SDA’s member spotlight After 5 Fridays showcases the varied creative, fun, adventurous, or interesting achievements our members accomplish after business hours.

The February 5, 2021 feature highlights SDA National Secretary Anne McNeely.  Many know Anne as an associate and project administration manager at Fentress Architects in Denver, Colorado.

But there’s another side to Anne. She is also a published romance novelist. Anne has always been a voracious ready and storyteller. In 1998, she discovered an online writers' forum and began the habit of regularly writing.  It wasn't easy at the start, but over time her confidence and writing skills improved and she found she loved the process.  "At the end of the day, I like to write as a way to decompress.  I like escaping into my own head to forget the day-to-day brouhaha."

Her book, Meaningful Omissions, was published in 2017, holds a 5-star rating on Amazon and dozens of positive reviews. Full disclosure: it's has a high "steamy" factor and may be considered #NSFW or not sharable with your mother-in-law.  You can find it online as an e-book and POD paperback at BookBaby, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more.

We asked Anne a series of questions about how she got started, her process and what keeps her writing. Being a writer, her answers are a great read. So, with no further ado, Anne’s answers in her own words:

Who doesn’t love a good romance? 

For as long as I can remember, I have always thought of myself as a storyteller.  I never imagined myself as a writer, let alone a published author.  Being able to come up with a good story and being able to tell it in published form are two very different things.  Writing was a craft I did not possess naturally, and I had to learn how to write before I could ever dream of getting something published. 

Like many, I have always been a ferocious reader.  I was bit by the writing bug in ‘98 after I found a writing forum online.  Members were encouraged to post their own stories, poems, etc. for the community to read, critique and comment.  So, I gave it a shot and the critiques I received cemented my belief that I was in fact, a fantastic storyteller—just a not-so-fantastic writer.  It was a true learning experience and in the time that followed, I learned how to write, admittedly through a lot of starts and stops, waiting for the right inspiration. 

Meaningful Omissions came to life after a 1-minute news story about Deborah Jeane Palfrey.  It was the moment my character Emily Clairbourne was born.  I knew from the very beginning that when the book was finished, it would be something special.   It was marvelous fun to write! 

At the end of the day, I like to write as a way to decompress.  I like escaping into my own head to forget the day-to-day brouhaha.  I love human nature and I love plot development based on a ‘what if’ scenario.  I love multi-faceted characters and understanding their motivations. 

Getting the story out of my head is the goal and in order to achieve that, it has to follow its own path.  Romance is a byproduct of how the characters develop as the story is told.  I am not afraid to go there or take readers along for the ride.  It is fun to embrace a little bit of naughty.  Who doesn’t love a good romance?  I certainly do! 

Meaningful Omissions is a fun, coming of age story, that is full of surprises with a plot that is unexpectedly unique.  You can find it online as an e-book and POD paperback at BookBaby, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and more.