An Interview with Agnes Alexander

Author's Website
 
Why did you start writing fiction and what genre(s) do you write?

I think my fiction writing career started when I was a little girl. I was the oldest of 3 children and I spent a lot of time making up stories for my younger brother and sister. I grew up, married and had one daughter. All the time I was writing this and that, but it stayed in a desk drawer. When she started school, I went to college. One of the professors encouraged me to send some of my writings for publication. I finally did—and some of them sold. I wrote 3 children’s activity books that sold, but I knew that was not what I wanted to write.


Circumstances forced me back into public work and I worked as a Human Resource Manager. The years passed and I wrote and sold hundreds of articles, short stories and a specials for the local newspaper. The books I wrote stayed in the desk drawer. When I quit work to take care of my terminally ill mother, I began writing a mystery novel. It was published in 2003. I then began to write romantic suspense. In 2010 I decided to write what I most like to read, the western historical romance. I decided to write each book based on the alphabet. I would title them with a woman’s name and one other word. I also decided to jump around in the ABCs. My first book in this series was FIONA’S JOURNEY. Twenty-one of these have been published and the other five are under contract or are nearing completion. NELDA’S HOMECOMING will be out from Wings this summer. This is my favorite genre to write, though I occasionally get an idea for a romantic suspense and will write it. In total, I have 47 published books. 

Books with Wings ePress

Why this/those genre(s)? What attracts you to them?  

I love history, especially the history of the US and the way it was settled. It took people with grit to forge their way West and carve out a nation in the wilderness. I couldn’t do it, but I admire their pluck and courage. I also think the Native Americans were not treated fairly in many cases, and I include one or more of these brave people in many of my books. Generally speaking, what is the driving force behind your characters? Have any of your characters changed in a drastic way from what you imagined at the start of the writing process?

Unless it is in the plot for them to change, my characters stay true to themselves. I’m not saying they don’t grow because they do. My heroin may be a spoiled, haughty socialite or a hard-hearted woman who doesn’t believe things could be better in the beginning of the story, but circumstances force her to become a caring person. Or my hero may be a loner, set in his way and stubborn who wants nothing to do with ‘a good woman’ because one has let him down in the past. Yet deep down he’s a good man who only needs the circumstances he faces to show him who he really is.

What do you find most difficult in writing you book, and how long does it take to write a story?

I don’t have a lot of difficulty in writing my books. Before I start to write, I spend a long time thinking about my main characters. When I start writing, I know these folks as well as I know members of my family. I know how they will react to a situation and what they will say and how they say it. It sounds crazy to anyone who doesn’t write, but do sometimes surprise me. As real people, they will occasionally come up with something I haven’t thought about. The time it takes to write a book varies. On average I usually have 3 to 4 books published a year. Since I write on more than one book a time, if I were to separate out the time I spend on one book, I’d say it takes 3 to 4 months to write one, edit it and get it ready to publish.

Are there other types of writing you do, such as non-fiction or short fiction?

Other than writing an occasional guest blog, a thank you note or a grocery list, I only write fiction. I will delve into a short-story occasionally, but not often. It takes me almost as long to write a shorter piece as it does to write a book, so I prefer the longer manuscripts. 

Has your writing affected you in anyway and what would you recommend to anyone wanting to start writing fiction?

My writing has always been a part of me, therefore I assume it opens me to the life that has gone before me or life as it is happening now. It has always been in my nature to write, and I think it affects me in the way anyone’s profession does them. A teacher, teaches. A preacher, preaches. A sports figure plays his/her game. A writer, writes. And on and on.

For those who want to write fiction, I would tell you don’t do it because you want to, but do it because you have to. If you feel you must write, then sit down and do it. It could happen, but don’t expect your first efforts to be perfect. Though there are a few stories of books such as the Harry Potter series that made a fortune, don’t expect to get rich writing. It would be easier to win the lottery. On the other hand, you will have the satisfaction of doing what you feel you have to do. Practical advice: Take a writing class taught by a writer. Join writing groups that support you and your efforts. Join national groups and seek out other writers. You will find writers to be a giving and helpful group of people.