Hello from Becca Kabelis, paranormal romance author with Clan Whelan Publishing.

I am beyond excited to bring you my first series, the Ascent of the Witch Trilogy!

But before I tell you more about myself and my books, have you ever heard that many successful people didn’t achieve their success until later in life? It’s true. Colonel Sanders didn’t create Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 65. Nine years later, he sold the franchise for millions. Vera Wang didn’t begin designing clothes until she was 40.

But what about authors? Surely every famous writer began when they were young . . . right? Nope, not at all. Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t pen Little House on the Prairie until she was 65 years old. Mark Twain was 41. J.R.R. Tolkien was 45. Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published when he was 50. Even J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter wasn’t published until she was 32. Okay . . . to me, J.K. was young. But you get it.

My point in all this is I turned 62 last January and my witch series was published in November and December, 2022, and the third book came out in January 2023. So I suppose I can speak for those of us who put their dreams on the back burner. So many of us have done that—for a myriad of reasons: family, work, finances . . . the list goes on. But the good news is, we can all begin working toward our dreams and goals at any age.

Even though I was nearly 62 when I was finally published, I had caught the writer’s bug early on. I recall reading Judy Blume books as a young girl, and I longed to one day stretch my imagination into the written word for all to read. As I read, I soaked in how characters spoke to one another, paid attention to grammar, and loved figuring out the plot twists. As I grew out of the countless YA books with horses and girls and crushes on the local boy, I discovered the genre that I wanted to write in . . . Horror! I suppose my infatuation with witches and demons began after reading The Exorcist and seeing the movie. For me, that book and movie were the scariest thing I’d ever experienced because I’d heard it was based on true events and not just made-up folly. Reading Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Anne Rice came soon after, and I was hooked on the horror genre. But I also love romance and everything paranormal. So, I feel very lucky to have found a publisher that promotes new and upcoming authors of paranormal/fantasy romance, Clan Whelan Publishing. If you enjoy reading this genre, then check out Clan Whelan’s website for several great options.

I began writing Maiden in 1989 when my children were small, and I would pound away at my Brother Word Processor down in our dark, creepy basement. My dream was to be the female equivalent of Stephen King. I loved his books, his mind, and the way he took a small town with everyday people, and somehow twisted it into something heart-poundingly frightening! Only the mind of SK could make a Pet Sematary scary, or a rabid dog gone berserk into utter horror.

But as I mentioned, with life, children, schooling, and career, I set the book aside for many years. As it gathered dust high up in my closet, I started a business where I worked 10-hour days, 6-7 days a week. I had no time, or any creative juices left to write. But there was a constant nagging in my heart and my mind that one day . . . I would retrieve that manuscript and find a publisher. Once we closed the business in 2020, I finally had the time to complete a total rewrite. Wow! Technology sure has changed since the late 80’s. Back when I first wrote the story, cell phones and laptops were not a thing. So I modernized it and even changed some of the characters and plot lines. But the gist of the novel has remained pretty steadfast. With the encouragement of Clan Whelan Publishing, I was able to not only update Maiden, but I wrote two more books to make it a series. I soon realized that even though it took me over 30 years to finally be a published author, I was still in love with the characters and the story of good versus evil, fated lovers, and especially my strong, intelligent main character, Mel.

So, what is the Ascent of the Witch Trilogy about? The books follow Mel Morgan as she discovers she has powers and comes from a long line of witches. In book 1, Maiden of Belial, Mel is thrust into a fight against an evil grandmother and the demon she worships, Belial. Along the way, Mel falls in love with the handsome sheriff and forges life-long friendships. Now Mel must find a way to defeat the evil, and not become the next Maiden of Belial. As book 2 and 3 develop, fifteen years have passed, and Mel and her daughter Katy are full-fledged, powerful witches who lead a normal, quiet life. Then they are called upon to once again fight the dark, while saving themselves and the ones they love. Book 2, Dance of the Witches: a witch from Mel and Mike’s past returns and brings forth an ancient Scottish curse. Mel must utilize every ounce of power she possesses to try and defeat this witch and the master she worships. Book 3, Daughters of the Devil, Mel realizes that Katy has been taken, and she must find her before it’s too late. Even if it means Mel must cross into the bowels of Hell and defeat someone that shares her own DNA and blood. And even if he happens to be the most nefarious demon that has ever walked amongst the living . . . and the dead.

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve always been intrigued by demons and witches, and like SK, I wanted to set my books in a small USA town where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. So the seed of Maiden of Belial grew in my mind when I asked myself—What if this small town is home to a coven of witches and the townspeople are oblivious to it? And what if these aren’t pagan wiccans but darker witches . . . aka Satan worshippers? And what if a young woman is lured to this town and discovers she’s been promised to their demon? So that is how the first book materialized in my head many years ago. I found writing book 2 and book 3 easier than writing the first—maybe because I was already quite intimate with my characters, and I just let my imagination take over. Before I knew it, I had a trilogy! And let me tell you—the day I held my three published books in my hands . . . well, I did cry. They were tears of joy for sure! I had finally achieved the dream I’d had since reading those Judy Blume books.

I’m currently working on another series about Vikings. And I’m pretty sure when that’s done, I’ll revisit Mel and Katy when Katy’s an adult and see what sort of new evil they can battle. So you see, I may not have a 40-year career ahead of me, but I still have loads of great stories to tell. And you know what? I actually feel that I am a much better writer at 62 than I was when I first plotted Maiden in the basement. I like to think I can now allow my creativity to blossom without the stress of owning a business, or let’s face it, raising a family. Not that I would trade any of those experiences. I loved being a mom like I love being a grandma now. And every experience I undertook in life will now serve me in some way as I create paranormal romance stories for my readers to enjoy.

That is my goal anyway. And no matter what age you find yourself, or where you’re at in achieving your dreams, keep at it! Don’t ever leave your dreams gathering dust high up in a closet. Remove it, dust it off, and get to work. There’s no time like the present, right? And it’s never too late to reach for the stars!

Have my books sold millions yet? Nope. But that is another dream that I will continue to strive toward. I would love to see my books on the New York Times Best Seller’s List. That would be a dream come true. But you know what? I have achieved something that I longed for since childhood. I wrote a series and readers have actually contacted me and told me how much they love them. To me, that is a huge form of success!

Now go on and write that great book like Mark Twain and Bram Stoker. Design the funkiest clothes you can! Turn your mouth-watering fried chicken into something the Colonel would be proud of. Me . . . I’m going to keep marketing my books and writing new ones. I’ve just realized that I sure have a lot of research still to do on Vikings!

Still reaching for the stars,
Becca