Name : Adele Marie Crouch

Age : 63

Where are you from : Nevada City, California  USA

A little about yourself `i.e. your education Family life etc.

 I am happily married to the man of my dreams.  I have five children, thirteen grandchildren with number fourteen due any day.  My education consists of a GED, I flunked out of high school (oops).  I have three classes to complete and I will have an AA, which I might get done by the time I’m 70 (grin).  I’m retired and spend the majority of my time writing and/or marketing my books.  I currently live just south of the ghost town of Gleeson, Arizona and have a big green house as well as a huge yard.  I spend my relax time watching and photographing wildlife and working in the garden.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

The majority of my current marketing has been offering the Kindle version of a number of my bilingual children’s books for free.  I’m pleased that a number of people have accepted my gift to them.


Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

I began my first novel, Catherine’s Travels, in 1997.  While in the process of writing it, I dreamed my first two children’s books.  I began writing because my daughter said I was good with words.


Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I don’t know that I do consider myself a writer.  I write because it is fun and I’m fortunate to have people who enjoy what I write.


Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

My eldest daughter, Charlie, heckled me so much that I wrote my first novel to make her happy.  Imagine my surprise when people bought it and liked it.


Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

I write the way I talk.  I don’t know if that qualifies as a writing style.


Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

I used my grandmother’s middle name.


Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Life is a blessing, be happy with what you have.  Look at the bright side and above all smile.


Fiona: How much of the book is realistic?

Not much.  My grandmother and her family did migrate from Austria.  How canning was invented and a few other historical facts are true.


Fiona: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

My grandmother insisted that in spite of what life hands you, look at the bright side.  This became the basis of my heroin, Catherine.


Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most?

That is a tough one.  I have read, literally, thousands of books.  I don’t think I can narrow it down to fit into this interview. (smile)


Fiona: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Lucia St. Clair Robson


Fiona: What book are you reading now?

Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon


Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Madison Johns.  She is such a breath of fresh air!


Fiona: What are your current projects?

Revising/editing Catherine’s Travels Book 1


Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

Wow, only one?  I have had too much support from so many friends, I couldn’t name just one.


Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

At my age, I’m not looking for a career.  I’m retired and writing for fun.


Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I may have made it a little more exciting, had Catherine put in a few more complicated situations.


Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

My daughter said I could.


Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

The river was lovely this time of day.  The rays of the sun danced on the riverbank as the leaves swayed in the soft morning breeze.  Catherine could swear the trees whispered secrets to each other as the breeze blew through them.  Surely there is not a more peaceful place anywhere in America, she thought as she arranged her tools to prepare for her self-appointed task.  

A blood-curdling scream ripped through the air and a ferocious growl shook the trees.  Catherine’s blood ran cold and a chill crept up her spine.  She grabbed her weapons and ran toward the sound.  The scream was closer this time and the growl made the hairs on the nape of her neck stand up.  “What could be happening?” She asked herself as she ran along the riverbank.   She shifted her quiver to a comfortable and easily accessible position across her shoulder.  Her rifle was primed and she carried it in her right hand.

She rounded a bend and came upon a sight that made her mouth to go dry and her heart skipped a beat.  There in front of her was a bear!   On the ground was a man, bleeding and unconscious.  The bear raised his head and looked her right in the eyes.   He shook his head and made strange “Hmpf Hmpf” noises.  The blood sprayed everywhere.   Her throat tightened and sweat broke out on her

forehead.  Blood dripped from his mouth.  It took a couple of seconds for the severity of the situation to sink in, then she raised her rifle and fired.  She quickly dropped the rifle, swung her bow around and notched an arrow.  She had fired three arrows into the bear before it dropped to the ground.  She stood riveted for what seemed like an eternity before she sunk to the ground and stared at the bloody scene in front of her.  The musty odor of the bear mingled with the strong smell of fresh blood made her nauseated.  (Catherine’s Travels Book 1)


Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

In the novels, the research to be sure I am writing in the tone of the 1800’s.  In my children’s books, making sure all punctuation and grammar are correct.


Fiona: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Lucia St. Clair Robson.  She sucks you in and hangs onto you with both hands.  Her novels are the most fascinating works of historic fiction I have read.


Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

No.  I only do local book signings and the majority of my work with my books is done online.


Fiona: Who designed the covers?

My husband


Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The novels, the research.  The children’s books, the language.  It was tough to think like a pre-kindergartner.


Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

The novels, I learned when, where, and how canning came to be.  I learned a myriad of things about the Native Americans of the mid-west.  The children’s books, I learned that there are thousands of people out there who use children’s books to study English as well as to learn foreign languages.


Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write from the heart and enjoy what you are doing.


Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I hope they enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done ?

 I was an artist for over forty-five years.  I guess that is what I would still be doing.  I don’t really know what I want to be when I grow up (smile).

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? if so what is it?

I have a website with so much free learning material you could spend a whole day there and not see it all.  http://www.creationsbycrouch.com