When June Haunts May
- 7 minutes ago
- 7 min read
1) Hello there! Can you introduce yourself? You can use a pen name if you have one.
Celaine Charles
2) How to find time to write as a parent?
I struggled writing as a parent, but even though it may have been a longer journey, I truly believe I’m a better writer due to all the real-life experiences that filled my time.
I’ve always worked full time as a teacher, but I’ve also tried to parent 100% too. Let’s just say I’ve lived a life of dedication and a little guilt, if I’m being truthful, making sure my kids felt like they had my attention and love. They mean the absolute world to me. When they were little, I mostly kept notes and journals for story ideas. Once they grew older, I was able to start drafting stories (not that I finished any of them). But the older they grew; I slowly let myself fall into a little nook of “me-time” that felt invigorating. For so long, I spent much of my time writing in the parking lots for afterschool activities, such as karate, horseback riding, and various other tutoring and sports. Today I can’t imagine writing in my car, but that’s what I did for years. It’s what worked. I did what I could with what I had.
Now that they’re all adulting, with the last one in college, I’m able to write all the time (outside of my day job hours) and thankfully, publish. It’s been a long road getting here. I will say, though, when my children call, I drop everything I’m doing, no matter what. They still mean the world to me!
3) Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
Creative, friendly, welcoming, laughing, and I hope, a bright light in a sometimes dark world.
4) When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I remember the exact moment when I considered myself a writer. Beforehand, I had been writing for years…in secret. I never told a soul about my unfinished drafts filling journal pages and clandestine-titled word documents. And I never believed myself to actually be a writer. Quite honestly, I was so fed up with the desire to write, but not knowing exactly what to do, or how to finish drafting anything, I literally prayed about it. Two weeks later, a woman in my son’s karate class saw me grading papers (from my day job as a teacher), and we struck up a conversation. When I asked her about her work, she said, “I’m a writer.” For some insane reason I blurted, “Oh my gosh, I’m a want-to-be-writer!” Without blinking, she simply replied, “Then, you already are one.”
I knew this encounter was divine intervention. After she spoke those five words to me, my world shifted. I was a writer. I was a writer! I was a writer…already.
The best part? She challenged me to write a book in one month. She even outlined the rules:
1) Choose a new story idea (nothing I had written before).
2) Write, even if I didn’t know what to write (filling the page with garbage was A-OK).
3) Don’t stop to edit or revise until I type the words, the end.
4) GO!
Did I succeed in such a crazy NaNoWriMo-style challenge? No…and yes! No, I did not write a new story in one month. Yes, I wrote a new story in eight months. That meant, for the first time, I had finished a full draft. I had something solid to revise and edit and grow (even if it took a few more years to complete). And that’s exactly what I did. My fantasy, Seam Keepers, is a result of that challenge. I was already a writer because I wanted and was working to be, and finally (with humble thanks to my karate-mom friend and you-know-who above), I am a published author. My take-away from such a life-altering event? Believe that you have already achieved what you desire.
5) As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
What a thought-provoking question! If I had to choose a mascot or avatar for my writing, it would surely be a hawk. My first novel, Seam Keepers, is filled with shapeshifting hawks. As I drafted this story, whenever I saw any birds of prey, it felt as if my characters were speaking to me. They were like little sky-filled reminders that I could do something special. I simply needed to do the work.
6) Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I love to read! Fantasy and poetry are my favorite genres. But I find that when I take a break to read a new genre, I am always intrigued by something the author has done. I pick up all kinds of tidbits and writing tricks, providing me with inspiration when I return to my own writing projects.
I also believe that good reading leads to good writing. I teach this concept to my third graders (for my day job). We read as writers and we write as readers. This isn’t my own mantra; it’s been spoken in thousands of classrooms all over the world. But it holds true. Whenever I read, I notice what the author is doing or trying to achieve…and when I write, I imagine the story coming alive in the reader’s mind.
Reading is one of the reasons I became a writer. I wanted to bring that same joy I got from a story and pass that onto someone else. But I’m also incredibly busy. So, I scheduled some of my reading in the mornings each day before work, like brushing my teeth. Then once I started writing my own books, I really had to make reading time in the mornings a priority. My evenings after work were filled with exhaustion. And I needed time transitioning from the busyness of teaching to a slower (but lots to do) home life before jumping into writing at night. I had been so tired reading before bed I could hardly finish a book. But adjusting my reading schedule solved the problem.
There’s always a way to fit in reading time. I’m always reading a print book of some kind. I also read on my kindle, in waiting rooms for appointments, or at the airport. And listening to audiobooks on the way to and from work every day is a treat. These are other ways I get my reading in!
7) Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I do a little of both. I tend to write well in complete silence…which is strange for me as I don’t usually like a quiet house. It’s only when I write. But now that I’m writing many genres and book projects at the same time, I’ve found the joy of wordless background music helps to set the writing mood. I typically choose movie scores to go with whatever book I’m working on. This way I can turn on the music and I’m right there with my characters in that specific story.
8) Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
With my first couple of books, I only worked on one book at a time. Now, I have so many projects overlapping (various genres with different presses and deadlines) I can’t always write that way. This is why I set the stage to influence my mood when I write. I burn a candle in a Glassybaby votive color that coordinates with the book I’m drafting. And I choose wordless background music or movie scores that match each story. Creating small representations of each project vibe helps as I typically work on more than just one book at a time.
9) What genre(s) do you write about?
Cozy YA Paranormal Ghost Story
10) What is your book’s quick pitch?
One visible spirit. Two phantom thieves. Three courageous friends.
11) Can you tell me more about your most recent book?
When June Haunts May
The Haunting of Pinedale High # 10
June Brookes has haunted the library at Pinedale High for decades, without attention. Until one day, new sophomore, May Blakely, notices. Could this be June’s chance to cross over to the hereafter? If only she knew what needed to be finished from her old life.
Angsty May prefers solitude. Her deadbeat dad may have ditched her in this small town, but she has no interest befriending this strange girl, or the cute boy across the street.
June’s hereafter hustle goes haywire when two phantom soldiers plot to hijack her passage to peace, at the expense of hurting fellow students. June saves May’s life, igniting their joint efforts to protect the school. Can May help June to her happily ever afterlife?
12) Where can we find the entire series?
Find them on Amazon : https://amzn.to/4u8DBSI
13) Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
Celaine Charles lives in the enchanted Pacific Northwest, teaching elementary school by day and writing by the stars at night. She’s an award-winning, multi-genre author who balances her dual life creating poetry, fantasy, and contemporary romance shorts, while blogging about her journey on Steps in Between. In addition, she’s embarking on the world of children’s picture books.
She’s published collections of poetry through Egret Lake Books and Palmetto Publishing Group, and fiction through The Wild Rose Press and Eliza Storm Books.
Celaine is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Storyteller Academy, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and reads poetry regularly with the Museum of Northwest Art, Writing’s on the Wall series.
14) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?
15) Where else can we find and follow you?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cc_celainecharles
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