Author Q&A: Urcelia Teixeira

Today we're interviewing author Urcelia Teixeira. 

Teixeira writes gripping Christian mystery, thriller and suspense novels that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Firm in her Christian faith, all her books are free from profanity and unnecessary sexually suggestive scenes.  

If you are looking for faith-filled fiction that transforms your soul, you found it. But be prepared, you will not be able to put it down once you start!

SADYE: Tell us something about your writing process that’s unusual or that you haven’t revealed before.  

URCELIA: I write ideas, scripts, and plot notes with a whiteboard marker on my windows because I can’t plot to save my life. I’ve tried plotting, but failed horribly at it.  

There’s just no fun in it for me to know what’s going to happen in every scene or chapter before I sit down to write. I don’t want to know the ending of the book ahead of time.  

The twists and turns my readers love happen naturally, and I love being surprised by a mysterious character who suddenly pops up out of nowhere or when I discover a new clue that throws me off the trail to solve a mystery or murder.  

I write the way my readers read my books — without knowing what comes next.  

Otherwise, it’s similar to knowing what you’re getting for Christmas before you’ve gone through the thrill of untying the ribbon and removing the paper.

If I am eager to find out what happens next, my readers would be as well.

SADYE: What have been the most surprising, rewarding, and challenging parts of your writing career?

URCELIA: Writing isn’t easy. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Making a career of it is even harder, especially if you’re self-published and still relatively new at it.

I’ve had to learn the publishing industry in a hurry along with having to navigate my way through book marketing and social media — all while I strive to perfect my craft and earn a living from it.  

It’s a tough industry that often fills you with self-doubt and fear that punches you in the stomach when you least need it.

But it has also revealed that I am tenacious and possess an inner strength I didn’t know I had. That’s what surprised me most.

And while my character is being refined with each book I write, I have also found invaluable friendships in my readers all around the world.  

We share in each other’s joys and we pray together in times of hardship. And while we have never even met, we virtually cross all oceans, united through our faith and mutual love of words.

SADYE: What message or theme would you like readers to take away from your work?

URCELIA: Setting the obvious escapism as aim aside, I hope my readers walk away feeling uplifted, encouraged and having learned something new.  

Whether they virtually travel the world and discover ancient artifacts in my Alex Hunt Archaeological Thrillers or find spiritual restoration and transformation through my faith-filled Adam Cross series, I write with purpose.  

Steadfast in my personal morals and beliefs to keep it "clean," it is my heartfelt hope that my stories ignite their souls and change their lives forever.

SADYE: What advice, as relates to your writing career, would you give your younger self?

URCELIA: Don’t let negative critique define your writing. You can’t please everyone, so write what makes you happy.  

Stay true to yourself, keep learning and stay focused on your "why."

SADYE: How did you come to see yourself as a writer, and what inspired you to seek publication?

URCELIA: Honestly, I’m still trying to come to terms with calling myself a writer, probably because I’ve only been at it for about two years.  

Writing wasn’t something I sought after. It found me. Growing up, I loved reading, but I wasn’t overly fanatic about it.  

I scribbled my emotions in a journal or on small pieces of paper I’d fold up and bury under my pillow. I wrote poems on a rainy day in the shelter of a sea cliff at the beach and always went over the composition assignments’ word count in school. 

But it had never once occurred to me to write a book — let alone seven!  

I woke up on my forty-sixth birthday and, as one does when you suddenly realize you’re more than halfway through your life, I picked the craziest item on my bucket list and went for it.  

Three weeks after I had boldly self-published my first Alex Hunt novel on Amazon, I received a message from a reader via Goodreads asking when the next book in the series would be out. 

There was no next book or a series! So I ignored it.  Soon another message hit my inbox, and then another — all asking for the next book.

Frankly, it blew me away. The book was a far cry from great, and compared to how I write now, rather a poor effort.

But somehow a handful of readers ignored the editing flaws and fell in love with my writing! I couldn’t disappoint them. 

It was my husband who then casually said, “Well, you can’t just leave them hanging. Just write another one.” And so I did.  

Now, just over two years and seven books later, after a double emigration and not being able to work in the new countries, I suddenly find myself on a creative journey I never saw coming.  

Like the villains in my books, it sneaked up from behind and now holds me captive. And I am gleefully yielding.

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Learn more about Urcelia Teixeira on her website, where her books can also be purchased; like her on Facebook; and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

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