Alex Bailey is the author of a number of wonderful books, including Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1), Once Upon a Proposal (A Dream Come True Book 2), and The Future Memoir of Ann Jones. Before writing books, Alex says she was a bored writer/editor of documents as humdrum as vacuum cleaner manuals. She left that life behind to create more exciting worlds than the one she lived in and now writes stories with a splash of magic. When she’s not dreaming of being swept away to “The Most Magical Place on Earth,” she’s tending to her organic garden while belting out Disney tunes. Some of her favorite hobbies include: telling her children that “Mother knows best,” attempting to convince woodland creatures to clean her house for her, wishing upon stars, and Disney-ing.

Visit Alex Bailey’s website and Amazon author page.
You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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What motivates you to write and how did you get started?

I can’t define what the “it” is that motivates me, so I’ll tell you how it all began and you can decide for yourself. And . . . when you get the answer, I’d love to hear it.

My story started in 1999, when I was taking my routine walk around the National Mall on my lunch hour, just as I’d done for years. I was working in the IT field and writing technical documents at the time, but had never written a novel. Never had an idea for one. Never had any desire to write anything other than in my job. Suddenly, about five minutes into my walk, a feeling like no other came over me (yes, I know, cliché as all get out, but I don’t have any other words to describe it) and a complete story popped into my head (even though I say ‘head’ here, that’s not exactly how it felt, more like into my heart). I had no idea what had just happened. No idea what to do with this . . . um, unusual happening. So, I rushed back to my office and wrote the ending, tears streaming down and blubbering at my desk. Luckily everyone else in the office was at lunch. I spent the next year researching how to write and wrote the first draft on paper (by pen and paper, no laptop back then!) on the subway as I commuted to/from work. And then typed it up in the evenings.

I spent the next almost-20 years taking courses, writing, editing, and more writing with any bit of time I could steal. I had three young children, a full-time job (worked 10-hour days) with a very long commute, and volunteered in my kids’ schools, but luckily, each of my kids had their own interests, so I wrote during soccer, basketball, dance, football, gymnastics, baseball, theater, swim, and karate practice. My husband and I split the activities and I chose the ones best suited for writing. There were plenty of times I ended up sitting in my car or at the top of the bleachers, appearing to be very anti-social. Needless to say, I didn’t make a ton of friends with the other parents! But it couldn’t be helped, the stories inside had waited my lifetime to escape and once Pandora’s Box was opened, there was no slamming the lid. Believe me, I tried. I walked away many times, thinking it was too difficult. And it was fine, at first. But each time, I was compelled to get back to writing. I never understood it, didn’t ask for this to happen. But I only felt peace when I returned to it.

It wasn’t until I retired a few years ago that I had time to learn the publishing end of being an author. There’s so much to learn in this business, and I continue to learn more every day.

What’s most rewarding about writing?

For me, the most rewarding part of writing is when someone says they connected with a story or character. “That’s me!” or “I connected with this story” or “I sure wish I had him in my life” are things that have made my heart finally understand why I’ve been doing this crazy writing thing.

What’s your favorite genre and why?

I read all sorts of things, both fiction and non-fiction and it’s hard to say what my favorite genre is. The only thing I can figure is I love stories that have some bit of magic in them. Everyday magic, such as a coincidence that seems too coincidental, the “real” Santa Claus, being given the exact amount of money needed from a complete stranger to get on the subway when you’ve not brought any cash and credit cards aren’t accepted in the machine (wait, I digress, you’re talking about books. I could write a book on the magical things that have happened in my real life!) I believe in everyday magic, especially the type that love brings.

Where do your characters come from?

Characters come from everywhere-my imagination mostly, mixed with people I see, hear, hear about. When I was writing on the subway, if I needed a character or a description, I’d look up and find someone and imagine what that person was like and put them in the story.

But I always seemed to get so distracted when I did this.

Ex: About a guy sitting across from me. “Oh, he looks like he had a rough night, I can use him in my story. Why does he look that way? Maybe because his girlfriend broke up with him with no explanation right when he was about to propose. He stormed out of the swanky restaurant and walked the streets thinking and wondering what he’d done wrong. The night was still and yet a magazine whirled around him, dropping on the pavement at his feet. When he picked it up, and read the cover story title—Men who work too much and the women they take for granted—he took it as a sign. He raced back to his apartment and spent the rest of the night searching for a less-stressful job.”

Who is an author who inspires you and why?

Lots of the big-name authors inspire me, but I’ll tell you, I’m blown away by Indie authors who have been able to tackle having a family, writing, and publishing at the same time . . . something I could not do. I applaud them, this is a tough road to follow. Recently, I read a wonderful holiday book by Bibiana Krall, The Getaway, and found out she’s one of these amazing authors who is doing it all! She even put out a holiday recipe book recently (Sensational Writers + Holiday Recipes), and included other authors’ recipes!

What do you look for in other people’s books?

For me, it’s all about the story. Is it inspiring, funny, warm-hearted, makes me think? There are so many different aspects to a story and I love them all. But the story is the heart of everything for me.

What are you writing now?

I’ve always got several things going at once. I’ll get an idea that takes over and have to write it, and once I get into that story, another will take over and I switch to that one. I am not happy with this but there doesn’t seem to be much choice. I write all the story ideas down in hopes I can get back to them after I finish what I’m working on, but it doesn’t work that way. One of them will call to me. And if I ignore it, the calls get louder. And more frequent. It’s very annoying to have to switch gears suddenly. I’m a very methodical person. I like to completely finish one task before I take on another. I’m no good at multi-tasking. It drives me crazy, but alas, this is what I’m up against.

What kind of book would you like to be known for?

I’m not so sure I want to be known, hence the reason I chose a pen name. So, I’ll tell you what Alex Bailey would like to be known for—stories that touch another person in some way, whether the reader connected to the storyline, or a character, or even for a brief moment looked at life in a different way.

What has writing taught you about yourself?

That you never know what’s coming next. I thought I knew everything about my life, what I was doing, where it was going, and then bam! My world changed in one enveloping instant. Never would I have dreamed of being an author. I wasn’t a child who wrote stories or told stories or majored in English. In fact, I was stressed growing up when creative assignments in school were handed out. I never had any ideas. I had no idea what to write about. Nothing ever came to me. I spent most of my time trying to think up something and usually gave up and asked everyone around me for an idea. And I remember almost every class in college required a 10-page paper typed (yes, back then it was on a typewriter, if you’re under 50, you’ll have to do a Google search to find out what they were). I avoided English classes, and only took two required classes. My point is, you never know the twists and turns your life will take and you can’t count on the future being as you envision it. The universe may have other ideas. I’ve learned to be flexible; sometimes it’s easier to give in than continue to struggle against your destiny.

How has your life experience influenced your writing?

I’m sure I put a lot of my life into my stories. I think I’m funny in real life. No one else does, but that’s because no one around me has a decent sense of humor (just kidding?). I try to insert a few chuckles into my books. Luckily, I’ve found readers who appreciate my humor.

Also, I had a rough childhood growing up. I lost my mom when I was three and in one of my books, Once Upon a Romance, a young girl, Ariel, lost her mom. I was able to pull my love of all things Disney, which got me and my brothers through that rough period, into the story by giving her that same Disney love. It was an emotional story for me to write because I connected with Ariel and her aunt who helps her. I had an older brother who helped me through my emotional years and I know the sacrifice me made for us.

What encouraging advice can you offer new writers?

My motto for others is the same as Nike’s – Just Do It! Often, I hear from friends or relatives asking for advice who have an idea for a book, would like to become a writer, or just want to get started. I’m always happy to share my knowledge with others. So many have helped me along the way and the writing community is the most supportive community I’ve ever found! My motto for myself is – Pay It Forward.

But so many times when I check back, they’ve done absolutely nothing to begin their journey. Not even taken small steps. We all have excuses. We all have busy lives. We all have monumental hurdles to jump. I know it’s daunting, but if you take a single step, then you’re not only one step closer to the goal, you have one step fewer needed to reach it. My guess is that most people don’t really want it bad enough, and that’s fine, because this life is definitely not for everyone. It can get pretty lonely holed up in front of a screen for hours on end. But for those who really do want it, and want it badly enough, Just Do It!

One last piece of advice – try to pick a Twitter handle that makes sense. Don’t choose one that includes leaving off the last letter of your name (or pen name). You can’t imagine how much trouble it will cause!

I’d like to thank Sandy for the opportunity to share my story. If you haven’t yet read one of her stories, I highly recommend that you do. I recently finished a touching story about a woman who loses her memory and in so doing, herself – Traces of Home. It’s beautifully written and has so many of the elements I love – romance, secrets, and journeys into self-discovery.