A Perfect 10 with Nancy Bell

Today we sit down with Nancy Bell to talk about her work and what inspires her to write.

Please enjoy this edition of A Perfect 10.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Good question, it depends on what I’m writing. If I’m caught up in the midst of a fiction novel the characters just take me along for the ride and it is exhilarating to try and type fast enough to keep up with them. It’s like a huge high and adrenaline rush. Non-fiction is more cut and dried and not so very exciting. Poetry on the other hand is a lovely relaxing experience, an almost mystic experience of painting pictures with words and evoking magic.

Do you ever write under a pseudonym? If not have you considered it? Why or why not?

I have written under a pseudonym in the past. I dabbled in erotica and so used a different name than my main stream persona. It is important to keep some genres separate.

Does a big ego help or hurt writers? Why or why not?

Personally, I think a big ego is a detriment to a writer. It often means a person rejects constructive criticism and good advice. It can also be off putting to the readers all writers are hoping to woo.

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

By far the best money I have ever spent as a writer is to attend The Surrey International Writers Conference every year. It is an amazing event and a wonderful opportunity to network with other writers, but successful and not to successful.

What does writing success look like to you? Have you achieved it?

Originally, I would have said getting published by a traditional publisher, I have achieved that. So now I guess, on a monetary level I would say success would be making the New York Times Best Seller List. However, in reality, success is being able to pursue my muse and bring my stories to life and send them out into the world for others to enjoy. The creating is the success.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? What sources do you use?

I love research! The book with determine the amount of research. For books in a series, the first book requires the most research while the others will pull mostly from the original research. For a historical novel a lot of time is spent checking and re-checking facts and then deciding when and how much to weave into the plot.

How do you select the names of your characters? Have you ever regretted choosing a particular name? Why?

In some cases the characters give me their names. In others, like Laurel’s Quest the first book in the Cornwall Adventures, I took names from the Celtic Tree Ogham as Celtic legend and myth play a large part in the stories.

What is the hardest type of scene to write?

For me personally, war or fight scenes. I’m not a strategist by any stretch. Also, some sex scenes can be challenging. How much is too much, how much is not enough? This also depends on the genre of course, romance will be more in depth than say YA where it might only be eluded to and not described in any way.

If you could have dinner with four people, living or dead, who would they be and what would you want to ask them?

Hmmmm. Brian Boru the last High King of Ireland, I’d pick his brain about what life was like in that era and maybe find out why bog people were buried/sacrificed.

Charles de Lint, a Canadian author of urban fantasy with a healthy twist of Celtic legend. I’d just love to talk with him and maybe listen to him and his wife play fiddle.

Ithell Colquhoun a mystic who lived in Cornwall, U.K. and wrote a great number of books. It would be interesting to speak with her about a number of topics, most of them esoteric.

Hamish Miller, famous dowser, blacksmith and author. I had a brief friendship with him before he passed and would welcome the opportunity to share thoughts with him once more.

What platform has brought you the most success in marketing your books?

I have found speaking engagements at local bookstores and libraries as well as conferences have been the best vehicle to get my name out there. I also have a presence on Facebook, do a monthly post on my publisher’s blog and a Twitter account.

Find Nancy’s Books:

A Longview Romance series consists of three books at the moment:

Storm’s Refuge https://www.amazon.com/Storms-Refuge-Longview-Romance-Book-ebook/dp/B00P9UO0TI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483391788&sr=8-1&keywords=Nancy+M+Bell

Come Hell or High Water https://www.amazon.com/Come-Hell-Water-Longview-Romance/dp/177299376X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483391834&sr=8-2&keywords=Nancy+M+Bell

A Longview Wedding https://www.amazon.com/Longview-Wedding-Romance-Book-ebook/dp/B01MA5ZT7O/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1483391834&sr=8-9&keywords=Nancy+M+Bell

I’m currently working on a book in a series dedicated to Canada’s 150^th Birthday. One novel in each of the provinces and territories, written by a different author. Mine is set in Ontario. The series is being promoted by the publisher, Books We Love. The first book in the series released in December 2016, and is set in Alberta. The Ontario offering is set to release March 1, 2017 and is titled His Brother’s Bride.