The first of November’s featured authors’ is Celeste Connally
This month’s featured author is Celeste Connally. Celeste is still a fairly new fictional author, but she mixes history, amazing characters, and mystery superbly. I love getting lost in one of her stories.
The official bio:
Celeste Connally is an Agatha Award nominee, and a former freelance writer and editor. Along with the Lady Petra Inquires Regency-set mysteries, she also writes the Ancestry Detective cozy mystery series as S.C. Perkins. A lifelong devotee of historical novels and adaptations fueled by her passion for history—plus weekly doses of PBS Masterpiece—Celeste loves reading and writing about women from the past who didn’t always do as they were told.
Now, let’s get to know her! Let me introduce Celeste Connally.
Tell us a little about yourself. Perhaps something not many people know.
Writing is all but literally in my blood on my father’s side. We have writers of all kinds—journalists, authors, poets, and other types of wordsmiths—going back generations. I knew writing was my talent from a young age, and especially by the time I was in high school. In college I majored in journalism, and thereafter I continued on to be a freelance writer and editor before starting my first novel, so the need to write has always been in me!
What made you want to become a writer?
I think I always knew I would be (see above), but it truly took root because of my high-school English teacher, Mrs. Fowler. She gave my paper on Ernest Hemingway an “A” and wrote, “Wow!” at the top. I’ll never forget that, and I’ll be forever grateful to her!
Which author(s) do you read the most?
There’s so many authors I love—and of course, there’s classic authors like Jane Austen and Agatha Christie— but I’ll name a few current writers I’ve been regularly reading for a few years or longer (in no particular order): Natalie Jenner, Evie Dunmore, Rhys Bowen, Susan Elia MacNeal, James R. Benn, Donna Andrews, Elle Cosimano, Elizabeth Everett, and Carolyn Haines.
My mom loves Carolyn Haines. A few of these are in my TBR pile, which gets longer every week.
Do you play a musical instrument or sing?
I played the flute when I was young, and I shamelessly sing in the car (even when at a stoplight in traffic), but my talent is admittedly minimal at best!
What type of music do you listen to?
A little bit of everything. Pop, country, classical, and jazz. Songs from the 1940s through the 1990s are a favorite as far as what I sing in the car.
What is the worst job that you have ever had?
I’ve been very lucky on the whole. I did briefly work for a small headhunting firm right out of college, and it was not fun at all. Lots of cattiness—and when it became directed at me, I left.
Where do you go to relax?
I love to be outside—walking or reading—and I love to travel and walk around a city that fascinates me.
Who is your hero (real or fictional)?
I have many real-life heroes, so I’ll name a fictional one: Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. She’s truly one of the best characters ever written, and she has moxie for days.
Would you rather live in a haunted mansion or live in an un-haunted cottage?
Un-haunted cottage, hands down.
What is your go-to recipe or restaurant?
I make a mean batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
Writing Style
What do you love most about your writing process?
I love writing action scenes, and banter-style dialogue. And I love that I’m as elated after writing ten pages in one sitting as I am writing one or two pages. Writing is magical and thrilling to me, and I love the entire process.
Do you have a writing schedule?
While I treat my writing like a job I love, generally I do the administrative portions in the morning, such as writing emails, social media, doing research, and running any needed errands. I then do most of my writing in the afternoons, and I write as much as works for me and my book that day, be it 300 words or 3,000 or more. I learned in journalism school to be flexible and not force my writing, and I stick to that rule this day.
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym, or do you?
I would say I write under two half-pseudonyms. My first series—the Ancestry Detective cozy mystery series—was written under my initials and my last name; that is, S.C. Perkins. From here on out, mostly due to there being another author with my name, I’ll be writing under Celeste Connally—which is my middle name plus a family name from my mother’s side. So, I’m always using some form of my given names. Also, I already answer to Celeste, so it works out well!
What comes first for you, the plot, or the characters?
A little bit of both!
Do your characters seem to hijack the story, or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
My characters occasionally hijack the story, and I love it when they do!
Do you choose the character names based on how they sound or their meaning?
Again, a little bit of both. With my main characters, I give her name a good bit of thought. For all others, it’s generally the first name that comes to mind, or a name I really love for some reason.
Describe your writing space.
I like to move around a bit, but I have a lovely small office where I do a lot of my writing. And I often write while walking on my treadmill, too – at a slow and careful pace, of course.
How do you deal with the emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?
Writing mysteries, even lighter ones, still have an impact on me as a writer. Especially when my characters are dealing with death and dangerous situations where their own life is on the line. I love writing action scenes, but I also find myself tensing up while my character is in the most trouble. I try to make certain I give myself a break and do some stretches –and then afterward, I might go watch a sitcom, or do something fun like go out to dinner with my friends. Laughing and making sure I let go of that tension as best I can is key!
How much ‘world building’ takes place before you start writing?
I’m a pantser, so I think on my character’s world mostly as I write, but I do try to envision certain things before I put words on page, such as where my character lives, what her personality is like, and who are the most important and trustworthy people in her life. Overall, though, It comes as I write, and it’s almost more exciting that way.
What is your favorite cover out of all your books? Why is it your favorite?
I love all of them—I’ve been lucky enough to have utterly gorgeous covers—but I think my favorite right now is Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. I especially love how the title looks and reads.
Book/Series
How did you come up with the titles of your books?
I’ve come up with some, and others have been a collaboration amongst my agents, my editor, and me. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord was a collaboration, though I came up with the final wording.
Does one of the main characters hold a special part in your heart? If so, why?
Besides my main characters in both my series, who I adore equally, the one character from Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord who became instantly special is that of a street urchin named Teddy. He was so easy and fun to write, and completely hijacked every scene he was in. He has charm for days, and emerged on the page that way.
Can you share something about the book that isn’t in the blurb?
While Lady Petra Forsyth has chosen to remain unmarried, she has no intention of foregoing romance…
What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel or more books in the series?
There will be a sequel, titled All’s Fair in Love and Treachery, which deals with secrets unraveling in Lady Petra’s life as well as the real-life three days of celebrations that gripped London after Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. And I’m hoping for more books after that!
What is your favorite part about working in the mystery genre, either cozy or historical?
I love the research, and the character building, and giving bits of information that might teach the reader something interesting along the way.
This is always a favorite for me. I get two things, entertainment and knowledge. Reading is the best.
How did you decide on the setting for Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord?
I knew I wanted it set during the Regency era, which is 1811 to 1820, and I’m an Anglophile with mostly English ancestry, so setting it in England was a must. The London-set portions were a no-brainer. The other locations were Newmarket (in County Suffolk) due to its being the hub of British horseracing, and one other fictional village I created to serve my purposes.
What was the highlight of writing this book?
I used to show horses in the hunter/jumper world, so writing a book where I could legitimately put my main character on a horse and let her ride whenever she likes was so much fun!
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Everywhere. Things I see or hear when I’m out and about. Things I read in the news. I also love history-related podcasts and social-media accounts, and sometimes little inspirations come from seeing a post about something interesting and historical.
What project are you working on now?
I just finished book two in my Lady Petra Inquires series, All’s Fair in Love and Treachery, and will soon be working on revisions and copyedits.
Do you have any other books coming out this year or next year?
All’s Fair in Love and Treachery will come out in 2024 – exact date to be announced!
Where to find Celeste on the web:
Writing as S.C. Perkins
Writing as Stephanie C. Perkins
Thank you, Celeste Connally, for doing this interview. It has been fantastic to have you here. Remember that Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord will be out on November 14th.
Until the next time,
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