Interview with Stella Marie Alden

Hi, Stella. Tell us a little about yourself.
Uh, hi. This is awkward. I mean everyone knows I am interviewing myself, right?

No, they didn’t… but now they do.
Okay. My bad. What now?

Try starting with where you were born.
Let me think. I was born in a small city in Vermont where most the people I ran into thought the world was like those airport mugs? There is a HUGE picture of the city you are in, and then the rest of the globe is tiny. Now I live about an hour outside of New York City where people pretend it is like where I grew up. We have a little downtown with an old movie theater, a historical-looking train stop, and fancy shops.

What do you like to do?
When I am not working or writing or marketing or working on my house or mowing the lawn, I like to work out with Zumba and Yoga.

Heh. I guess you keep busy. Do you have any children? Pets?
My two daughters are grown. One in Rome. One in New York City. They still call me Mommy when their heart gets broken… or they need a little monetary help. I got two cats that think they own the place.

You mentioned a day job.
Yes, I am a senior principal software architect.

Whoaa…. sounds impressive.
I guess. I started out writing code, now I do more of the design and technical management of multi-million dollar projects. It’s always challenging and changing, which is what I like best. I don’t like to be bored.

Great. At what age did you realize your fascination with books?
I could say I grew up in the local library. My mother read to us every night and went to the library every weekend with us. I worked there from age twelve until sixteen. I still dream of that place fondly. It was an old courthouse. It even had jail cells in the basement.

So tell us a little about your Medieval Novel.
It’s about a woman, Ann of the Meadows, born in an era right before the plague hit Europe during the time of a mini-Renaissance. At thirteen, Ann’s father sold everything, abandoned his estates, and headed for the Holy Wars. Her mother, so full of grief, was unable to run the estates. However, Ann has a brilliant, forward-thinking mind, and turns the land into a wealthy town. Eventually the king finds out there’s no male running the land and sends our heroine a husband, his good friend, The Beast of Thornhill; a renowned warrior, but a gentle man under the surface. She wants nothing to do with a husband, and he’d prefer a dutiful wife. She has a lot of secrets which, if found out, could be deadly.

I like writing about strong heroines who overcome adversity. When my readers finish reading my books, I want them to sigh, put it down, and think, “I could be like that.”

What is it like? When you write?
It’s like when I was young, and used to have all these pretend friends, and we would play cowboys. We never killed anyone. Just rounded ‘em up for the sheriff to put into jail. I can remember elaborate scenes that went on for days.

How long to did it take you to write?
Gosh. I write for about two hours a day and have finished four books in three years. I don’t have a calculator handy…Can I add something else?

Sure.
I really appreciate everyone who has gone out and bought my book. To do any art, and not have it appreciated, can be disheartening. To have it hit the Amazon best seller list is a dream come true and make me want to finish the next in the series. Thanks for stopping by.