Angela Terry Interview - The Trials of Adeline Turner ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Credit: Sarah Deragon

Angela Terry is an attorney who formerly practiced intellectual property law at large firms in Chicago and San Francisco. She is also a Chicago Marathon legacy runner and races to raise money for PAWS Chicago—the Midwest’s largest no-kill shelter. She resides in San Francisco with her husband and two cats, and enjoys throwing novel-themed dinner parties for her women’s fiction book club.

When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?

Even as a little kid, I always thought of myself as a writer. Back then I would write stories for fun, sometimes staying up all night because I was so engrossed in what I was creating. Then as an adult, I was attracted to jobs where I could do a lot of writing, such as practicing law. And then in my downtime from work, I’d write for fun. So I always knew that one day I would write a book. But it took me until my late thirties to realize that time was passing me by, and if I was ever going to graduate from “writer” to “author,” then I needed to get serious about my writing and finish one of those unfinished manuscripts on my laptop.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

The most rewarding experience has been connecting with readers. Having someone read my book and say how much they related to it, or how it got them through a hard time, or how they just really enjoyed reading it is the most incredible feeling.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?

I’m not sure who said this to me or where I first heard it, but the best advice from another author has been: Write the book you want to read. I’m an avid reader and so this makes sense to me. I have to think (hope) that if I’m interested enough to write a particular story, that there will be someone else out there who would be interested in reading it.

In your newest book, THE TRIALS OF ADELINE TURNER, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it.

It’s a story about a thirty-three-year-old corporate attorney, Adeline Turner, who has built her adult life around stability. Her professional life is thriving, but her personal life . . . not so much. Deep down she wants more, but finds it’s easier to brush aside her dreams and hide behind her billable hours. That is, until a new client and a chance encounter with her high school crush have her taking leaps she never planned. Suddenly, unadventurous, nose-to-the-grindstone Adeline finds herself moving across the country from her predictable life in Chicago to San Francisco, falling into messy romantic situations, and trying to unravel an office-sabotage plot before it ruins her career.

Without the safety net of her old life in Chicago, Adeline must become her own advocate and learn that people aren’t always who they seem. Which makes her wonder if the key to having the future she desires lies in uncovering the truth of the past.

What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?

I hope readers will connect to Adeline and feel like she’s a close girlfriend confiding in them about what’s happening in her world. And I hope that this book has the reader think about their own life, and maybe about some old stories that they tell themselves that might be holding them back and need to let go of to live their best life. (Can’t say more than that without some spoilers!)

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating Adeline?

I put almost as much thought into the supporting characters as I do for my main character. I love to create elaborate backstories for characters, but their backstories or reasons for doing what they’re doing don’t always make it onto the page (usually because it doesn’t move the plot forward). And because I write in the first person, my protagonist won’t always (or ever) know the story behind another character’s motivation for acting the way they are… but I know.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your readers. What would it be?

You only have one life—so live it.

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?

I would introduce Adeline to the character Bridget in Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding. Both are urban, thirtysomething singletons trying to find success in their careers and in love, but are twenty years apart in time (so there would be an element of magical realism in their meeting). They could joke about their annoying colleagues, share dating horror stories, and Adeline could catch Bridget up on online and app dating.

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?

2020. Between the pandemic, the California wildfires, and trying to navigate the launch of my debut novel Charming Falls Apart, I was easily distracted from writing. Yet at the same time, it was also the perfect time to write this book because I didn’t have the regular distractions or social obligations.

Best date you've ever had?

My best date has to be the night my husband proposed. I was not expecting it at all, and it was perfect. We were in our pajamas, eating pizza, and watching the movie I Love You Man. At the end of the movie, my husband pulls out this giant, fake diamond ring he had bought at a costume shop earlier that day and proposed with it. I couldn’t stop laughing! And twelve years later, he still makes me laugh.

If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?

I would go back to my pre-law internship, where a young Angela was sitting in the law library. She was supposed to be researching something about property rights, but instead was sketching out character descriptions of the attorneys and others in the office. I wish my older self was there to ask my younger self, “Are you sure about this law school idea?”

Where did you go on your first airplane ride?

London! I was twelve and I’ve had a love for that city ever since.

What is one unique thing are you afraid of?

Heights. Maybe that’s not so unique—however, I live in one of the hilliest neighborhoods in San Francisco where I’m forced to face my fear every day (or create elaborate routes to avoid looking down the steep hills).

First Heartbreak?

I know this question refers to romantic heartbreak… But for me, my first real heartbreak was losing my first pet, Chubby the Goldfish. (RIP Chubby.) My first romantic heartbreak didn’t come until much later when I graduated from college. My boyfriend at the time was German and had to move back to Germany to finish grad school. We tried the long-distance back and forth thing, but the situation forced a bigger commitment than we were ready for at that time, so the relationship was unsustainable. We loved each other, but we still needed to grow into who we were going to be.

What is your most memorable travel experience?

That first trip to London when I was twelve. I remember the first night getting off the Tube at Piccadilly Circus and seeing the big flashing billboards and all the people. It was complete sensory overload, totally exciting, and one of those defining moments. I knew when I grew up, I was going to be someone who lived in a city and traveled. When I got back to school, I wrote an essay about it for my sixth-grade class. That’s when my teacher told my mother that I was going to be a writer.

Which would you choose, true love with a guarantee of a heart break or have never loved before?

True love with a guarantee of a heart break. It’s better to have loved and lost, and always have something to write about. (Heartbreak is writing gold.)

TEN WAYS YOU GET INSPIRED TO WRITE

Read
Travel
Talk to strangers
Eavesdrop on conversations
Make up stories about strangers
Ask myself “what if”
Write about something I want to experience
Listen to Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic
Keep a stack of my favorite authors’ books on my desk
The big sticky note on my computer that says “CREATE”

Your journey to publication

Let’s call this “The Trials of Angela’s Journey to Publication”—because it was a ten-year journey filled with a lot of ups and downs. In 2010, I started taking my writing more seriously, and I finished my first book in 2013. I queried it, but there weren’t many requests, so I wrote a second book. That manuscript got more full requests, but didn’t go anywhere. My third book got an agent. Unfortunately that book also didn’t go anywhere, but the experience gave me the confidence to continue writing. So I wrote a fourth book, which was my debut novel Charming Falls Apart published in August 2020.

When my debut novel was finally published, my family and friends were very supportive (and, honestly, maybe even a little surprised). Because that book came out during the pandemic and I had very little going on in terms of events, I counted on them to really help spread the word. They did Zoom book clubs with me, asked their local bookstores for the book, checked it out from their libraries, and posted photos of it on social media. It was awesome, and I’m super appreciative to have such wonderful friends and family.

From Charming Falls Apart author Angela Terry comes a story about finding the courage to face your past, be true to your heart, and live your best life. Fans of Something Blue and Something Borrowed will enjoy cheering for Adeline Turner as she navigates the twists and turns of her newly complicated life in this fun, heartwarming novel.

Thirty-three-year-old corporate attorney Adeline Turner has built her adult life around stability. Her professional life is thriving, but her personal life . . . not so much. Deep down she wants more, but finds it’s easier to brush aside her dreams and hide behind her billable hours. That is until a new client and a chance encounter with her high-school crush have her taking leaps she never planned. Suddenly unadventurous, nose-to-the-grindstone Adeline finds herself moving across the country from her predictable life in Chicago to San Francisco, falling into messy romantic situations, and trying to unravel an office-sabotage plot before it ruins her career.

Without the safety net of her old life in Chicago, Addie must become her own advocate and learn that people aren’t always who they seem. Which makes her wonder if the key to having the future she desires lies in uncovering the truth of the past.

You can purchase The Trials of Adeline Turner at the following Retailers: