To help authors market their books and and to help create greater awareness, we occasionally feature winning stories submitted to our 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading Awards Contest on this blog. The journey to success is often a long one. We hope the stories of successful authors will provide some encouragement and help others overcome the challenges they face. This story was submitted by Arleen Alleman.
Author Arleen Alleman
“It’s never too late” I answered when an interviewer recently asked what title would fit a book about my life. As many of my fellow authors have found, it is never too late to live the dream. In fact, the older we are the more experience and insight we have as writing fodder. I began writing fiction at age sixty-two so my journey to becoming an author is my life’s journey. Over fifty years, the story unfolded in several places. I was born in England, raised in New Hampshire and Nevada, and lived for many years in Colorado. Two years ago my husband and I moved to Southwest Florida, a rather big change from mountains to the beach.
I’m a generalist by nature and enjoy the challenge of trying different things until I tire of them. I’ve come to understand that I really like change. I see a world full of many learning opportunities with precious little time to gain expertise. With writing as with everything in life, I remind myself that one should not be restrained by fear of failure or the unknown. If you don’t succeed with an endeavor or you decide you don’t like what you are doing, there’s nothing wrong with moving on to something else. Besides, it is always possible to learn something useful from the effort.
Despite my generalist tendency, I worked for more than twenty years as an analyst for the U. S. Government Accountability Office—informally known as the congressional watch dog. I wrote extensively on many diverse topics like endangered species, postal service operations, military satellite systems, and health care reform. The work was like investigative reporting with lots of interviews, documents, analyses, and report writing. This was far removed from writing fiction. Not surprisingly, the best part of the job for me was the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge about many different subjects.
I had a few other experiences on my journey. I started out studying journalism but instead earned a biology degree. I worked as an insurance adjuster, fashion model, teacher, silver jewelry manufacturer, and home décor shop owner. I dabbled in painting, acting, and songwriting. I married young, divorced, raised two wonderful sons, and happily remarried. Three years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer and thankfully joined the growing ranks of survivors. The latter was a new adventure I wouldn’t have chosen, but even that ordeal provided valuable lessons in patience, acceptance, and compassion.
Reading has always been important to me. In fact, my first thought of being a writer occurred in my early teens when I discovered the enjoyment of novels. Over the years, I revisited the notion that being an author would be a wonderful way to make a living. I love travel as well, and only when my husband and I started cruising did I decide it was time to give writing a try. The cruises led me to the topic of crime onboard ships at sea. In reality, this was a problem that led Congress to strengthen laws for reporting such crimes. It was a start and I soon realized that I could draw on my accumulated bits of knowledge about a lot of topics to develop plots and characters. In 2010 after investing a year and a half learning how to write and publish a novel, I launched Currents Deep and Deadly.
Of course, my outlook on life also informs my writing. In my twenties, I began reading about supernatural phenomena and the origin and history of religion. As a result of this research and my education in the scientific method, my life philosophy evolved. Today I try to live by humanist principles. In short, humanists are committed to applying only reason and science to explain the Universe. They abhor all prejudice and denigration of humanity and believe in optimism and in fully developing creative talents while living a productive ethical life.
My protagonist Darcy Farthing is also a humanist and a beautiful intelligent moral person. In her late thirties, she struggles with the aftermath of her devastating early life decisions. She is a biochemist, not a traditional crime fighter. Over time, she reinvents herself as a freelance investigative reporter always looking for the next mystery to solve. She envisions her life running along a current that sometimes veers off course to intersect or collide with other people’s currents as she struggles against inevitable randomness. Thus, all the titles in the series include the word current in one or another of its meanings.
Currents Deep and Deadly and Currents of Vengeance are set on cruises around South America fraught with mystery, murder, romance, complex family dilemmas, and the folly of seeking revenge. A Current Deception is the latest book and also takes place on a cruise around Australia where an infestation of yellow crazy ants threatens to ruin a lovely vacation and a master of deception boards the ship with a murderous vendetta. In Current Assets, Darcy embarks on a short cruise on a luxury yacht, but the story is primarily a crime mystery set in Southwest Florida. It involves the U.S. Marshals’ asset forfeiture program, local government corruption, terrorism, and family drama. Alternate Currents is set in Seattle and explores topical themes related to domestic partnerships, assisted reproductive technology and prejudice. In this story, a child is caught between too many parents, community bias, and elusive kidnappers.
The books have multiple plots and tackle societal issues while following Darcy’s life and those of a quirky cast of characters. My goal is to write fun fast-paced thought-provoking stories for fiction lovers. With tidbits of history, geography, science, and romance, I think they have something for everyone.
I’m working on a sixth book and have surprised myself by continuing the series this long. I’m extremely gratified by the great reviews and kind comments by readers and the recognition is wonderful. I was also encouraged to keep writing when BooksandAuthors.com named the first three books as Best Trilogy of 2012, and Foreword Reviews Magazine selected Alternate Currents as a finalist in its 2013 book awards. Other positive magazine articles, interviews, and feedback also keep me enthused as do periodic Barnes and Noble book signings. However, something else also compels me to stay with the series. The lives of the characters seem oddly important to me and I’m not ready to let them end. As Darcy would put it, I’m still curious to see where our journeys take us as we ride our currents into the future.
Find out more about Arleen’s books by visiting her website, http://www.arleenalleman.com.