I currently live in southern New Jersey with my husband, two lovable St. Danes, and four energetic cats. As a true New Jersey-ite, I can usually be found taking walks on one of the state's breathtaking beaches, watching the amazing sunrises and sunsets while listening to a variety of music. I also enjoy discovering and exploring many of the amazing New Jersey nature trails or visiting any one of the remarkable New Jersey historical sites. It is in the nature that surrounds us and the psychology within us all that intrigues and inspires me the most to write about what I see, hear, and feel around me.
IAN: Please tell us about your latest book.
K. Reagan Zell: During the Covid quarantine, I began to write a nine book paranormal romance series, The Beguiled West Series I. Beguiled Persuasion (Book 1) begins the captivating journey of Cait, an empath who accidently discovers that her once despised empathic gift has a different purpose in her life. Nevertheless, her discoveries and ultimate decisions are not without perilous consequences.
Having broken up with her boyfriend when she discovered that he was married and then immediately having to deal with the sudden death of her father, Cait takes a sleeping pill to help her cope. Her one innocent action of that pill as she tries to find emotional relief sets into motion an incredible journey of unimaginable paranormal events. Traveling between her present-day timeline and 15th century Ireland, she encounters psychics, a Shaman, Druids, a rogue time shifter, and the Galloglaith warriors. As she slowly but surely makes her way through the astonishing events, she also makes some devastating discoveries and must decide who is dangerous and who is not.
Beguiled Persuasion is the first book in the series, followed by Mists of Tiarnas, Valley of Ogham Na, Nattfisker Ridge, Tears of Tårene, Lanterns of Sennaire, Manens Sunrise, Buran of Qaneame, and Borde's Rim.
IAN: Is Beguiled Persuasion published in
print, e-book, or both?
K. Reagan Zell:The books are only E-books.
K. Reagan Zell: Currently, books 1-5 are available on Smashwords.com (formats: epub, mobi, pdf, lrf, pdb, and txt); Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Beguiled Persuasion is also available on various library channels.
IAN: Did you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft?
K. Reagan Zell: Interesting question. I began to write the books as I listened to music. As different types of music provided a background, the ideas entered my mind. I could actually imagine and feel the characters, their actions and reactions, their dialogues, and their emotions all set against different locales. It was like when an idea pops into your head when you want to fix something, make a recipe, or decorate. It was like that, but different. There was no outline or winging it; it was as if I were a viewer watching a movie, losing myself in the storyline, and feeling the full impact of the tale.
IAN: How much of the book is realistic?
K. Reagan Zell: I would say that as far as being realistic, or even tied to personal experiences, there are some elements in the book in regards to that. As we grow in life, we always draw upon our own experiences and that of others. Love, birth, life lived, déjà vue, and death are all universal. Experiences are what make us human, connecting our values and realities through life.
IAN: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
K. Reagan Zell: Many years ago, I had an English teacher in high school who had assigned the classto write a short story. Once again, through music, my mind moved into a scene and I created a fiction story as the images came into my mind. After we had turned in our assignments, the teacher asked me to stay behind to talk. Once everyone had left, he began to question me as to where I got the idea because he felt that I could not have written something as good as that. Although he could not find any story that matched my fictional story (of which he never would - the story was original), he was still cynical. After a long discussion back and forth and explaining my inspiration process, he finally gave me an "A". He realized through our conversation that I liked to write, but he still seemed doubtful that a high school student could write such a good fictional short story. Back in the day, educators did not recognize talent, felt that anything out of the ordinary was false, and did not encourage growth of a student's special talent. I was graduating high school a year early, had good grades and he still had doubts. Unfortunately, because of my experience with him, I never wanted to write fiction again.
Then years later, came college and working on an advanced degree, a master’s in psychology. Writing assignments and term papers based upon science and the strict association writing rules (400+ pages) left me feeling cold, empty, and not producing anything worthwhile. Although I did well, my heart was not in it. In my opinion, I was not creating anything meaningful, just plugging along with the required norm. Once I got my degree, I was done with writing such cold and emotionless papers and assignments; it was not my passion.
IAN: I see. Then how did you find your way back to fiction writing?
K. Reagan Zell: It was not until decades later with the Covid
pandemic/quarantine that I once again decided to put pen to paper - with my
headset on, listening to music - and wrote what I saw, heard, and felt in my
mind's eye. As I approach another milestone in my life, I will eventually write
full time, listening to my music, and writing what I see, hear, and feel. I have
found my passion and will enjoy it well into retirement down the road.
IAN: What do you hope your readers come away with after reading Beguiled Persuasion?
K. Reagan Zell: It is my hope that not only is it a good story line, but that people associate the emotions and experiences as being universal, connecting to something that we have personally known, a shared understanding of life. By being able to relate to the challenges and joys in our lives, it is those experiences that connect us all as humans.
IAN: What was the hardest part of writing Beguiled Persuasion?
K. Reagan Zell: For me, the hardest part is not the writing of a book, but rather the disbelief of some of those around us that cannot fathom that any person they know can even be creative. The reasoning is something very basic; people have an unconscious tendency to connect a person with what they do in life rather than what they are. A newscaster who is a talented painter will always be first referred to as a newscaster; a homemaker who has a dog training business will always be first referred to as a homemaker; and a talented high school student will always be first referred to as a student. It is unfortunate that our positions in life are what label us first, limiting our primary recognition of the talents we possess and where we prosper and flourish the most. Again, as with the English teacher, people have the tendency of viewing talented people through the eyes of skepticism, an unaware portrayal based upon their own association of the world around them.
It is a slow process when they discover and finally believe that a person has a natural and imaginative talent. In the end, the most important thing for any creative person to remember is that it is not what we do or earn, but rather, it is our passion and drive to create what we value the most.
IAN: Who designs your book covers?
Multi-talented book cover designer and award-winning author, Melissa Alvarez (https://bookcovers.us/). She is one of the most amazing, passionate, and outstanding creative designers that I have ever met. When designing a cover, it is so important to get the elements right, to be able to have the designer see what you see, and Melissa nails it every single time. I am truly blessed to be working with her.
IAN: Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand-alone?
Beguiled Persuasion is currently available on Smashwords.com and I will be uploading books 6-8 of the Beguiled West Series I this summer. I am currently finishing the dramatic conclusion in book 9 (Borde's Rim). The new series (Beguiled West Series II) that I will be working on is The Eshunna Trilogy, a futuristic romance genre.
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