Ask the Author: Neely Powell
Answered Questions (10)
Neely Powell
Powell’s older brother lived in a haunted house. Doors were locked him out the inside, something was periodically dragged across the second story floor while he was downstairs, he heard voices, and he saw apparitions. The house was built on land that had been in the family for generations. Before he built it, he often saw the figure of a Native American male in the shadows in the woods. The area was a reported stop on The Trail of Tears. Powell’s brother thought his haunting was related. Powell always felt a vague unease in his home, but wasn’t sure about all of this until she spent a night with him. There were constant lights flashing outside, unexplained noises that awakened her. She is certain the haunting played a role in the decline of his mental and physical health. When he was very ill, she smudged the house, read from the Bible, and begged the spirits to leave him and the house alone. After he returned home, he said the noises and apparitions did not disturb him. He loved the setting of his home - at the base of a ridge in East Tennessee, and he enjoyed some peace before his passing in 2018. The house belongs to others now, and Powell hopes that if the house is haunted, it’s the carefree, funny and kind brother she once knew.
Neely Powell
The music box played "Endless Sleep" as Bethany lay in her bed. Unfortunately, she was dead, not asleep.
Neely Powell
Traveling is one of our favorite activities. Traveling to a fictional place we both love would be almost more than we could stand. Right now, we're both excited to see "Midnight, Texas" on TV. I think we would enjoy a visit there, meeting all the fascinating residents and talking with them. We both love Patricia Briggs two series about werewolves--Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega. We'd love to go to Aspen Creek and talk to Bran and Charles and meet Anna. I don't think we'd be very nice to Bran's mate because she's so mean to Mercy. The relationship between Anna and Charles is so special. We'd also like to go to a meeting of the Columbia Basin Pack with Adam and Mercy. Among our favorite pack members are Warren, Ben, Honey...oh, heck, all of them. I guess the places we'd go would depend more on the people we'd meet there. Jan and I would love to travel to the wonderful world in Game of Thrones. Dragons fascinate us and someday we're going to write our own dragon story, but we're thinking of making him an urban creature, gliding through the night sky above all the artificial lighting.
Neely Powell
Right now, Leigh is reading John Sandford's "Hidden Prey," the latest Lucas Davenport novel and listening to Amy Poehler's "Yes, Please." Just finished "The Kept Woman" by Karin Slaughter and the four books of The Raven Cycle. She also has a TBR pile that includes "16th Seduction" from the Women's Murder Club series and anticipating Nora Roberts' single title, "Come Sundown" and needs to get "Robert B. Parker's Little White Lies."
Neely Powell
Our current work in progress is Witch's Healing, the third book in The Connelly Witches series. It's going well and will provide answers for the family about The Woman in White and the Connelly family curse.
We're also working on the sequel to True Nature. Many people who have read the book have asked us about this. We've decided if there's interest in moving these characters forward, we have to heed the requests of our readers.
We're also working on the sequel to True Nature. Many people who have read the book have asked us about this. We've decided if there's interest in moving these characters forward, we have to heed the requests of our readers.
Neely Powell
Read and write. But reading, we think, is the most important. Caring about books and what other writers have to say is an essential part of the writing process. We have never been able to understand writers who say they don't enjoy reading. We are constantly reading having book discussions. Some of our favorite writers are Nora Roberts/JD Robb, John Sandford, Stephen King, Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Erica Spindler, JA Jance, James Patterson, and Robert B. Parker. We're also discovering new writers almost every week. We're always looking for the next good book and the next great writer.
Neely Powell
See the finished work is always a big high. The process is like any work you do, hard and oftentimes unsettling, but putting words on a blank page usually brings a tingle of excitement along with the thrill of achievement. Being a writer for us means we're constantly thinking of ideas and getting inspiration from meeting people, seeing new places, and having new experiences. We seldom have dinner together that we don't plot a murder at the restaurant where we're eating.
Neely Powell
We've occasionally hit a wall in our writing, usually when we're both dealing with stressful issues at home or at work. But then that's where the beauty of two writers working together can be a boon. One of us is usually able to keep plugging along until the other one can jump back in. When we're both feeling unable to write, we just keep talking about our characters and the plot and keep it uppermost in our minds.
Neely Powell
We believe our writing comes more from an inner desire to share stories than from inspiration. When we come up with an idea, we begin with research, then we carefully draw up a synopsis of the story, and we write from that. Leigh Neely begins the writing, creating the skeleton of the story and passes it to Jan Powell, who adds the flesh and emotions. Together, we edit the final product and then submit to our publisher.
Neely Powell
We've been working on The Connelly Witches for two years now. Witch's Awakening is available now. Witch's Haunting will be out in late fall, and we're currently writing Witch's Healing.
We've always been fascinated with witches and when we decided we wanted to write about them, we wanted to put them in our favorite place on earth--the South. We're both from Chattanooga, and we know the areas near our home quite well. That's why we chose the mystery and magic of the North Georgia Mountains for our witches' home. From that, we devised a story that includes a malevolent spirit, The Woman in White. Everything we write is backed up with extensive research, and we were intrigued to find that legends of a "woman in white" are in cultures around the world. That boosted our idea and gave fodder for even more adventures!
We've always been fascinated with witches and when we decided we wanted to write about them, we wanted to put them in our favorite place on earth--the South. We're both from Chattanooga, and we know the areas near our home quite well. That's why we chose the mystery and magic of the North Georgia Mountains for our witches' home. From that, we devised a story that includes a malevolent spirit, The Woman in White. Everything we write is backed up with extensive research, and we were intrigued to find that legends of a "woman in white" are in cultures around the world. That boosted our idea and gave fodder for even more adventures!
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