of books by various authors called Writing Great Fiction that gives you great advice and that is where I got the idea to write the back cover first.  It really helps give me direction.  Sometimes I do a chapter outline with a brief paragraph or two about each chapter but generally I'm not much of an outliner.  I may do some research ahead of time but most of it is done through the course of the book.  Then I set a goal to write so many words per day.  I even have a spreadsheet where I keep track of the words I do per day in comparison to my goal.  It's a great motivator.  I got this from an author friend named Kelley St. John.  What is important is the discipline to write every day.

- What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing - or are there constant interruptions?

I love my family and they really do come first so I do have a lot of interruptions. If I ask them to leave me alone they will, but I try to work around them as much as I can. I spend a lot of time writing when they are off doing their own things with friends. Now that I m with Hearts On Fire I will have more dedicated writing time.

- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

I love to be near the water. If I really need to re-charge I go to the beach and chill for a day. The sound of the ocean, the sea birds, and the smell of the salt air do wonders for me. At home I love to read. I read all types of fiction. No self-help stuff for me! Lol. I love nothing more than getting lost in a good novel. I like to savor the last page of a good book and be sad to put it down because it is over. I want my readers to feel the same way about my books.

- What truly motivates you in general? In your writing?

I am a driven person. I am motivated by the need to see something completed. I also really like the thought of people getting that “I just can’t put this down” feeling from my writing. Nothing jazzes a writer more than to know readers are enjoying what they’ve written. That is why I write. I don’t do it for the money, although that’s cool, I just do it because I love it.

- Where do your ideas come from?

My ideas come from a variety of places. Most come from true news stories. Sealed In Lies came from a news story about a burglar who broke into a prominent Virginia Senator’s home not realizing whose home it was. He was caught by the wife and he kidnapped her. I read things like this and wonder what if???

Then the stories just flow. I also base stories on events that happen to my friends and family. They don’t usually know this of course! Sometimes, and you’re going to think this is weird, I dream my ideas. I keep a notebook by the bed and I have recorded multiple dreams for books later on. The problem is not getting the ideas, it is getting the time to write them all down.

- Do you feel humor is important in women's fiction and why?

Absolutely. I don’t write humor well but those who do I think it really adds to the endearment of a story. I become attached to humorous characters. I think most readers do. I love nothing more than a great sarcastically funny dialogue between a man and a woman who are falling in love.

- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?

Ah. The old how do you write the love scene question? Yes I do find them difficult to write. I prefer to read less descriptive love scenes and let my imagination do the rest so I try to write love scenes that way. I add a little more detail than I prefer to read so that you can get a good feel for what is happening. I think it is more important to know what the characters are feeling for each other during love making than an actual description of the physical acrobatics.

- What kind of research do you do?

I do most of my research through the internet and books. I have interviewed people before and I love to do that but peoples’ time is precious so I try to do as much on my own as I can. There are some great writer reference books out there that really answer a lot of common questions.

- What does your husband think of your writing?

My husband is not much of a fiction reader but he likes my stories. He is always encouraging me to write and pointing out events that would make a great story. He’s wonderful!

- Do you ever ask him for advice?

I do. I also ask my children. They are teenagers and are particularly good with advising me on the young adult books I write. I run chapters by them all the time.

- Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.)

I’ve been married for 26 years and have two children. We have a wonderful mixed breed dog named Snickers and she is my daily companion when I write. I work full time for a major insurance company as a sales consultant and I have a Masters Degree in Adult Education. We live in Florida. When I’m not writing, I’m reading or spending time outdoors with my family.

- Fill in the blank favorites -

Dessert – Chocolate Ice Cream
City – Chicago in the summer
Season – I love them all now that I live in Florida. Hate cold weather!
Type of hero – I love a hero who is smart, buff and strong emotionally. He doesn’t have to be perfect, in fact, it is better if he is seriously flawed in some way. That way he has something personal to overcome in addition to being the hero.
Type of heroine – I like women who take risks and learn self defense techniques. I love a heroine who can use a gun but yet be feminine.

- Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?

I have a few favorite authors that I follow but my all time favorite is Nora Roberts. She is a machine when it comes to writing and her characters are so real and alive for me. I also like thrillers so I love to read Dean Koontz –a master of alliteration, and James Patterson.

- How many books have you written, how many have been published?

I’ve written three books and one has been published

- After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?

I buy it, but I’ve read it enough during the editing process so I don’t re-read it again!

- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?

I believe the idea for the story comes first but then you need to build on the characters before you start on the plot. You need to understand who your characters are and what the aspects of their personalities are before you begin your story. Readers fall in love with your characters, especially in romance novels, and they will be more willing to follow a slow plot if the characters are believable and true. You need to imagine how your character will react in a given situation before you get there. If you say they are shy at the beginning of the book and then have them singing karaoke in the middle this is inconsistent with their personality. Once your characters are solid then begin your story. Don’t be surprised if they take you in a different direction than you planned to go. Even if you are an outliner, go with it. You can always go back and edit later.

- Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?

I love this question. Some people think that if your characters control you then you are a poor plotter. I disagree. I think if you do a basic personality analysis on your characters and then have a solid plot line you can allow your characters to surprise you with what they might do. I love it when that happens because it sometimes will take the book in a much better direction than I planned to go in the first place.

- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?

Patience, my dear, patience. It can take a long time to get published and you cannot be afraid of rejection. What is one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so don’t give up. Make sure your work is complete, thoroughly edited, and ready before you submit to an agent or a publisher. Don’t be afraid to try some of the e-publishers. Be careful and do your research. The e-book is becoming more popular and developing quite a following. It can lead to more opportunities down the road. My publisher Hearts On Fire Books is a great one. Check it out at www.heartsonfirebooks.com

Thank you very much for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!

Yours in good reading,
Rose!

Author Links:
Kelly's Website  Manic Readers  GoodReads

RaH Links:
Interview  Review

Purchase Links:
Buy Kelly's Books At Amazon
Buy Author's Books at Hearts On Fire
Buy Author's Books at Amazon Kindle
Buy Author's Books at CoffeeTime Romance
Buy Author's Books at Fictionwise