What do you like to write about?
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I read widely, across several genres and tend to write similarly, depending on what catches my interest. Small town romance, women's fiction, historical westerns and mystery suspense primarily.

Tell us about your latest release. What was your inspiration for this book?

My latest release is a Kindle Worlds book, The Wedding Photo, which is part of a launch for Bella Andre's sweet romance series, Four Weddings and a Fiasco, which she writes as Lucy Kevin.  In my book, Jenna is a photographer who often shoots weddings and has a gift for seeing how true their love is by looking at the pictures she takes. She is taken aback when she reviews the pictures for her most recent wedding which is for her best friend, Charlie's cousin. When she sees Charlie's individual photo, it seems like he's staring directly at her and she sees something in his eyes that she's never noticed before--intense interest. But does she want to risk their friendship on a romance that might not last?  It's a friends to lovers romance, which is always one of my favorite story lines, and I'd been wanting to write one for a while.

What is your writing process? Tell us one unique or quirky habit you have when it comes to writing.

I don't recommend my writing process. But for the last few books it's gone like this. Spend a few weeks thinking about the story and putting off the writing. Then sitting down and writing the first half of the book slowly, as I figure out what the story is. Then, write the second half in a few very long days. I keep saying it would be so much easier if I just wrote a little each day, but it just doesn't seem to work that way often for me.

Can you tell us something about your ‘work in progress’?

The book that I am working on now is a bit different. It's more of a saga that spans a number of years. I think of it as my soapy saga. It's set in the world of country music and is called Nashville Dreams. It's about a young couple that are planning to marry and have their lives mapped out when something awful happens that sends things spinning in an entirely different direction and changes the course of their lives and dreams. The short synopsis I've been using is "True love torn apart by amnesia and an evil billionaire with political ambitions."
 
What is the single greatest challenge for indie authors today? What is your advice to aspiring writers?

The biggest challenge is standing out among the tidal wave of books that are being released. The very best advice I can give it to focus on the book and make it as good as it possibly can be. That is how you will stand out. People are always looking for a really great book.

What is your most important message to your readers?

Thank you for reading, and for making this author's dreams come true. :)
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Connect with Pamela Kelley at http://www.pamelakelley.com/ or Twitter
Latest Release: The Wedding Photo

This short story was published in www.induswomanwriting.com...
 
            Leaving the office with my briefcase and portfolio, I got into my old Nissan and drove toward the estates in Pasadena. The appointment was at 9:30 AM.
I drove through the hills beyond Rose Bowl, overlooking the country club, where all the ‘old money’ lived. My boss Mr. Chen, the owner of Yin & Yang Designs had told me our new clients were Indian, and preferred an Indian designer for decorating their new home. The lady spoke no English.
“Better not mess this one up,” Mr. Chen had said.
I wish he had told me about the meeting yesterday so I could have dressed in an Indian outfit to better impress the client. I looked at my beige blouse and black skirt in dismay. I’d neglected to wear pantyhose for it was forecasted to be a hot day, and hoped the clients wouldn’t be too traditional.
Mr. Chen had hired me just for providing service to the occasional Indian client in a Chinese-American dominated neighborhood of San Gabriel Valley, but I had the least experience on field. I’d worked on the projects with other designers, but was yet to get a client on my own.
My career depended on this meeting…
            Parking my car a block from the estate, I picked up my portfolio filled with designs and ideas for ‘Ethnically Oriented Interior Decorations’ that Yin & Yang boasted, and walked up the winding driveway.
An English butler opened the door and told me to wait in the morning room. The ‘mistress’ was a little late.
I looked at the beautiful home, bereft of professional decorating, but elegant nonetheless. The family room and formal living rooms still had a few unopened cardboard boxes. A spiral staircase led to an upper level, and from the room I was to wait in, I could see the hallway, in which stood an impressive oak table cluttered with old photographs, with an empty box beside it.
Unable to resist, I walked to the table and started looking at the black-and-white pictures, my professional mind already dreaming up beautiful oxidized silver frames which would show off their pristine beauty.
My eyes went to framed newspaper clipping dated seven years ago, about a rags-to-riches story of an entrepreneur who had made it big with his Indian pre-cooked frozen foods. The frozen food packets, initially launched for paying-guests and hostel-dwellers in Mumbai were now being exported to the United States.
I was familiar with the name “H & S Foods, Enjoy Home Cooked Meals Without Cooking at Home,” having sustained myself on those for nearly a year. H & S stood for Heat and Serve, the article informed me.
I placed the newspaper clipping back on the table.
Then I saw an old and yellowing photo of a family I knew a long time ago. Surely it wasn’t them? Yes, the old man, the frail woman, and the two girls.
The older girl with the plain face, and the little one with the limp.

To read the rest, click below:
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http://www.induswomanwriting.com/the-girl-with-the-limp.html

When describing a scene, it is important for the author to show what the character sees and feels. You can use all senses: sight, smell, touch, sounds, and taste. The shortest sentence can give a ‘vibe’ of a place, and create a sense of doom, hope, or sorrow.

Examples:

1. Storm clouds loomed in the horizon, as Nancy trudged uphill to the stone castle, pulling her coat tighter with trembling hands. The iron gates creaked open. She ran down the mossy cobblestone pathway to the double doors. Two stories above, a curtain swished in the breeze. Had someone seen her?
2. A mockingbird trilled outside, and the fragrance of orange blossoms wafted in from the window. Dust motes danced in the sunbeam from the dawn of a new day. Nancy hummed as she opened the window to a crimson sunrise over the misty pines.  
3. Moonlight filtered in from the window blinds. John stared at the empty pillow beside him and imagined her profile in the bunched up blanket. He touched the cool pillowcase, yearning for her warmth one more time as crickets chirruped outside. She was in a better place. Life would go on. He just had to find a way. 

​What do the above scenes portray?

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