From Aspiring to Be a Corporate Lawyer to Making Your Granny Blush
Gayle Leeson
Before becoming the author of more than fifty books, Celeste Barclay earned degrees in international affairs, secondary social science, and political management. It’s no surprise then that her books are so thoroughly researched and accurate. From particular Scottish clans to the hierarchy of mafia syndicates, Celeste seeks to incorporate actual history in all the books she writes.
Her research and care for her stories extends beyond her books; alongside her author career, Celeste has also served as president of Novelists, Inc. (NINC), supporting authors and other professionals from both independent and traditional publishing circles. Her work has made an impact on both sides of the book industry—making her impromptu decision to divert from her previous career and try her hand at writing years ago all the more meaningful.
The Start of a Steamy Career
Marriage and a family sidelined Celeste’s initial plan to become a corporate lawyer, leading her to eventually find herself teaching English and social studies to high school students. A move to substitute teaching gave her the flexibility to take a more active role in her children’s education.
Generally a planner and a strategist, Celeste surprised herself by writing her first book on a whim. “I told no one,” she says. “I mean, seriously, no one. I didn’t even tell my cat.” An avid reader of romantic fiction, she had the impulse to try her hand at writing her own Highlander Romance. She loves rugged, alpha heroes facing life-and-death circumstances while navigating clan politics and governing their people, she says.
Celeste spent a week working on book 1 in July 2017, finished the book in February 2018, and published it in April 2018. Upon the completion of book 1, Celeste knew she had the beginning of a terrific series. Between releasing book 2 and writing book 3 of her Highlander series, Celeste began making connections with other authors, as well as getting educated on taking her writing to an entirely new level. That’s when she wrote a novella lead magnet and launched her newsletter. She released book 3, and “things took off,” she says.
“The Writing Gals [group] on Facebook was immensely helpful to me,” she says. “And I joined a couple of authors’ behind-the-scenes groups and forward-facing reader groups.”
Celeste would launch her books at 99 cents. After a week, she would bump the books up to full price, yet she would retain the Amazon Number One New Release banner for thirty days at a time.
She kept writing for about a year and a half before realizing that not only was she wearing herself down managing both jobs, but she was also making more money writing than she was teaching. She left her day job behind and was soon discovered by Oliver-Heber Books, a small publishing house owned by author Tanya Anne Crosby.
Unveiling the Blush: Barclay’s Unique Writing Process
Celeste writes Highlander, Viking and Pirate Historical Romances, as well as Mafia Contemporary Romances under the pen name Sabine Barclay, all under the Oliver-Heber Books banner. As she pens ten to fourteen books per year, I had to ask if her publisher has a hard time keeping up with her production schedule. Says Celeste, “No, they [Oliver-Heber Books] have just been so fantastic to me. I have so much freedom to write what I want, when I want, how I want.”
Writing novels that are between eighty-five thousand and one hundred twenty thousand words, Celeste aims to release a book every six weeks. When asked how she plans out her book release schedule, Celeste gleefully holds up her five-year planner. Having been an educator, she plans backward from her release date. The date she delivers the book to ARC readers is two weeks back from the release date; the proofreader is two weeks back from that. She has learned to give herself more grace and to write everything in her planner in pencil.
For the sake of alleviating undue stress, she now tries to give herself bigger buffers and reassess when she needs to do so. “I’m not a particularly goal-oriented person, to be honest, because I’m very duty driven,” Celeste says. She says she’s intrinsically motivated, so she enjoys having a plan in place to let her know what she needs to work on next—and what she has to look forward to. At the time of this writing, that was the release of her first book in a new series, House of Clan Sutherland—book 55 of her career—and the release of Mob Boss under her Sabine Barclay pen name, which released March 26.
How is this “plantser”—a term Celeste uses that refers to someone who both plans and improvises their writing—so prolific? She absolutely loves writing and has a very long attention span. “I can do five thousand words or I can do twenty thousand words in a day,” she says. “It just depends on how it’s flowing and what I need to do. I’ve come to realize that is a little atypical.” Even so, Celeste says she finds writing to be extremely cathartic. “I love living in my imagination. It’s a fantastic place to be.”
The Legacy of Blushing Grannies: Barclay’s Impact on Fellow Authors
Celeste’s impact on the publishing world isn’t only for the stories she publishes; just as other authors encouraged her early on, she now helps other authors find their place in the industry. Early in her writing career, Celeste became involved in NINC, a networking organization for both self-published and traditionally published novelists, as well as other publishing professionals. She started out on the nominating committee, became president-elect in 2022, and became president of the organization in 2023. She took a role in NINC as chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee when she became president-elect.
When asked what separates NINC from other author organizations, Celeste explains that NINC is a curated membership. “You have to earn your way in, and the bar does not fluctuate.” NINC members are professional novelists—both traditionally and indie published—who have attained the same level of experience. This ensures that, within the group, members are able to have conversations that aren’t germane to less-experienced authors.
“It’s not fair on the part of either party when you have folks who are newer and less experienced listening to conversations they don’t understand because they’re not there yet,” Celeste says. “Nor is it fair to those who are trying to have a conversation at an upper level to then inadvertently exclude people or then have to bring the conversation down to make sure everybody understands.”
Each year, NINC hosts a multi-day networking event for its members in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Celeste describes it as a large conference that doesn’t feel like a large conference. “People are very hospitable. You meet people of all different walks of life, all different genres.” This year’s NINC Conference takes place September 18–22, and registration is open for NINC members until July 1.
Be Flexible, Granny!
When asked what advice she’d like to share with other authors, Celeste gets reflective. “Don’t close the door on any opportunities. Weigh them seriously,” she says. “You know, I am with a small house, but because of that I lean far more towards the indie side than New York trad. I do think that there are some genres that do still lend themselves best to trad. But I also believe that at this point, there are great opportunities across most genres.”
Celeste advises authors to think about the story they want to write and then think about who they’re writing for. “Don’t put yourself in a position where you can’t market your book because you think that it’s so ‘out there.’ There are bound to be books that are comparable or a couple of books that, interwoven, are comparable to yours,” she says. “Understand that your creativity is only part of the business. If you want to sell a book and even make a penny off of it, then those two mindsets [creativity and business] have to blend together.”
Being an author was not a career Celeste aspired to—she stumbled upon it, and she’s so happy she did, she says. Being open to opportunities she was presented with and working hard to capitalize on every challenge has resulted in her having a flourishing, lucrative career that she loves.
Gayle Leeson