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In my last post, I featured two writers publishing under one pen name. This week I’m happy to shine the spotlight on one author publishing under two names!

Abbie Chandler is one of the first authors I ‘met’ when venturing into the world of social media. Through her Facebook group Scribes and Bibliophiles, I have learned so much about networking, marketing and running events. Her interest, support and virtual friendship mean the world to me! It’s my pleasure to welcome her to my blog today. Grab a cup of tea and enjoy learning more about this multi-genre writer and all around wonderful person.

Please tell me a little bit about yourself, your books and writing career.

Hello! (waves excitedly) I’m Abbie, and I write under Abbie Chandler and Adaline Chase. I have two dogs and a cat, and they are a huge part of my life. I live in a small one-bedroom apartment, so at least one is always in my face at a time, and that sort of bleeds into my writing. I just can’t resist including animals in my writing! When I’m not writing or wrangling the furballs, I’m usually reading. I’m a bit of a book hoarder, and I adore reading romance and mystery books. They say you can’t write unless you read, and I take that advice VERY seriously. I also like to grow (and sometimes kill) green things. I have an MA in English Literature with a concentration in medieval literature, and I love the Arthurian literature canon. I’m an impatient and therefore horrible cook, I love chilling in nature, and I’m a big fan of red wine and whisky. Just, not together.

I’ve been writing since I was a child, but I didn’t publish my first book until I was 29. The Veiled Soul is a paranormal mystery and took me four years to write. It follows the story of a woman who, after committing a horrible crime, was stripped of her soul and memory and forced to serve her punishment as a grim reaper in an alternate plane. When she comes across a man who can see her, she’s ripped from the reaper realm and forced back into the physical world where she’ll have to learn to live again. Her memories start to return, her lust to kill rises to the surface, and evil begins to woo her. It’s a fairly dark and twisty book, and when I finished, I needed a break. Fido and Fendi is on the opposite side of the spectrum. Snarky and light-hearted. I took great delight in dropping wealthy city girl into a small town, stripping her of all her money, and forcing her to walk dogs for a living. She’s stubborn, sassy, and when she’s accused of murder, she figures the only person she can trust is herself. It was such fun to write, and I realized that I didn’t want to contain myself to one kind of book and one kind of genre. Hence, the two names. Well, I’m actually developing a third name. I may have writer’s ADD.

I write because I always have a story stuck in my head. Sometimes, when I’m walking the pups, I’m playing a scene in my head, speaking the dialogue out loud, and I know that my neighbors think I’m nuts! I legit have plot ideas for a dozen series and several stand alone books. I pick up inspiration everywhere. Books. Shows. Movies. Overheard conversations at the bar. Weird dreams. Images. I love creating scenes around images and then building books around them! I’m a slave to my imagination, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I have a long, LONG list of places that I’d love to visit. There are so many state parks here in the US that I’d love to visit. I’m a sucker for a breathtaking view. I’m also motivated by history, so it would be a dream to visit the sites in Egypt, the middle East, Europe, and the Indian ruins in South America. As a paranormal writer, I’m a huge fan of legends. So my first place to visit would have to be Ireland. Gorgeous views, rich history, and a literal paradise for lovers of legends and mysticism. Plus, I wouldn’t hate an Irish hunk with that dreamy accent.

Tell me something about yourself that has nothing to do with writing?

I spent eleven years as a waitress! When I was twenty, I got a job waiting tables at a Pizza Hut while I took classes, but life rarely goes to plan. I worked at five different restaurant ranging from casual dining to country clubs and fine dining. Believe me when I tell you that you meet allllll kinds as a server. I actually put some of my experiences waiting tables in The Veiled Soul, and I’m sorry to stay that those stories were NOT exaggerated. It was actually fun creating a character with no filter to deal with those kinds of customers…and I’m talking about writing. Sorry!

What is your usual writing routine?

I wish that I could say that I have a staunch writing routine, but the truth is that my routines never go to plan. I have this gorgeous calendar app that I use to organize my writing schedules, and I use Scrivener to organize my scenes and research. I have a desk near all my research books where I can easily put my hands on whatever I need. But, more times than not, I’m writing on the couch on whatever suits my fancy. Sometimes I listen to music. Sometimes I have a show I’ve seen a million times playing in the background. Sometimes I like complete silence. I generally have at lease one pet leaning up against me. It’s more like small-scale chaos, but it works for me.

You write in several genres, why?

I just have so many different interests. I love to read different genres, so why not write different genres? Some books let me explore my love for history. Some books let me create sassy and stubborn characters, and some books let me explore dark and violent characters. Writing in different genres keeps me on my toes. It allows me to work outside my comfort zone and hone my skills.

Why have you chosen to write a series? Do you know how many books will be in it?

Some stories are just too big for one book. The Veiled Soul will be a trilogy. It started out as a single book, but there are just too many aspects of the world and Lia’s history to explore it all in one book. Who are the judges? Should they be interfering in the human world? Why is Lia so different? What will Westin do now that he’s faced with the consequences of his actions?  One book would simply not do it justice. The Erin Summers Dog Walker books was always meant to be a series. Ten books to be more specific because, let’s face it, you start to kill too many people in a small town and there won’t be much of a town left. Erin’s growth from the spoiled daughter of a wealthy family to an independent woman (and PI) needed be slow, as is her relationship with the sexy town Sheriff. Not to mention, I have about a hundred different ways to torture Erin using dogs!

Do you recognize yourself in any of your characters?

As I mentioned, I definitely included experiences that I’ve had in my books, and my characters react in ways that either I reacted or that I wish I could have reacted. Some motivations are definitely the same. In the current book that I’m working on, Rain is trying to balance the different parts of her life, and that’s something that I struggle with every day.  My characters might inherit some of my, um…sarcasm, but all in all, the parts that make each heroine unique have to be unique or each book would read the same. Lia wants to kill people. I’m pretty mellow. Erin hates dogs. I love them. Rain is very against her gift of magic. I would probably embrace it. Whole-heartedly J

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on two books at once! There was a book that I published a year ago that I unpublished after about a week called Witches and Whiskey. I was more focused on meeting a deadline than the book itself and quickly realized my mistake, so I’ve been slowly working on it so it would meet my own expectations.

It’s a paranormal romance/ mystery about a woman, Rain, infused with magic and thrust into an unknown magical community of elite inherited witchcraft in the midst of a war. She doesn’t want the magic. Most of the magical community doesn’t want her to have magic, and both sides want her dead.

Connect with Abbie on Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads. You can buy books by Abbie Chandler and Adaline Chase on Amazon. You can also join her Facebook group for authors and readers, Scribes and Bibliophiles!

Abbie Chandler and Adaline Chase are also participating in Mystery Thriller Week 2018!

For one week in February, more than 200 award-winning and bestselling mystery and thriller authors come together to celebrate these genres. That means prizes, giveaways, live chats and more fun surprises.

Be sure and sign up now to be kept up to date. 🙂