We were lucky to catch up with Celeste Connally recently and have shared our conversation below.
Celeste, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I will always give my parents immense credit for my resilience. Being able to put one foot in front of the other and continue to move forward, even after a setback of any type, is not alway an easy thing to do, but it’s something I’ve witnessed in my parents, my brother, and even other family members, my entire life. The successes they have obtained has been because of their mindset to get out of bed every morning and move forward. And while I think I naturally inherited some of their resilient nature, it’s also something I’ve learned and honed through my own setbacks, issues, anxieties, etc. Because while people can encourage you to pick yourself up and keep going when times are hard, it’s something you have to practice yourself to truly make it happen. Is there a certain part of resilience that masquerades as complete and utter stubbornness? Absolutely! But with it has to be some level of optimism, humor, and a desire to better both yourself and your situation, even if it means hitting ten dead ends, each time backing up, and trying another route before that eleventh helps you break through to where you want to go.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m an author, and I write mystery novels! Specifically, historical mysteries set in Regency-era England, though I also write contemporary mysteries as well. My current series is the Lady Petra Inquires mysteries, which features a headstrong heroine who choses to remain unmarried and begins using her position in society to investigate the crimes that come her way. My books have some romance, a bit of cheeky humor, a feminist spin, and my publisher describes them as “Agatha Christie meets Bridgerton.”
Being an author is a dream come true for me, as it’s all I’ve ever really wanted to do. I love every part of the writing process, from creating my first draft, to the many rounds of revisions, copyedits, and every little thing in between. The hardest part for me is having to constantly promote myself on social media because I’m not naturally inclined to creating posts on a daily basis, but the interactions with readers and fellow authors make it all worth it! And as of November 2024, I am now a USA Today bestselling author as well, when the second book in my series landed on the bestseller list! I pinch myself every day and I simply love what I do, which I hope shows in my writing!
My books are available in print, e-book, and audiobook and can be found wherever books are sold, as well as in libraries. Here’s the titles of my books so far:
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord (book 1, available now)
All’s Fair in Love and Treachery (book 2, available now)
Revenge, Served Royal (book 3 – coming November 2025)
And a fourth book to come, with a possibility for more!
Here’s how to find me on social media:
Instagram, Facebook, and Threads: @celesteconnallyauthor
Bluesky: @celesteconnally.bsky.social
Website: celesteconnally.com
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
To make it as an author, besides writing skills, you need patience, tenacity, and a willingness to do the scariest thing that is putting your work out in the world for people to judge. None of those qualities are easy to come by, and an author needs them in spades!
In truth, publishing is a very tough business where an author is constantly vying for the attention of readers, space on bookshelves, and the need to produce good book ideas on which a publisher want to take a chance. Nothing is ever guaranteed, and so an author must be incredibly resilient, and be constantly improving their writing skills and thinking up new ideas. For me, I learned about the publishing business by going to writers’ conferences and accepted the tougher aspects of it before I ever sought to get published, and it’s only made me more grateful for every reader, every book sold, and every ounce of time I’ve put into my career.
The piece of advice I give to any aspiring author is this: Learn how to be edited, and be willing to revise your manuscript. No author puts out a perfect book in their first draft, and an editor is there to see the holes in your manuscript and point you in the direction to making them better. But it’s you, the author, who must accept the constructive criticism you receive, and be willing to take it into account and revise (and revise, and revise) until your manuscript is in the best shape possible.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I find that taking a step back and changing tack is the best thing for me. Even if I’m on a deadline, I’ll leave and take myself out to lunch, or go for a walk, or go to a shop I like and browse. I temporarily leave everything that’s overwhelming me behind and set my mind onto something more enjoyable. Once I’ve calmed my mind, then I start to think on what’s bothering me, or all the things I have to do, and I try to work out how to tackle it before I go back home. Most of the time, taking myself out of the situation for a while and doing something that is a simple pleasure works wonders. Also, when I’m overwhelmed, I often realize I simply need to do one of two things–eat or sleep. Or both!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://celesteconnally.com
- Instagram: @celesteconnallyauthor
- Facebook: @celesteconnallyauthor
Image Credits
Celeste Connally
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
