Annie Kelleher

AM – Our Featured Author this week is romance, sci-fi and fantasy fiction author Annie Kelleher.  Annie is the author of eleven novels, including the critically acclaimed “Through the Shadowlands” trilogy.  Thank you for joining us today Annie!

AK – I am thrilled and delighted to be here this week!

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself.

AK – I’m a mom, step-mom, grandmom, wife and daughter… (not to mention sister, half-sister, step-sister, daughter in law, stepdaughter…I come from a VERY large family!!)   When I’m not taking care of people or doing laundry, I’m a writer and an intuitive medium.  When I’m not banging my head against a computer screen, or talking to dead people, I enjoy gardening… especially herb gardening, meditating, walking my puppies and interior decorating.  If you read my blog, you will quickly discern I might best be described as a mix of Martha Stewart, Morticia Addams and the Ghost Whisperer…with maybe a little Marion Zimmer Bradley in the mix.

AM – What drew you to writing?

AK – When I was very small, I thought stories were the most wonderful things in the world.  My father taught me how to tell them; my mother encouraged me to write them down.  Like a lot of other writers I’ve met along the way, I began to write as soon as I could read.  It wasn’t always smooth sailing of course, but I knew from a fairly early age that I was a storyteller, and, by extension, a writer.  I was extremely fortunate that I received a lot of encouragement early on – I come from a family that values literature, drama and poetry in particular, and education in general.  I was also extremely fortunate that I received an education that gave me a lot of the skills I needed – a firm grasp of the language, and a thorough basis in things you may not think are so important – like how to do research – which are absolutely critical to what I do now.   I was also left alone a lot as a child – not out of neglect – but because no one dragged me around to a lot of activities.  I was free to read, to daydream and encouraged to think creatively for myself.   My family and teachers all actively encouraged me to write.  My senior independent project in high school, in fact, was my first 65,000 word novel (which later became my seventh published novel, Love’s Labyrinth.)

Then I went to college and I encountered the world of Serious Young Writers.  This totally intimidated me… they all wanted to Reveal Great Truth… I wanted to tell good stories.  The one assessment of my writing that has stayed with me for over 30 years was by John Barth, who taught the one fiction-writing course I could stand to take.  He told me I was a good technician, but that I was “sappy.”  (I was 19.  When I read that comment, I thought, “But isn’t everyone sappy at 19?”)

At any rate, I eventually recovered, my Muse crawled out from her rock with a vengeance in my early 30’s, and I’ve been writing and publishing more or less steadily ever since.

AM – Can you tell us about the concept behind the “Through the Shadowlands” trilogy?

AK – In high school, when I read Tolkien, although I was awestruck by his storytelling, and his world-building, I had a hard time understanding why there wasn’t any real passion.  I just don’t buy that nine creatures go on a quest and no one gets the hots for anyone.  I remember being terribly impressed by the way he built LOTR using Norse and Anglo-Saxon mythology and how tickled I was to recognize certain words when I studied Anglo-Saxon myself in college.  Then I discovered Celtic mythology, as well as feminist spirituality and neo-Paganism.  The Shadowlands trilogy is very much a blending of all three influences.  It doesn’t purport to be an actual retelling of real Celtic myth, although certain Celtic concepts – such as the OtherWorld, the Sidhe and the idea that it’s in the transition places and times, where one thing isn’t quite one thing and not quite another that real magic happens.

AM – In what order are the books meant to be read?

AK – The only book I would urge everyone NOT to read first is Silver’s Bane.  It is possible to read either Books 1 & 2 first, and then Book 3, as I wrote them, or… you can read Book 3, which is really the prequel, and then read Books 1 & 2.

AM – What inspired you to write this series?

AK – My burgeoning realization that the patriarchal culture we live in is not working, as well as my spiritual beliefs, which became increasingly neo-Pagan, and radically feminist, the more I read, and consequently, wrote.

AM – You are currently working on your first non-fiction book.  Can you tell us about it?

AK – Eating… the Angel Way, is a compilation of divine guidance I’ve received in my own personal practice over the last three years, around diet, food and exercise.  This guidance has been distilled into ten simple Guidelines, around which anyone and everyone can build a healthy diet.

AM – What was your first book release?  Where you nervous when it came out?

AK – My first book was released in March, 1995.  I wasn’t so much nervous as relieved, because I had sold it exactly two years before in March 1993.  March 1995 wasn’t such a good month for me – I filed for divorce from my husband of nearly 15 years that month.  I was thrilled I had something positive to focus on.

AM – What can we expect to see next from you?

AK – Hopefully, the Angel book, or my 12th novel, which is currently making the rounds of publishers.  (crossing fingers, eyes, and toes.)

AM – You are represented by the Donald Maass Literary Agency.  What is it like working with an agent?  Are there any tips about working with an agency you can share?

AK – It’s wonderful to work with a reputable agency and a committed agent.  I think it’s important to keep lines of communication open, and to understand that publishing can be a frustrating, demoralizing, and at times brutal business.

AM – What do you think is the most important piece of advice that you would give an unpublished writer?

AK – Don’t quit.

AM – Where can we go to purchase the “Through the Shadowlands” trilogy and your other books?

AK – I believe they can found online and in used bookstores.  If you are interested in learning more about the Angel Guidelines you can contact me at anniekelleher@aol.com or on Facebook.

AM – We appreciate your time today Annie.  Thank you for joining us!  We wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors.