Author Biography
Isabo Kelly grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada and has found a way to live in cities that attract tourists every since.Though she started making up stories at an early age, Isabo originally chose science as her first career. She moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, for her undergraduate degree in Zoology, where she was lucky enough to work with dolphins for two and a half years. From there she returned to Las Vegas and worked at various jobs, including the aptly titled position of Shark Lady (which included the care and feeding of live sharks, other tropical fish and reptiles) at the Natural History Museum. It was during this time that she started her first novel. When the opportunity arose to move to Germany with her family, Isabo went and spent a year and a half traveling in Europe and developing her skills as a writer. From Germany, she moved to Dublin, Ireland to work on her Ph.D., this time working with fallow deer. She lives just west of Dublin city with her Irish boyfriend and is finishing her thesis while continuing to write fiction.
Below is an interview I had with Isabo on AOL
Instant Messenger.
Come join me and get to know a little about Isabo and her
books.
Welcome to our spotlight of Isabo Kelly
Anita: Thanks for joining me here, Isabo (love that name.) For our readers, what genre do you write?
Isabo: I write mainly science fiction and fantasy romance. And thanks for the comment on my name--I stole it from the movie "Lady Hawk".
Anita: I like it. Why did you choose to write with a pseudonym?
Isabo: Originally, I decided to use a pseudonym because I was also planning on publishing scientific papers using my real name (I'm actually still planning on doing that.) I didn't want to go to a science conference one day and have somebody walk up to me and say, 'Hey, don't you write those romantic novels?' so I decided a pseudonym was in order. Now, I just like the freedom it gives me. If I decide to change genres, I simply use a new name so that my readers won't be disappointed or upset at the sudden change.
Anita: Good reasons. How did you get started writing and how old were you?
Isabo: I must have started putting the stories in my head on paper when I was about fifteen or sixteen, but I've always made up stories--my mother sometimes called it lying.
Anita: You look pretty young in your picture--are you one of those 'first book published' authors?
Isabo: Since I just turned thirty this year, thank you very much for the looking young in my picture comment. As for the first book getting published, no not yet. It's still sitting and waiting for a serious editing job. The first book that I got published was actually the fourth book I'd written.
Anita: Did you take any writing classes?
Isabo: I had one creative writing class during my last semester in college. I took it mainly to satisfy a need for higher level credits, but also because by that time I knew I wanted to be a writer. The poetry part of that class was harder for me than my genetics and biochemistry classes put together! But I learned a lot.
Anita: So, are you a big reader? What genres do you read?
Isabo: Definitely a big reader. I read just about anything I can get my hands on, but mainly romance, science fiction, fantasy and mystery. If it's a good book, though, I'm willing to give it a go.
Anita: Was there an author that helped you get your start in writing?
Isabo: The author that inspired me to start writing fantasy was Ann McCaffery. Personally, though, I've learned a lot about writing from Eileen Wilks and Jennifer Crusie (when she visits the CompuServe romance forum.) And Catherine Asaro has given me hope for being able to publish science fiction with a strong romantic subplot in the traditional print industry.
Anita: Yes, I'm a long time McCaffrey fan also. Do you have a favorite time and place you like to write?
Isabo: My favorite time to write is late at night when the house is quiet and no one is demanding my attention. Unfortunately, with my college schedule, I can't always afford to stay up late at night writing. I tend to write either early in the mornings, or for a few hours in the late evening. My favorite place is where ever my computer happens to be--I can type a lot faster than I can write.
Anita: You have a degree in zoology and have worked with various animals such as dolphins, sharks and fallow deer. Plus you've lived in Germany and Ireland. How do these experiences help you with your writing?
Isabo: My study of science has actually helped inspire a few story lines and gives me a good basis for researching a topic I want to write about. Working with animals has given me a different perspective on behavior. The funny thing is, though, that I've never included many animals in my writing yet. Well, outside of horses. I do have a few future stories planned that will take advantage of my work with animals. Living in different countries has been invaluable in showing me a new perspective on how people think. I was surprised by how isolated I was until I moved to Europe. Living in Ireland and Germany has also been great inspiration for scene settings.
Anita: Let's talk some about your writing method. In what order do you write? For example, do you start at the beginning and write to the end, combine parts in random order, or do you have a development cycle of some sort?
Isabo: I'm what has been referred to as a 'fly by the seat of my pants' writer. I don't usually have much of a plan when I start. I get an idea, write for a while, figure out where I want the story to end, and then muddle my way through till I get there. I generally write from beginning to end. Occasionally, if a scene comes to me that I think will work well and I don't want to risk losing it, I'll write it out in a rough form and work it into the story later.
Anita: How do you get your ideas? Which comes first for you, character or plot?
Isabo: I get my ideas from just about everywhere. Reading, studying, watching TV, brushing my teeth. I've had some brilliant ideas while washing my hair. Generally, I get to know the characters first, then sketch out a vague idea that can't really be called a plot. I have to work at developing plot from the characters.
Anita: So do you revise after you write or during? In general, how many revisions do you find necessary?
Isabo: I do a little revising while I write, but most of the revising comes after I finish a story. It generally takes me around three full edits to get a story to a place where I think it's okay for other people to read.
Anita: What was the inspiration for "The Promise of Kierna'Rhoan?" How long did it take you to develop the story? By the way, I read the first chapter and can't wait to read the rest.
Isabo: I'm glad you liked the first chapter. I actually got the opening scene of that book from a dream--probably the only time I've ever actually used a dream as inspiration. David's name, Kira's relationship with her ex-husband, even the Shifters all came out of that dream. It took another year or so of fermenting before I felt I had a decent story to go with that opening scene. When I finally started writing, I finished the first draft in six weeks.
Anita: Do you pattern your characters after people you know? How do you develop them? Do you use tools like character sheets?
Isabo: I do take bits and pieces from people I know to add to my characters, but generally they aren't patterned after anyone in particular. I have to do a lot of thinking about my characters while I'm getting to know them, but I don't tend to write too much of their history down anywhere. I usually come to a place in the story where I'm not making any progress and that's when I know I have to get to know the characters better. So I sit down and start asking myself questions about them. How did he get that scar? What was her fifth birthday like? Who, where, and when did he have his first kiss? That sort of thing. The most important question ends up being "what does this character want with a passion?" That usually answers questions of motivation for me, but it's not always the easiest question to answer.
Anita: The first chapter of "Promise" has a lot of military flair. How do you research your story--any tools or methods that you use?
Isabo: I do a lot of my research on the web. I ask questions in lists or forums that I belong to. Then I find books that answer more of my questions. I do have a tendency to get caught up in reading those books though, so I try to do as much research online or through personal communication as possible before I read too many books.
Anita: Do you have any favorite writing resources that you'd like to recommend? Books or sites?
Isabo: Well, my favorite craft books are usually about writing description, which is my weak point as an author. I've learned a lot from "Description" by Monica Wood (a Writer's Digest book) and "How to Write a Damn Good Novel II" by James N. Frey. Both have been invaluable in helping me with technique. I don't have a favorite site. It really depends on what I need and what I'm looking for. I do enjoy reading the online editions of Scientific America and New Scientist for inspiration and new ideas.
Anita: How much time do you spend writing each day? Do you write every day?
Isabo: I try to write every day, but that's not always possible with my academic schedule. When I do sit down to write, I aim for a minimum of 30 minutes and hope for an hour of uninterrupted time. I try to write something, even if it's just a journal entry, at least four times a week.
Anita: You said that writing description was your weakest writing skill. What do you consider your strongest?
Isabo: I think dialogue is my strongest writing skill. Comes from watching too many movies. Unfortunately, I have spent so much time working on description in the last few years that I've had to brush up on my dialogue technique recently.
Anita: What do you think is the most important thing for you to do to continue to improve as a writer?
Isabo: The most important thing is to keep reading as many different types of books as I can. Every book I read has the potential to teach me something about how to improve my writing, or how to avoid a style that doesn't appeal to me as a reader. If I find a book that really works for me, I keep it to go over again, studying the things that the author did that I admire.
Anita: When is your next book due, and what is it about?
Isabo: "Thief's Desire" will be available from LTDBooks soon. It's a fantasy romance about a street con artist, who's run in with a King's Own starts her out on an adventure that changes her life and very nearly gets her killed.
Anita: What books do you have planned in the near future?
Isabo: The sequel to Thief, "Destiny's Seduction" is currently making the rounds at the publishers. I'm writing the sequel to "The Promise of Kierna'Rhoan" now and working on the plotting of the third book in the Kierna'Rhoan series.
Anita: Publishers say there is no demand for SF and Fantasy romance, but talk on the lists seems to contradict this. What do you think is the problem?
Isabo: I suspect it's that neither the SF/Fantasy print publishers, nor the Romance print publishers know exactly how to market these cross-genre books. They don't want to turn away their majority readers by giving them something they don't expect, so they have to tread very carefully when it comes to cross-genre books. There has already been a change in the attitude of some houses when it comes to blending romance and SF/Fantasy. Hopefully, the books they publish that fall into this category will do so well that they'll feel more confident about publishing more.
Anita: Aside from writing, what subjects are you passionate about? Do you try to work this passion into your writing?
Isabo: I'm passionate about the environment and the preservation of our Earth's biodiversity. I think this shows up some in my science fiction writing, but not so much in my fantasy stories.
Anita: What advice do you have for the aspiring writers in our audience? What would you do differently if you were just starting out?
Isabo: Read a lot, read everything you can, and then write. Don't worry about editing at first, just write the story that you have to tell, all the way to the end without stopping. Then you can worry about editing. If I was just starting out, I'm not sure there is anything I would change. All of it has been a learning process and I wouldn't be where I am now if I didn't make all those same mistakes. I'd start novel writing earlier. I spent years trying to write short stories that always got too long and complicated.
Anita: Isabo, thanks for joining me today. You write my favorite genre, SF romance, and I'm definitely going to be buying your books. I have my collection of good old standbys, but it sure is great to be able to add some new ones.
Isabo: Thanks a lot, Anita. I hope you enjoy my books. And thanks for the great interview.
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