Author Bio:
Candace Nadine Breen is of West African (Benin, Cameroon ) descent and wears many hats. She taught English in Providence, Rhode Island for eleven years for grades seven and nine. During that time, she tried to find her place in society while being driven away from various religious organizations for her inability to conform to their standards. While raising a family, she returned to school and earned a Master’s in Human Services with a focus on Marriage and Family Counseling. She was later a real estate agent for a few years but found it unfulfilling , stressful and time consuming. After taking time to open up herself to her true path, she buried herself in metaphysical studies, earning a Master’s of Science and Doctorate in Metaphysics. She became a Spiritualist Minister which seemed like the perfect occupation for her, at first, but she gradually felt that she was outgrowing the Spiritualist community and was told by a medium unknown to her that her path would not end with the Spiritualist Church.
It was very difficult for Candace to fit into societal boxes and , after, falling into depression, she threw caution to the wind and decided to follow her true calling. She embraced her psychic talents, wrote and published three successful memoirs, threw herself into her art and began working on children’s books, young adult fiction books and sci-fi novels.
Although Candace is a Master Gardener, she has always loved gardening and just being outside in nature. She has found satisfaction in earth-based religions and solitary spiritual practices despite the fact that she refuses to be labeled as any particular religion. She enjoys being in her garden, meditating in her wooded and quiet backyard, painting, art, and spending time with her family. She studies earth magick, gives Spirit messages via intuitive tarot reading, runes, herbal medicine and her mediumship abilities. Candace also devotes herself to speaking, helping and healing for the highest and greatest good.
Candace resides in Barrington, Rhode Island with her loving family consisting of her devoted husband, two very talented and creative children and their two loving and mystical cats.
What inspires you to write?
I love walks in nature. Every work day, I begin with my walk through nature. During the warmer New England months, I enjoy sitting in my garden and taking in the beautiful plants that surround me.
Tell us about your writing process.
I keep a notepad on my nightstand and in my car for the inevitable ideas that pop into my head. I do love to write outlines and write down my ideas before I begin to actually write the story. I then take my characters and setting and write each one on an individual sheet of paper which will serve as the idea page for their development. Once I have enough information, then the story is written in long hand before it is typed.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I "see" and hear my characters. Sometimes, I actually will meditate on my characters and imagine their thoughts and feelings. I have even sketched some of my characters. There have been occasions when I have pretended to be one of my characters in order to get a better sense of how to develop them.
Who are your favorite authors?
Maya Angeleou
Octavia Butler
Devin Hunter
Anything mystical, sci-fi, paranormal, witchy, pagan, new agey
Stephen King
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I wanted to share my work with the world. At a very young age (third grade) I realized that I had a talent for writing and , although it wasn't until I was well into adulthood before I published any of my pieces worldwide and not just in local magazines and newspapers, I knew that publishing was the only way to share my gift with a wider audience.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think self-publishing is on the rise and more people will come to respect the work of self-published authors. More technology will become available for authors to make their work look just as good , if not better, than the work published by the big publishing companies.
What genres do you write?
Adult nonfiction, young adult nonfiction, memoir, young adult fiction, children's books
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Candace Nadine Breen, Ph.D. Home Page Link
Author’s Social Media Links
Facebook
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
