I have the pleasure and honor of getting to know authors, writers and poets. I get to share a bit about these lovely people I meet with you, my blog readers.

Interview with Author Olivia Andem, author of Patience Becomes a Lady

Please share about your background.
We moved from Texas to California when I was a toddler. Dad was a
thoroughbred racehorse trainer in the 1940’s. After marriage, my various career experiences include serving as a District Manager in the 1980 US Census and operating a retail bath and potpourri shop for over a decade. If I have good dialogue and dramatic skills, it must be due to the hours spent listening to radio programs and going to the movies. Genealogy and writing have been life-long interests.
My husband and I now reside in the San Diego area city of Murrieta. We love being near our large extended family after living on the East Coast for many years.

When did you begin your writing journey?
Writing a campus personality column for my high school weekly newspaper was a good beginning. My first computer with its marvelous backspace key liberated my muse. I finally completed my first historical fiction manuscript after joining a local writing group.

What inspired you to write this book?

I am an unabashed Anglophile and avid history buff but my earlier works were set in America. Several years ago, after watching ‘Pride and Prejudice’ for the umpteenth time, I decided to create a character in the era of Jane Austen and write about her experiences.

Please share about your book.
Courtship, in the endlessly fascinating era of Jane Austen, is a delicate matter for a plucky teenage orphan who is the title character of my historical novel, *Patience Becomes A Lady*.
The reader shares the tribulations of young Patience when she is thrust into the maze of titled English society in the post-1815 Regency period. Soon she is caught up in a dubious betrothal amid a time of strict manners. Will a former love come to the rescue? Will a handsome rogue disrupt her guardian’s plans? She must chose wisely or risk losing her chance for happiness.Historical detail and epigrams infuse this gentle romance where ‘the kiss’ arrives in the final scene. Patience Becomes A Lady*, while intended for a general audience, should also be of interest to teens who enjoy reading the classic novels from that romantic period.

How did you decide to publish this book (self publish or traditional)? Why?

Time and motivation came together at the right moment. PATIENCE was
finished and self publishing was possible. I decided it was ‘now or never’ and committed to the project.

What is the best advice you have received about writing?

I think it was Hemingway who said, “Writing is 97% perspiration and 3% inspiration.” The answer to every writing question is probably, ‘keep writing and learn from your mistakes!’

What was your biggest challenge in writing this book?

It was more a worry than a challenge. Would today’s reader identify with a young lady who must navigate her world without the freedoms of today’s female?

Most writers are readers. What books are on your “to-read” list?
Cleopatra’s Daughter and Wolf Hall, at present. I also enjoy browsing in a library or bookstore. Love bringing home book treasures to savor.

Where can readers find out more about you and your book?

My website is www.oliviaandem.com. I have posted some articles about
writing and the publishing experience. Leave a message for me there and I will be happy to respond. Also, I know there are some reviews of Patience are on Amazon and GoodReads.

Preorder info on the 2013 release of the next book in the series will be forthcoming soon.

Social media: Twitter @AndemAuthor. I am also on LinkedIn, Facebook,
Google+ and GoodReads.

PATIENCE BECOMES A LADY ISBN 978-1-77067-980-1
Available as ebook $4.99, soft and hardcover online at Amazon (with Look Inside feature),

Barnes & Noble and others. Available for order at book
retailers. (Price varies online but the SRP is $15.99 softcover and $25.99 hardcover.)

Question for fun sake—what was your favorite childhood meal and why?
Thanksgiving dinners after WWII. I was a child accustomed to doing without things during the rationing years. Mashed potatoes, turkey, cornbread stuffing and mince pie with whipped cream are still my favs.