Welcome to the very first Author Spotlight on my blog. In the Author Spotlight series, I plan to interview authors I enjoy reading and admire. Some will hopefully be authors you might recognize, while others will be local and “lesser known,” but just as talented nonetheless.
When I first began tossing around the idea of creating an author spotlight, it didn’t take long to decide whom my first author interview should be: Anne Canadeo (also known as: Katherine Spencer.) I chewed on this thought for several days before finally summoning the courage to contact Ms. Canadeo to ask for an interview, because, honestly, I couldn’t imagine why a busy, in-demand author would want to be interviewed by little old me. Then I thought, “You’ll never know until you ask. All she can do is say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.'”
Thankfully, she graciously agreed to be the first guest on my Author Spotlight, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.
My first time to read a Katherine Spencer novel was many years ago when I lived in a small town outside of Norman, Oklahoma, called Noble. I was in the local Christian bookstore looking for a new read and ran across a book entitled Cape Light. As an ardent fan of Thomas Kinkade paintings, and since his name and artwork graced the book cover, I thought, “Why not?” I bought it, and from the first page I fell in love with the book, the characters, the setting–everything about it. And now, countless years later, Ms. Canadeo rivals only Mary Higgins Clark as the favorite author in this guy’s life.
As soon as I finished Cape Light, I took it to my mom Teresa and said, “Mom, you have to read this book!” She read it, and she and I have been loyal fans of the series ever since.
It is my honor to bring you today’s guest, Anne Canadeo, a New York Times Best-Selling author. She has written two series of novels under the pseudonym Katherine Spencer: the “Cape Light” series and the “Angel Island” series. She also has written a series of books under her real name, Anne Canadeo, “The Black Sheep & Company” series, a cozy mystery series that focuses on a group of women friends who meet up in their local knitting shop who “share a passion for knitting and have a knack for solving crimes.”
Brett: Anne, thank you for taking time out of your hectic writing schedule to speak with my readers and me today. I learned something interesting about you recently. I’ve read all your Cape Light and Angel Island novels and always look forward to your new Christmas-themed release every fall. Much to my surprise, I recently found out you also write a different series of books under your real name, Anne Canadeo. Tell us why you chose to write the Cape Light/Angel Island series under a pseudonym?
Anne: I chose the name Katherine Spencer for the inspirational market because I wanted to distinguish the books from my work in other genres. Prior to creating and writing the Cape Light books, I had published romantic fiction, middle grade novels, young adult fiction, and non-fiction. I had used other pseudonyms for different readers. And sometimes, I had been asked by the publisher to write under a pen name. Katherine is my daughter’s name and Spencer is my husband’s, so this alternate identity has always held special meaning for me.
Brett: Your Cape Light Series and Angel Island series of novels are collaborative efforts with popular artist Thomas Kinkade, and his amazing paintings grace the covers of all your novels. How did this collaboration with him begin, and what was his role in the collaboration? Did he co-write along with you, or provide input into the storyline, characters, setting, etc. in any way?
Anne: The Cape Light series was actually not a collaboration with Thomas Kinkade, though he does get a full author credit on the covers. Sometime around 1999-2000, I was approached by Parachute Press, who had been hired by Kinkade and his company Media Arts, to create a line or series of inspirational fiction that the artist could put his name on. I had experience in this area from my former position as a Senior Editor at Harlequin-Silhouette, where I created their inspirational imprint Steeple Hill, starting with the Love Inspired line. I also acquired and edited the first few years of the series’ publication.
I didn’t know anything about Mr. Kinkade or his artwork, but I was sent a book of his paintings and also a biography he’d published with a co-writer. I somehow came up with the idea for Cape Light and all the characters who lived there. I wrote up the concept and the story plots. I did consider the Victorian houses and cozy settings in his paintings, but also a certain area of Massachusetts that we’ve always loved, just north of Boston, called Cape Ann. I set Cape Light village in the same geographical location as the village of Ipswich, MA. I also based Cape Light on the town where I live, Northport, NY, which is on the Long Island Sound and full of Victorian homes and vintage buildings. And a lot of local, eccentric personalities. Everyone knows everyone else, just like in Cape Light.
I was supposed to be the project editor, but I liked the series so much, I asked if I could write the books instead. I was very pleased and will be forever grateful to Jane Stine, the co-chair of Parachute Press, for giving me that opportunity. The original agreement was for three books. Nobody ever expected the series to last much longer, no less twenty-one books over twenty years. Media Arts supplied the cover art, of course, and initially at least, reviewed the manuscripts. I only spoke to Thomas Kinkade once and briefly on a phone conference. So basically, it’s been all me all these years, like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. LOL But with the help of three wonderful editors, Theresa Labreglio (who sadly passed away last year), Ellen Steiber, who lives in Tucson, Arizona, and Jane Stine, who, by the way, is the wife of Goosebumps author, R.L. Stine, we were a devoted team and faced many deadline challenges. I always said, “It takes a village to make a village.”
Brett: I was such a huge fan of the Angel Island series of books, but you stopped writing that series after five books. Why did you discontinue the series? Is there a possibility you’ll ever pick it back up and give us another installment?
Anne: Many readers loved that series, and I enjoyed writing it, too. But the publisher decided it wasn’t selling well enough to continue. So many readers got in touch, asking about the characters at the inn, and if I would ever bring them up to date with a new book. I decided to put them in a Cape Light story, When Christmas Comes (2019). Liza and Daniel return with their children for a holiday visit. Claire North, who is now married to Nolan Porter, is still running the inn, but there are many changes about to come. I doubt I’ll ever be able to write more Angel Island books, since I don’t hold the copyright. But “never say never” is one of my favorite mottos. 😉
Brett: Most of your books in the Cape Light series are Christmas themed (which I LOVE! Anyone who knows me knows I love everything Christmas, which was why I focused my first novel around the Christmas season). Why did you choose to place the series around the Christmas season rather than choosing a different season for each book?
Anne: The first four books were not Christmas themed. The first book, Cape Light, begins on Memorial Day weekend and ends later that summer. My original intent was to show the town for a full year, so I was very happy when the publisher asked for a fourth book, which brought the seasons full circle. I believe the book A Gathering Place includes Christmas, but that was just by chance and because I was following a timeline set by the previous stories.
At that point Media Arts, Thomas Kinkade’s company, geared all of Kinkade’s art and licensed products towards Christmas, and I was directed to make the Cape Light stories center around Christmas, too. So, even though they had no creative input, they did dictate that change. I suppose the publisher liked the idea as well, because Christmas books always sell. That’s how it started. At first, I didn’t like the strict parameter, but it did work so well with the inspirational tone and messages. Somehow, it all fit. I think the stories could fit any season and don’t really need to be “framed” by the holiday season, though it does add an extra layer. Every time I finished a book, I felt as if I could never come up with another idea. Certainly not one that was good enough. But somehow, whenever it was time, the ideas just came to me.
Brett: Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser?” In other words, do you outline all your novels prior to writing them, or are you a “fly by the seat of your pants” writer?
Anne: I suppose there are some authors who can just wander and it all turns out fine. “All who wander are not lost,” is a famous quote, though I don’t know who said it.** I’ve never worked that way on a book project, though on short fiction I find that is fun and interesting. Also, there are probably some writers who don’t need an outline and can still meet a deadline. But if you want to make a living writing, and don’t want to make your editors hate you, because your projects are always late, it’s way more efficient to use an outline.
When I start to pull together a story idea, I brainstorm with myself and let my thoughts go in all sorts of directions, then sometimes, toss possible versions back and forth with an editor. But once I determine the basic bones of a story, I always write up a very complete outline, which for me is the heavy lifting of the process and just as hard as writing the book. I do this even if the editor doesn’t ask for one.
Writing a book is a long journey. I like to know where I’m going. It certainly saves time, for one thing, and keeps the writing tight and the narrative energy focused. I like each scene to add to the plot, and each chapter to create some larger plot point, moving the action along. I can usually always tell when a writer has not used a solid outline — especially reading an unedited or unpublished manuscript.
That is not to say I don’t veer off the track when the story or even the characters direct me to a more interesting or even unexpected situation. So many good things happen by accident while you’re writing, great ideas that fit perfectly, just dropping in from the blue. But I find that only happens when I’m really in sync with a story and lost in the process. A good outline helps me get into that flow much faster because I don’t have to stop and think about what should happen next. Thinking is not writing; it’s a very different brain activity. Another reason I use an outline is a very practical one. Many editors want to know what they’re getting and ask for a complete outline.
**(Editorial note: Regarding Ms. Canadeo’s quote of “Not all who wander are lost,” I researched it, and we can attribute that quote to J.R.R Tolkien in The Fellowship of the Ring.
“We have to decide what to do with the time that is given us. Not all who wander are lost. Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” J.R.R Tolkien-The Fellowship of the Ring.
Brett: Have you ever had a great idea for a novel and started it but didn’t finish it? Or maybe you finished it but never did anything with it?
Anne: Back in 2016, I had an idea for a mystery set in the 1940s, a few years after WWII. I managed to write the first hundred pages and an outline, but it was very difficult — and sometimes, seemed impossible — to complete the manuscript. Partly because I was writing books for two different series each year which had to be published on a strict schedule, and I only had a few months each summer to work on special projects. And you know how easy it is to work during the summer, when everyone else is going to the beach and having all sorts of fun, right? I also had many family and real-life challenges coming at me at the time that kept me from finishing. But, I never gave up on it. The story just stuck with me. I think a lot of people thought I was crazy or fooling myself when I kept talking about this idea that I’d been working on. I actually felt embarrassed to admit that I was still pursuing it, so I just stopped mentioning it.
Finally, last year during COVID, I managed to complete the book and then took several months more to edit and refine it. So basically, the book took at least five years to write, compared to my usual time span of three to five months to write a book from start to finish. Many writers normally take that long, especially authors of quality or literary fiction, so it’s really not at all unusual. Though because I’ve written practically all my work under contract with a tight deadline, it was unusual for me. The story changed a lot during the years it took me to complete it and became more complex and deeper. The writing is sharper and stronger, too. So, that long process was not wasted in the least. Unexpected, I will say. But not wasted.
Also, I have another project I’ve put aside for even longer — about a woman with a head injury who takes in a dog. I hope to finish that manuscript at some point, too. Finishing this period mystery has given me hope!
Brett: Do you have times in the process of writing a story where you get stuck and can’t figure out how you want to progress the story? I can say, as an author, I experience this more times than I’d like to admit. If so, what is your process for navigating through these times?
Anne: I do get stuck sometimes, perhaps deciding how to move the action along, or set a scene. For example, I know that I want two characters to come together and have a conversation about something and need a natural but not repetitive way to set that up. Or, for example, in one of my mysteries, it might say in the outline that during a conversation, certain clues or bits of information come forward. Sometimes I might just write in an outline, “Something ominous happens!” So, I need to stop and think up a way for that to happen.
When I get stuck, I get up and make myself a cup of mint tea and maybe even take my dog Leo out for a little break. And sometimes, even while I’m walking around the house, the way to get from A to B will come to me. An author needs to remember to trust in the process and trust the characters to tell the story. I have found that writing is not thinking. Writing is coming from someplace else in your brain that’s far less “conscious,” and it’s important to relax and let that happen.
Brett: As an author, I’m often asked if I’ve used actual people in my life as a basis for characters and/or situations in my novels. I always answer, “If I have, I haven’t done my job correctly if they can see themselves in it.” Have you ever modeled a character or a situation in a story after a real-life person or event?
Anne: Yes, I have. Sometimes, I’ve been aware of using a real-life story and have tried my best to disguise it. But there have been times when I’ve unconsciously used one and have not disguised it very well. Oooops!
Sometimes I think of an author’s mind as a big lint brush, rolling along, sweeping up all sorts of images and stories that are later picked off for future use. I suppose these personal stories get jumbled up in my brain and I think I’ve thought of something “original” and later realize, “No…that’s a story Such-and-Such told you about their mother or father, or something that happened to them when they were young.”
I can think of once or twice when this has happened, and I only realized it when Such-and-Such was reading the book where I used their story. Luckily, no one has called me out on that sort of slip up. Yet. I will add that sometimes people think I have based a character on them in a book and I actually have not. For better or worse, it’s hard to convince them.
Brett: I’ve read all your Cape Light and Angel Island novels, which you wrote under the pseudonym Katherine Spencer, but until recently I didn’t realize you have a new series of books written under your real name, Anne Canadeo. The Cape Light and Angel Island books are clean, inspirational books set in a picturesque coastal town with fun and often quirky characters, but you chose cozy mystery with a focus on knitting for your new series. Since I didn’t know about the knitting series until recently, I haven’t read these yet, and they are on my “to-read” list. What made you transition to the cozy mystery genre for the knitting series of books?
Anne: I had always wanted to write a mystery and often had ideas for one, but could never quite figure out how to hide the villain and the solution. I found a book called, appropriately enough, How To Write A Mystery, by Shannon O’Corke, and that helped me a lot with structure and various tricks mystery writers use to distract and confuse their readers. And I read a ton of mysteries, too, the type I wanted to write.
Eventually, I put together a mystery plot and wrote a few chapters and an outline. It was set in a restaurant that the main character inherited from her uncle and had a bunch of quirky characters. I know a bit about restaurants and cooking, and this seemed a good setting for me. “Write what you know” and all that. A few editors looked at it but didn’t buy it, though they liked the writing and wanted to see something else. That is the most annoying thing an author can hear, right? And a writer always wants to say, “I don’t want you to buy ‘something else,’ I want you to buy and publish this project that I’ve worked so hard on. And I may never have another good idea for the rest of my life…etc.” Of course, you can’t say that. Maybe that’s why we need literary agents? One reason, anyway.
Kathy Sagan, who was an editor at Simon & Schuster at the time, also liked the writing, and also didn’t want to buy it. But she was nice enough to suggest I try my hand at creating a cozy mystery series based around knitting, which she told me was a very hot market at the time, and the type of cozy she needed for her list. I think the Friday Night Knitting Club had just been a huge bestseller, and although that wasn’t a mystery, it created an entire “knitting” fiction category.
I’m going to digress here a moment with a word or two for aspiring writers. You can see that this is a situation where my writing was directed by the market. I wasn’t writing “my own thing” anymore, I was writing to fit some trend or editorial need. I know that some writers won’t do that, but obviously I have always been willing. I did not aspire to be the author of inspirational fiction either, come to think of it, but was more or less “tapped” by an editor to try it, and here I am. I was trying to make a living as a writer and not just writing whatever I pleased, so that makes a difference, too. I will say, if you’re an author starting out, it’s good to be conscious of what you’re writing and why you’re writing it. Which is not to say that the same author can’t write wonderful books in many different genres. I think it’s just the publishers who tend towards that prejudice, not the readers.
Getting back to knitting mysteries, I honestly knew very little about knitting, although my grandmother Anna, who I was quite close with, was an expert knitter and had tried to teach me a few times. I created a cast of women friends of different ages and life stages and professional backgrounds who meet at a knitting shop in their town. A town a lot like my hometown, which is the perfect setting for a cozy mystery series.
The books are as much about the mystery as they are about the bonds of female friendship, which is why I think readers have found them so appealing. I do a lot of research about knitting, and include some technique or stitch in each story, and knitting is often worked into the mystery clues. But overall, I don’t feel the fact that I am not an avid knitter has hurt the stories in any way. In fact, it has kept me from getting too far into the weeds about knitting and staying focused on the mystery. The series eventually moved from Simon & Schuster to Kensington with a small tweak to the series name – going from Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries, to The Black Sheep & Company.
There are now about eleven books. Strangers On A Skein will be out in October 2021 and Death On The Argyle will be out in September 2022.
Brett: What is your favorite aspect of writing? What is your least favorite aspect of writing?
Anne: I suppose my favorite aspect is finishing a book! It does start to seem like some sort of aberrant, psychological condition to basically mumble to yourself all day and write down what you’ve been saying — acting like different people, no less. More than that, I guess my favorite aspect is when a book does seem to write itself because I am so much in flow with the story and characters and setting, etc. When I am just watching a movie in my head, more or less, and writing down what I’m seeing and hearing and feeling. And I “see” something great happen in the story, or a character says something very funny, or very wise, or very shocking, and it’s a perfect moment in the scene, and it’s all come as a surprise to me, and I just write it down. That is more than fun. It’s the amazing part of the process and makes all the difficult moments worthwhile.
Another favorite aspect is hearing from readers, complete strangers who write to say how much they’ve enjoyed my books and what the books have meant to them. Perhaps, helping them through a hard time in their life, or sometimes, helped them reflect on some personal situation and feel more hopeful.
Writing is a lonely business, and hearing from readers is truly touching and reminds me, someone is actually reading these stories, besides folks in the publishing house. It’s also very gratifying to hear that I’ve given someone a few hours of pleasant escape and respite, and maybe even helped them in some way. It makes me feel I’ve done a good job. What more can you ask?
My least favorite part of writing is often starting a book, which can feel like pushing a giant rock uphill. Or being smack dab in the middle…Ugh. Having put so much work in already and still so much left to go. That’s when I fall back on some of my favorite mottos — such as, “Don’t think, just write.” Or even, “If you’re marching through hell, keep going.”
Brett: I’ve grown to love all the characters in your books: often difficult Lillian and easy-going Ezra; cantankerous Charlie and loveable Lucy; level-headed Emily and Dan—there are too many to name here, but opening one of your books always feels like I’m going home. In your books, you often introduce a brand-new character as main characters, then weave our favorite familiar characters throughout the story. Do you have a favorite character(s) you especially enjoy bringing back to the page?
Anne: It’s very hard to choose favorites from my Cape Light characters. It’s like asking the mother of fifty children which she loves the best. I’ve always felt that each character a writer creates is some aspect of their own personality. I also think a writer has to be a very good actor and get themselves into the total mindset of their characters and play all the roles of the entire cast, which is hard work sometimes, and even very draining. But the more one can empathize and even transform into the different personalities, the more successful a book will be.
Whenever I teach writing, I call it, “getting close to the consciousness of the characters.” Getting in their skin, in their brain. Once that happens, I have found some amazing and great surprises that evolve in the dialogue and story. In fact, the book will start to write itself. Or rather, the characters will do it for you.
I will say that some characters are easier for me “to write” than others. I love writing scenes from Lillian Warwick’s point of view. I love being in her mind and perspective. She has such distinctive opinions, attitudes, and values and always creates conflict and drama in a scene, often in a humorous way. The subplot in the last Cape Light book that involved Lillian and Ezra at odds over keeping a little dog was just an amazing amount of fun to write and came so easily. It was almost as if I was watching a movie and just transcribing what I saw in between chuckles.
Brett: If you could pick one Cape Light book to be made into a movie (seriously, why has Hollywood not approached you about this?), which book would it be?
Anne: Thanks for the compliment. Not surprisingly, I also think many of the Cape Light stories would make good films and that the series overall would make a good TV/streaming series. It’s hard for me to pick out one book. I do like the stories that go back in time and show the town and characters in the past, juxtaposed with a plot going on in the present. There are at least three or even four.
The most recent of that type, A Christmas Secret, seems to me a quintessential Christmas story with meaningful stories unfolding in the present and in the past that were intertwined in a very organic, natural way. It was great fun to think up and write.
Without spoiling it for those who haven’t read it yet, the main character is a young man named Martin Nightingale, who spent summers in Cape Light visiting his grandparents. His grandfather Walter has left Martin a huge inheritance, but there is a stipulation that Martin must give a good chunk of the money away, anonymously, to folks in need in Cape Light. So, Martin comes to the town and needs to be a secret Santa. The problem is, he is very shy, a bit intellectual and even distant, though not in a bad way. He has no idea of how to go about finding people with problems. His lesson is to learn how to engage and truly care about strangers. To live out the famous Forrest Gump quote, “A stranger just is a friend you haven’t met yet.”
The story in the past shows Martin’s grandfather Walter, who was just the opposite of Martin in temperament. A toy-making genius, Walter was so empathetic and generous that one Christmas he found himself on the brink of financial ruin until he had an amazing inspiration and eventually found himself rewarded for his open heart and good deeds. And there’s a romance. What more do you want, Hollywood?
Brett: Do you write every day? How many hours/words a day do you like to spend writing?
Anne: I write every weekday and often on the weekend too, when I have a deadline on a project. I find that the more I work, the faster the writing comes. That’s the upside of putting in long hours. I will write for anywhere between five hours up to ten, though not all in one stretch. When my daughter was young and I needed to be available to her after school, I would work a lot at night, well into the small hours, especially toward the end of a manuscript. But, I rarely work past eleven or midnight now, when I work at night after dinner.
On days when I can’t work while in the midst of a project, I find it’s good to read over my outline at night, to keep the ideas fresh in my head. I feel my unconscious is always working in a story once I get it going, even when I’m not at the keyboard. I do get ideas away from the desk and keep a little notepad or index cards handy.
When I’m not writing, I love to work in the garden – and I mean work. I’m a real down and dirty gardener and don’t consider it a worthwhile day outside unless I’m covered in mud from head to toe and totally exhausted by dinner time, which usually turns out to be takeout. I also love to cook and all of the recipes that appear in the back pages of my books are my own creations, or variations. I also spend a good deal of time working on different community service and social justice projects, which is a wonderful benefit of having a profession with such a flexible schedule. As one might expect, my service work tends towards my two great passions, books and food.
I manage a group that meets weekly to make food for those in need, especially children dealing with food scarcity at home. There is so much hidden hunger in our country, even in affluent communities. It is a very worthwhile place to pitch in if one is looking for volunteer work. In the winter, I volunteer with an interfaith group that provides food and shelter for the homeless every night of the cold months, from December 1 to April 1. The shelter sites rotate among many houses of worship and it’s been very inspiring to work alongside so many people committed to helping those in need. I’ve also been a literacy volunteer and organized book fairs and literacy events that are free for children from low-income families.
I think it’s important to look beyond one’s own circle of family and friends and help those who are less fortunate, not judging how they’ve ended up in difficult circumstances, either. If everyone did that just a little, the world would be a much better place.
Brett: Anne, I know you’re a very busy author with tight deadlines to keep, so I appreciate your taking the time to visit with me today. Thank you for honoring me by being the very first guest on my blog.
To my readers, thank you for coming back for another installment of my blog. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to pick up and read a Katherine Spencer/Anne Canadeo novel, I highly recommend it, and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Her novels are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and everywhere else books are sold.
If you’d like to be in the loop for all things Anne Canadeo, you can click the link below to follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnneCanadeoAuthor
Anne loves to hear from her readers. You can email her at: [email protected]
You can find One Bright Christmas, the most recent Cape Light title (pub. 2020), as well as all the Cape Light titles, on Amazon. Click below to purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Kinkades-Cape-Light-Christmas-ebook/dp/B083RZFQ58
![Thomas Kinkade's Cape Light: One Bright Christmas (A Cape Light Novel Book 21) by [Katherine Spencer]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51sIRDK3NIL.jpg)
Book Eleven of the Black Sheep & Company series, “Hounds of the Basket Stitch,” is available for purchase at Amazon. Click the link to purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/Hounds-Basket-Stitch-Black-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07NCNB5RM
![Hounds of the Basket Stitch (A Black Sheep & Co. Mystery Book 3) by [Anne Canadeo]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bDPLurtcL.jpg)
Finally, Book Twelve of the Black Sheep & Company series, “Strangers on a Skein,” releases on October 26, 2021, which can be pre-ordered on Amazon by clicking this link:
https://www.amazon.com/Strangers-Skein-Black-Sheep-Mystery/dp/1496732383
If you’re interested in checking out my books, you can click here to visit my author profile on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Brett-Nelson/e/B08D2C1YSC
Until next time,
Blessings!
Brett Nelson Info:
Website: https://brettnelson-author.com
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