Today I'm pleased to be interviewing author Angeline Bright. Welcome to FAR Angeline! Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today!

You are an archaeologist that travels a lot. How do you feel that your unique job has added to your writings?

While archaeology takes up most of my time (I have NO time to write when I’m in the field) it does give me lots of material. I’ve worked in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and all over the U.S., so I get to see a lot of different cultures and how they live on a day to day basis. My historical reading and research helps too. It’s so important to get historical novels right. The writer really owes it to the reader. Sometimes I get so caught up in the excitement of research that I forget I’m supposed to be writing a novel!

Where do you find the time to write?

During the school term. My teaching load isn’t too bad, and while I enjoy academic writing, working on fiction is a real break for me.

I noticed that each of your books has its own unique flavor. Yes they all deal with ancient items or times, but there's a cop drama, historical, and a suspense. How do you keep track of all of the different lines?

I’ve always been a very eclectic reader. I usually read two or three books at a time. Right now, for example, I’m reading “The Alienist” by Caleb Carr, the “Dragon Laird” by Deborah Lynne, in addition to the backlog of archaeological journals that piled up over the summer and the new anthropology textbook my students are using this year.

What is a typical day like for you?

In the summer, I’m up by 5:30 to get the crew together and out to the site by dawn. Then it’s work until lunch, a siesta, then back out for a few hours before we return to the lab with the day’s finds. My latest excavation is a Roman settlement site in England.

During the school year, I’m at the university most of the day teaching or meeting with students, or dealing with interminable faculty meetings, but I manage to squeeze in some writing in odd moments. Most of my writing is later in the evening once I’m home.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?

That recognition, fame, and fortune come immediately. You have to work hard and be persistent, just like with anything else.

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

When I was going through graduate school it was expected that you would write articles for the journals, so writing for publication was never anything strange to me. It’s just part of the job. A few of my non-archaeologist friends kept joking that I should write something THEY wanted to read, and that got me thinking. So a couple of years ago I did!

Do you have any special rituals to help you get in the mood to write?

Not unless you count finding the time and unplugging the phone a ritual.

How do you know what to name your books or the characters?

Names I pick up around me. Many of the names for Ancient Yearnings (Liquid Silver Books), which is set in Armenia, I got out of the Yerevan phone book! I mixed first and last names, though, out of respect for people’s privacy.

Do you have any bad writing habits?

Working on too many projects at once. I’m not sure that’s entirely bad, it’s just the way I do things in all aspects of my life, but it does slow down the production schedule a bit.

In Desert Heat you tackle the intricacies of a smuggling ring. How much research did you have to do in that book as well as others?

I spent many years in the Southwest and so I learned a lot about smuggling and illegal immigration that I used in Desert Heat (Liquid Silver Books). I’ve known both cops and illegal immigrants, so I’ve heard both sides of the story. In Seduced by a Satyr (Venus Press) the action takes place in mythic Greece, a place I’ve loved since I was little, so I guess I’ve been researching that one all my life. Also, no matter what you end up specializing in, a degree in archaeology involves a fair amount of Classical training. Those cultures are just too fascinating to skip! Ancient Yearnings has a lot of my own personal observations in it. Armenia is a wonderful country. The people are warm and the history is so rich. Yerevan, the capital, was founded in 782 B.C., but people were living in the area three thousand years before that. While Ancient Yearnings is my third published book, it’s actually the first I started working on. I started outlining and taking notes when I was working over there.

Do you have anything in the works at this time?

Too many! My main project is a fantasy romance. It’s not erotic, just simple romance. I’m also working on two erotic tales, a suspense novella set in modern day Marrakech, and a shape changer novel set on the Austrian/Ottoman border in the 18th century. I’m not sure which will get done first!

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Ebooks need support! While current readers are very loyal and do a lot to keep the various publishers afloat, you need to spread the word! Buy ebooks as gifts, and tell your friends about your favorite ebook authors. Thanks for having me at FAR!

Thanks again for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us today Angeline. I have really enjoyed hearing about your work. If you'd like to learn more you can visit her website.

Interviewed by: Serena