Chic Spotlight: Anchor Turned Author, Sara Celi

Sara Celi, a Cincinnati native

Cincy Chic: What inspired you to get into writing?
Sara Celi, Cincinnati Native and Author: I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing! I’ve always kept a journal and I wrote dozens of short stories as a kid. I have also spent more than ten years working journalism and broadcasting, so writing is a daily habit for me.

Cincy Chic: How did you get inspired to write “The Undesirable”?
Celi: I had this story in my head for years. I wrote about 20,000 words of a earlier version of it back in 2005, then shelved it because life just seemed to get in the way. Then, in 2012, I decided I’d rework it and finish it. I sat down in mid March and wrote every night, finishing it in mid May. I’ll never forget what that felt like. It’s a mix of things – Ohio politics, economic recession, the media, the challenges of growing up, first love and the unknown. Since May 2012, I’ve written three other books. Published on Amazon as an e-book in January 2013, it’s now available on Kindle, Nook and in paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com.

Cincy Chic: How did you get involved with Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Positive?
Celi: In November 2011, I had an extraordinary experience while running the Route 66 Marathon Relay in Tulsa, OK. I met a man during the final few miles who needed help getting to the finish line. Instead of cheering him on and running ahead, I started talking to him and found out the real reason he was on the course that day. Just a few weeks earlier, his son died in a tragic accident in Lawrenceburg, Ind. This man was running to remember his son, who should have been there running next to him.
I was so moved by his story and the chance I had to see him finish the race. As I drove home crying that day, I decided I’d write it all down so that I wouldn’t forget this man’s perseverance. A few months later, I saw a random tweet on Twitter about submissions for CSFTS. The story seemed to fit, so I fired off an email to the editors with the story attached. In May 2012, I got word they wanted to include it in the upcoming book, which Simon and Schuster published in October 2012.

Cincy Chic: Are you currently working on anything or have any projects coming up in the near future?
Celi: The Palms is a novella that is also currently available in paperback and as an e-book on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com. That story is a light and fun contemporary romance set on Palm Beach, and involves two characters that get a second chance at love.
Prince Charming is a New Adult romance story set in a fictional high school here in Greater Cincinnati. It’s a story told from the perspective of 18-year-old Geoff Miller, who is dealing with his high school graduation, decisions about his future, and his first love. That story is in the middle of the editing process, and will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com in January 2014. Here is more about that work from the page about it on Goodreads.
The Resistance is the sequel to The Undesirable. That novel is also in edits, and has a tentative release date of late spring 2014. Learn more about that work via Goodreads.

Cincy Chic: What are some of your favorite authors and books?
Celi: My favorite authors include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jamie McGuire, Tarryn Fisher and Colleen Hoover.

Cincy Chic: Where can readers to go learn more about you, The Undesirable and Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Positive?
Celi: Readers can check out Facebook, Twitter and Amazon Author Central.