Pageonelit.com: Where did you grow
up and was reading and writing
a part of your life? Who were your earliest literary influences
and why?
Anna M. Kelly: I was born in Oakland,
California but I grew up in many places. I was eight months old
when my family moved to South America. Since then I've lived
in different countries and several states in the U.S. for the
first eighteen years of my life. My favorite books while growing
up were books such as Savage Sam, Where The Red Fern Grows, and
my favorite, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. I have always loved
animals so stories about them, especially dogs and horses, peak
my interest.
Pageonelit.com: Why did you write RECKLESS DREAMERS?
Why do write?
Anna M. Kelly: I wrote RECKLESS DREAMERS
after a trip I took to Alaska. The stories of the Alaskan gold
rush sparked a story idea for the novel. I write because I enjoy
it and it comes easily to me.
Pageonelit.com:Tell us about RECKLESS
DREAMERS. Where did this story come from? How long did this book
take to write? RECKLESS DREAMERS is action-packed set in the
1890's. Did you do alot of research on the time period for this
book?
Anna M. Kelly: During my trip to Alaska, I had
a chance to learn about stories 
of the gold rush
and the colorful people of the 1890's who lived during that time.
After I did some research on the Alaskan gold rush and California
during that period in history, I began writing the book and creating
my characters. The story took a period of several years to write
to get it to the edited version it is today.
Pageonelit.com: What has been your
feedback from readers and book reviewers? What do they say to
you about their interpretations of RECKLESS DREAMERS? What do
they like about the book?
Anna M. Kelly: Feedback has been
positive so far from people who have read my book. I've been
told that the action is great and that the story flows smoothly
and is entertaining to read. I'm still trying to get book reviewers
to read it and to give their reviews.
Pageonelit.com:Tell me about your
publishing experience -- From time you finished the manuscript
of RECKLESS DREAMERS to the exact moment you had the finished
book in your hands.
Anna M. Kelly: After I finished the
manuscript and did a lot of revision, I sent off my story to
as many literary agents as I could. Several have represented
me but none were able to get me a contract with a major publishing
company. I was about to give up when I decided to post my story
online on Author's Choice. This was a place where writers could
showcase their manuscripts for publishers and agents to view.
After waiting over a year, a small publishing house named Publish
America wrote to me to tell me they previewed a sample chapter
of my book and were interested in seeing the entire manuscript.
I emailed them the story and two months later they accepted my
novel for publication. It wasn't a major publisher but it was
my foot in the door for a first timer like myself.
Pageonelit.com: Are you working on
a follow up? Or something totally different?
Anna M. Kelly: I've already written
a children's novel that I will work hard at getting published.
My next novel will probably be something completely different
than my first novel.
Pageonelit.com: What was the last
book you read?
Anna M. Kelly: The last book I read
was a biography on Hemingway written by Kenneth S. Lynn.
Pageonelit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are
they? How do they enhance your writing?
Anna M. Kelly: My hobbies are mainly
traveling and photography. I've always traveled and will probably
do it for the rest of my life. Nothing thrills me more than being
on a trip, camera at the ready, and plenty of film to record
the adventure. I
think that traveling and photography gives me a creative outlet
that really enhances my writing by stimulating my imagination.
The more creative and adventurous I can make my life, the more
my writing will benefit from those experiences.
