ANNE CLEELAND —RECHARGING HER CREATIVITY

~My apologies for the late posting. Blogger did not follow scheduling directions.~ 

My guest is historical/mystery author, Anne Cleeland. Anne writes a good story with some intriguing twists. The story may be Regency in setting but the story is anything but predictable! 

She discusses a few things about her and offers some good advice about unleashing creativity—dive right and let it flow. 

• Why this genre instead of another? What excites you about this genre? 

            I've always loved historicals, and the Regency era in particular.  I think it stems from the Jane Austen/Georgette Heyer/Stephanie Laurens stories that are so enjoyable—partly because the setting provides an immediate tension; young women in society had to operate under strict rules, while love and longing simmered just beneath the surface.  Remember how in Pride and Prejudice, Lizzie changes her mind about Darcy but she’s fretting because she’s not allowed to tell him?  Or how shocked everybody was in Sense and Sensibility because Marianne was writing letters to a man she wasn't engaged to?   There’s something almost chivalric about the love affairs, and I think that’s very appealing in a fairy-tale sort of way.

            Meanwhile, while tea was decorously sipped in formal drawing rooms, the world was in absolute turmoil.  I use this contrast in Daughter of the God-King; the heroine has lived a protected and uneventful life until the world intrudes and she is suddenly swept up in dire events.   Much of the story takes place in Egypt, because it was during the Regency era that the treasures of Egypt—locked away for centuries—were finally unearthed for everyone to see.  Egypt is romantic and mysterious at the same time, and the setting is perfect for an adventure story.  

• How important is belonging to a writing group, such as RWA, to an aspiring or published author?

            To those of you who are thinking about writing your own book, I strongly encourage you to find a writing group of similarly-minded souls. I joined RWA after I wandered in one day to hear an author speak, and kept going back month after month—the combined knowledge and experience in the room was priceless, and everyone was amazingly supportive and helpful.   It’s no easy thing to write a book, and you’ll find all kinds of encouragement and practical advice on the how-tos.  And I think this industry more than most is built on networking and contacts—so go out and find your fellow pre-published authors; you’ll make lifetime friendships and have a lot of fun while you are embarking on your new hobby and/or career. 

• How do you refresh and recharge yourself so you can continue writing? 

            It’s the strangest thing—the day I decided to sit at the laptop and bang out the stake-out scene in Murder in Thrall I started a new obsession.  Now, I’d rather be writing than doing just about anything else, and I think most other writers know exactly what I’m talking about—it even takes up my reading time, which is something I never thought would happen, since I love to read. 

            Sometime my best ideas come when I’m tired after a long day and I think that I’ll just do a few edits on the last chapter.  The idea for the big twist in Daughter of the God-King came to me in such a way—late at night when I was trying to get to bed.  (As a reader, I love being surprised and so all my stories have at least one big, shocking twist.)

            Sometimes the ideas come when I’m not thinking about anything in particular—walking the dog is the perfect example.  So I suppose my answer to this question is vice-versa:  it’s the writing that refreshes and recharges me for everything else I have to handle in day-to-day living.  Again, to those of you who are considering it, my advice is to dive right in—don’t worry about the logistics until later. You’ll be surprised and amazed by your own creativity.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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The Cursed Tombs of Egypt Hold Many Secrets...

Miss Hattie Blackhouse has never been close to her parents...and no wonder, since the Blackhouses are renowned scholars who spend most of their time excavating ancient tombs in Egypt. But news of their disappearance forces Hattie to leave England and embark on a voyage that will reveal the long-buried secrets of her past.

An encrypted senet board and a gold medallion lead Hattie on a perilous quest to track down her missing parents—and discover why people associated with the Blackhouses continue to turn up dead. What she uncovers is a secret that could alter the course of history... 

Excerpt (chapter one)

Filled with intrigue, romance, and ancient secrets, Anne Cleeland's thrilling novel takes you on an unforgettable Egyptian adventure.

                                                                                                                                      

Anne Cleeland holds a degree in English from UCLA as well as a degree in law from Pepperdine University, and is a member of the California State Bar.

She writes a historical fiction series set in the Regency period as well as a contemporary mystery series set in New Scotland Yard. A member of the Historical Novel Society and Mystery Writers of America, she lives in California and has four children. 

The Wide, Wide World

It’s my pleasure to have debut author, Liz Michalski, visiting with us Over Coffee. According to Liz, in her previous life, she wrangled with ill-tempered horses and over sized show dogs. These days she chases after small children and a medium-sized mutt.

Anyone who has wrangled “oversized” show dogs, even a medium sized mutt, is okay with me. I wonder how she does with Great Danes? Oh, wait, she’s wrangled horses too, so she’s already been trained. I plan on calling her the next time I have to give a bath to my pack, lol!

 Liz is a wife, mom, critter owner, and freelance writer and has written hundreds of articles. If that's not enough to make your head spin she has now embarked on a career as an author. Her book is set in rural Connecticut with dogs and cats, a bit of heartbreak, love, and a ghost.

Liz is very familiar with sitting in front of a computer screen for hours. She shares how she balances the butt in the chair times with things that recharge and refresh her for yet more work.



Most days I worship at the altar of the electronic god. I sit, glued to my laptop, waiting for the next e-mail to come in, typing out a few pages of my manuscript, surfing the internet to see what my fellow writers are doing. I bathe in the glow of the screen from early morning until late at night. Of course, I do other things: I make breakfast, do housework, read, feed the dog, volunteer, visit with family and friends. But because I'm a writer who works at home, the computer has somehow taken on a central importance. It has become my boss, my colleague, my electronic water cooler all in one.

I live in New England, and it's been a long, cold winter this year. In some places, the snow drifts in my neighborhood are well over my head. (Granted, I'm only 5'2, but still.) The computer has served as a particular life line this year, my portal to the outside world when the view outside my window is unyielding white.

But still.

Too much time in front of the screen makes me feel vaguely claustrophobic, as if this World Wide Web is actually shrinking my domain. I know others feel the same -- I've read about resolutions to cut down on screen time this year, to use software to lock out the internet so real work can get done, to banish the computer to another room for a time out.

For me, these strategies aren't enough. To counteract the computer's spell, I need time outside, in the real world. So at least twice a week I bundle up and head for a hiking trail. I take the dog and sometimes a friend and tromp through the snow, which oftentimes has come up over my knees. (I keep meaning to invest in snowshoes....) Because my chances to do this are limited, I go no matter what the weather. In snowstorms, it's often so quiet I can hear the hiss of the snow as it falls against my jacket. Last week, it was freezing rain, and I debated staying home, but the dog looked so woe-begotten I pulled up my hood and we set off. Deep on the trail, the rain fell more softly, blocked by the trees. It was both a peaceful and a strenuous walk and when I'd finished I was glad I'd gone.

I've seen deer on these hikes, rabbits, even an owl, perched at the top of the tree like a lump of wood. He turned his head a few times, blinked sleepily, then closed his eyes against the racket we were making. I've seen the dog bounding in snow so deep it looked as if he were swimming. I've had thoughtful conversations with friends about the lives we live now and the lives we once imagined, about our families and our dreams and goals, conversations that would be impossible in e-mails or IMs. Mostly, though, I've listened to the silence and appreciated the view around me. On my favorite walk, there's a bend where the pine trees tower overhead like the ceiling on a cathedral. The path turns sharply, so you can't see what's ahead or much of what's behind. There's only this space, so small but yet so immense at the same time, and each time I come across it I stand still for a moment and try to impress it upon my memory so that when I'm back in front of the computer I can recall it and remind myself that the world really is wider than my 15-inch monitor.

• How do you recharge after spending time in front of the computer?  

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EVENFALL Blurb:
That's what they say in Hartman, Connecticut, where the Murphy women are known for their beauty, willfulness, and disastrous luck with men. No one knows the truth of this saying better than Frank Wildermuth. Fifty years ago, he fell in love with Gert Murphy, but through fate and bad timing wound up married to her sister. He spent the rest of his life quietly regretting his mistake. Now Frank's dead -- but not quite gone—and it's time to do some haunting of his own.

All Andie Murphy ever wanted was to get out of town. But she’s back to settle Evenfall, her Uncle Frank’s estate, where some things never change -- and some things have changed a lot. Aunt Gert, for example, still drives her crazy. On the other hand, Cort, the wide-eyed farmboy she used to babysit, is all grown up -- with a whole new definition for the word sleepover.

But if you're a Murphy woman, love never goes smoothly. As Andie struggles with her feelings, Frank sees a chance for redemption -- one that could cost his niece dearly. They'll both need to decide --

Is true love really everlasting? Is home just an address, or a place you carry in your heart? And if you truly regret your mistakes, can the long-buried dreams of your youth come alive again? Excerpt 

She's been a reporter, an editor, a freelance writer, and has written hundreds of articles for newspapers, magazines, and private corporations.

In her previous life, she wrangled with ill-tempered horses and over sized show dogs. These days she chases after small children and a medium-sized mutt.

She likes dark chocolate caramels, champagne, and licorice tea (preferably not all served at once). In summer you'll find her visiting farmers' markets and trying to talk her family out of making her swim at the Connecticut shore.

The rest of the year she's home in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and son, hard at work on her next novel.

You can find Liz: Website,  Facebook, and Goodreads