Fallen Angel Reviews would like to welcome Kelly Maher. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions for us.

Thanks so much for having me! I am completely stoked to be here ;)

Tell your fans something about you they would never guess.

Hmm...let's see. I'm a motor mouth and have probably already blabbed somewhere about all of my "secrets". Well, my undergraduate degree is in Anthropology with a specialization in forensics. Unfortunately I never got a position in the field, but I did enjoy studying my bones.

Of all things you have accomplished, is there one accomplishment you are most proud of?

So many to choose from! I guess at this point it would be surviving college and then graduate school. Education means a great deal in my family, and it was wonderful posing for pictures with my mom at my grad school graduation as I received my master's in library science as
she did. Right after that is finishing my first book, and after that finishing a book, period :D

Could you tell us your biggest pet peeves?

People who pronounce Illinois as Illi-noise instead of Illi-noy. The peeve factor ratchets up tenfold when those people were born and raised in Illinois.

Since everybody needs a break, even when doing something they love, how do you like to spend your time away from writing?

I knit and read. Play around with library and reading friends on the 'net. Attempt to clean my perpetually messy bedroom. Baking. I love licking the bowl after I've put brownies in to bake. For the big breaks I love to travel, but I'm planning on catching up on a number a
writing projects during my upcoming family trip to Ireland. I've got to do something in addition to sleeping on the plane rides!

What makes a book a great book to you?

One that leaves my hyper at the end. It's so hard to define that spark, but you know it when you read it. It can be annoying if you're finishing the book at 3 am and you have to wake up at 6:30 am to get ready for a full day a the day job.

How has being published changed your life, if at all?

It's really pushed me to focus more on producing. Before, while I was serious about getting published, I'd let projects linger if things weren't working out with the story for whatever reason. I've realized that with the day job and extracurricular stuff related to it, my attention span is shot by the time I get around to writing. In response to that, for the near future, I'm just trying to write shorter. Hopefully, I'll have a number of more projects completed and turned in by the end of the year.

What is a typical day like for you?

Depending on the day of the week, I start off by going to the day job. Come home to take care of extracurricular day job projects. Goof around on the Internet. Skim the various e-mail lists I'm a member of to see if there are any interesting conversations that I have a
burning desire to contribute to. Post something to either my "official" blog or Livejournal blog. Eat dinner (yes, I grew up with 8 pm being early for dinner). And then, try to write for an hour or so before bed. If it's a day where I'm working the late shift for the day job, insert that between the blog posting and eat dinner :D

When did you decide to take "pen in hand" and write with the intent to publish?

I was sitting at my desk during one of those ubiquitous summer jobs during college, sick and tired of the mountain of data entry papers sitting in front of me and a lunch break looming. I grabbed a legal pad that I happened to have in my bag, a pencil and started writing a
horrible plot knot that is currently gathering dust somewhere in my garage. It's not even worthy of being under my bed! The real impetus was a professor in college who learned of Kathy Reichs' sale of her first book. My professor knew how much I loved to read fiction and turned to me one day in class, pointed to me, and instructed me to one day write "one of those" books. Well, I'm not on par with Kathy Reichs, but I do love what I write!

What is your favorite part of a book to write?

The End! Hands down. In my mind, I'm such a slow writer that writing those two little words is huge for me.

Do you outline your stories or do you just write as you go?

I tend to write as I go, but if I feel the need, I'll jot down story elements that I want to remember. I do have one story that I have an outline for, and I really, really, really need to finish it and soon!

What does your working space look like?

It's scary. It really is a mess, and my printer takes up half of my desk space. I'm currently living with my parents to save on expenses and I *cannot* wait to afford to live on my own. First thing that will happen is that the printer is getting its own little desk.

Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?

Sometimes. I feel that I do my best writing when I write as if I'm the character, well, more that they're speaking through me. I just feebly attempt to describe what I see in my head and never feel like I quite convey it.

From what do you derive the most inspiration for your writing?

The world around me. Something, seemingly innocuous, will catch my attention and my imagination will run with it. I'm a huge proponent of the "What If" school of creative thought.

You have a book coming out from Amber Quill Press that was actually a prize winner, can you tell us about the book as well as the contest?

"Family Jewels" started off as a little writing exercise for myself. I'd fallen into a dry spell, and as a way to get the juices flowing, I'd write little stories for myself. I wanted to experiment with a noir-ish voice and Amalia Winston came walking through the door.
Well, I guess it was more Sasha came walking through the door as Amalia sat behind the desk.

I was soooo proud when it won the Amber Heat Wave Contest! Amber Quill Press is normally closed to submissions, but opens its doors for a two week or so period for the contest. This year's contest had over 200 entries, but only 11 were chosen to be published. It really is the best of the best. When I found out I was one of the winners, it was one of the high points of a very emotional roller coast of a month for me. My grandmother passed away at the end of the month after a year or so of failing health, but I got to tell her that I'd won before she died. It really meant a lot to me to be able to tell her.

Can you tell us a little about your other upcoming works?

Right now the only other contracted work yet to be published is "Bound to Love" which will be released by Ocean's Mist Press. I just turned in my edits for it and it's another short story that I'm really pleased with. I wrote it a couple of years ago drawing on my
Valentine's Day experience when I studied abroad in England. They have some really neat traditions for the day. Here's a quick blurb:

All Daniela wants to do is rest and relax after a hard, dreary day. When she slips on a gift from a secret admirer, she triggers a spell cast by a long-dead sorcerer.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I love, love, love hearing from readers :D I'm also a member of the Indulge Authors group where I'm running the contest for the month of June. So, if you'd like to be in the running for a little prize pack of things I pick up wherever I'm at in Ireland on the 18th when
"Family Jewels" releases, head on over and join the group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indulge_authors and post what your dream vacation is before the end of the month.

Thanks again or taking the time to visit with us. If you'd like to read more about this wonderful author you can check out her website.

Interviewed by: Serena