Welcome Featured Guest Beth Trissel

Today, I welcome my good friend, Beth Trissel. Even though, we've never met face to face Beth and I have formed a special freindship and I'm so happy to have her here today as she is gearing up to celebrate yet another new release.


Beth is a member of Romance Writers of America, Virginia Romance Writers, Celtic Heart Romance Writers, the Golden Network, For the Heart Romance Writers. She is married to her high school sweetheart and lives on a farm in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley with their children and multiple animals. The beauty of the valley and uniqueness of rural life has led her to write a collection of atmospheric personal essays compiled into a work of nonfiction. Virginia is her inspiration.


Welcome, Beth.

You recently had a new release. Could you tell us a little about it?
Ah yes, my new release is a suspenseful light paranormal, *unique, Scottish time travel entitled Somewhere My Lass. Somewhere My Lass is Book Two in my ‘Somewhere’ series. The concept behind this series, of which Somewhere My Love is the first release, is that the story opens in the present day, although so far in old homes, and then the reader is transported ‘somewhere’ else. A pretty wide open theme.

I was inspired by all the intriguing old homes I grew up living in and or visiting. Victorian, plus some 19th and 18th century. Virginia is a highly historic state. Also, interestingly enough, the British Murder Mystery series called Midsomer Murders, to which I’m addicted, fueled my inspiration. Their plots take place in modern times but in old manor homes, ancient chapels, quaint villages, sometimes with the added flashback to the distant past.

Did you have to do any special research for the novel?

I always research like a mad woman and obsess over every detail, but wasn’t actually able to visit Scotland. Being a British junkie, I watch PBS and rent British shows and films from Netflix and have done for eons as well as read many novels written by British authors, so that helps. And my family roots are English Scot’s-Irish, reaching well back into colonial America and far beyond to the British Isles.

I’m fortunate that our genealogy is well documented. We can trace lines back to Chaucer, a direct ancestor fourteen or so generations back, and some general who served under MacBeth. *Yep, that dude really lived. Our family has tie-ins to the Salem Witch trials and all sorts of fascinating eras. This rich legacy is a source of considerable inspiration to me.

Why do you write in the genre you do?

I write both historical and light paranormal with a strong historical element because I’m passionate about the past.

What was the hardest scene to write?

That entire book was hard to write! I thought I’d never make it through, and now it’s my favorite book.


You have an amazing backlist, as seen in your picture above. Would you like to tell us a little about it?

I’m rather eclectic. I love history and fantasy, can write straight historical or a blend of both. I started out with a focus on colonial American, including the Shawnee Indians and the colonial frontier, and the American Revolution, then branched out into light paranormal as well as exploring my English Scots-Irish roots. I’m currently working on a story set in England during the French Revolution, and am planning a sequel to Somewhere My Lass.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received?

Write what you love because if you don’t no one else will.

What is the worst advice you’ve heard, to you or an author?

To write for the market, focus on what sells.

What kind of books do you read?

Mostly non-fiction research stuff.

How do you spend your down time?

As noted above, I’m a British TV/film buff. Some American too. I’m an avid gardener, do some reading, and have a burgeoning family.

Are you a goal setter?

Yes. Self-imposed generally although I do have some editors nudging me now.

How do readers find you?
My website also has my facebook, myspace, twitter and blog info at: www.bethtrissel.com

Do you have a writer’s cave or are you able to write anywhere anytime?

I have a cave when I’m not buried under people and sometimes a troll in there with me. I feed it dark chocolate until the rumbling subsides.

Conferences: What advice can you offer to author’s attending them?

Make the most of your investment; they’re not cheap. Attend workshops, meet and greet, make some good contacts.

Write the book of your heart. What does that mean to you?

The book of my heart is the first book I ever wrote and rewrote until I finally got it right, coming out tomorrow, an American historical romance entitled Red Bird’s Song. Writing that book and the research I did for it, all that it encompassed, was the most amazing adventure ever. I literally put my whole heart into it. And when I finished, I realized, it’s all about the journey which is why I can’t imagine not writing what I love. Yes, I look forward to sharing my stories with other kindred spirits, but the true meaning for me was in the doing.

Thanks so much for having me here. Blessings on you all. As the Shawnee say, Tanakia, until our paths cross again.


Info commerical for AJ: September contest. One follower will win a beautiful Autumn scarf. Winner announced October 1, 2010.