Angela Felsted is a Northern Virginia native who is overly fond of Olive Garden and Red Lobster. She grew up in a faithful Mormon home with three brothers and one sister where she learned to stand up for herself by tickling her attackers until they broke out into laughing fits. Her work has appeared in issue fifteen of Drown in Your Own Fears, Chanterelle's Notebook and Vine Leaves Literary Journal. Her chapbook, Cleave, was published by finishing line press in 2012.
Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
I try to get a handle on my characters before I do anything else. Then, from there, I usually come up with a skeletal outline of key events. But I’ve yet to begin a book that stuck to the script. Often I’ll get half way through and a better story will emerge.
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
Yes, and I let them. Nothing worse than a story that feels contrived.
What is your favourite food?
Oh man, this is hard. I used to be a junk eater. I loved chocolate milkshakes, cookies, and cheesecake. But lately I’ve been trying to do better about eating healthy. Give me a nice salad with strawberries, baby spinach, and walnuts.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I stay up way too late. Although, I’d probably feel better physically if I could kick that habit.
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
I’ve been to a number of places already: Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, Denmark . . . Hawaii. I’ve never been to Spain, though. That might be a nice place to visit.
Do distant places feature in your books?
Nope. My book takes place in my home town, featuring the same roads, schools, and landmarks that I became familiar with as a child. Writers are often advised to write what they know, and that’s exactly what I did.
Do you listen to music while writing?
I prefer silence. Mostly because I have small children who fill the house with noise whenever they’re around. Maybe that will change as they grow. I don’t know.
Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
CHASTE is a YA contemporary romance that deals with some tough stuff like prejudice and relationship violence.
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
I’ve learned that it’s never enough simply to write a good book. Because there is so much more to publishing than being a good writer—like marketing, self-promotion, design, creativity, and persistence. I’ve also learned that every good book has been helped along by family, friends, crit-partners, and the feedback of a myriad of supporters. I’ll never think of writing as a solo endeavor ever again.
Is there anything you would do differently?
Probably not.
Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?
My personal struggles have influenced my writing for sure. My upbringing, the colorful and not-so-colorful characters that have taught me about people throughout my own life.
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
Work hard, do your best, and try to be happy for those who find success, even if it takes you a bit longer.
What are three words that describe you?
Quiet. Creative. Curious.
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
That is a really tough question. I have a lot of favorite writers and books. Picking one is just too hard, but I have a particular love for authors who write from the heart: Laurel Garver, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Carrie Jones.
Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book:
by Angela Felsted
When he steps into his physics class on the first day of senior year, Quinn Walker is too exhausted from staying up all night with his three-month-old nephew to deal with moral dilemmas. As a devout Mormon who has vowed to wait until marriage for sex, the last thing he needs is a very hot and very sexy Katarina Jackson as his physics partner. Regrettably, he has no choice.
Kat feels invisible in her mansion of a home six months after losing her older brother in a fatal car crash and will do anything to get her parents’ attention. Since her pastor father has no love for Quinn’s “fake” religion and her ex-boyfriend refuses to leave her alone, she makes an impulsive bet with her friends to seduce her holier-than-thou lab partner by Christmas.
List of previous books if any:
Cleave
Scarred
Any websites/places readers can find you on the web:
https://www.facebook.com/ChasteNovel
www.angelafelsted.com
www.rabblewriters.com
Thank you Angela and good luck with your books!
Thank you!
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