Hear the author
Watch and listen as Sara Ackerman reads an excerpt from her recently published historical romance novel, "Little White Lies," on The Monroe Times' Facebook page. facebook.com/monroetimes
MONROE - A local schoolteacher has published her first novel, a historical romance set in Regency England.
Sara Ackerman, an English-as-a-second-language teacher at Monroe High School, wrote her second novel, "Little White Lies," last summer and published it on April 20.
The novel follows Amelia Westby, a woman rendered incapable of telling a lie by a gypsy's curse. Westby encounters the disgraced gentleman Tavis McGuire, who offers her a chance at a new life outside of London, but their relationship is threatened by her inability to keep secrets and his efforts to clear his family's name.
Ackerman said Westby's character was inspired by her own struggles with attention deficit disorder.
"You worry about blurting things out at the wrong moments," Ackerman said. "So I used that as an idea, and I just started writing.
"Lies" was written in only three-months time and originated as merely a summer hobby.
"I needed a project to fill the summer," Ackerman said. "And the kids are old enough so they don't need constant supervision, so I suddenly had a lot of free time."
After she completed the book, Ackerman presented it to several publishers before it was accepted by The Wild Rose Press, an electronic and print publisher that specializes in historical fiction and romance.
Ackerman had self-published an ebook before in 2011. "The ELL Field Guide: Everything I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Teaching" is a non-fiction book about Ackerman's experiences as a teacher of English language learners.
Ackerman said the book has been downloaded more than 3,500 times.
Meanwhile, "Little White Lies" is available in both ebook and paperback from the publisher.
Ackerman said she is already working on the second book in what she calls the Westby Sisters Trilogy, each of which focuses on a different member of the Westby family with a different curse.
She added that she has ideas for young adult novels to write in the future.
"Little White Lies" is available from Barnes and Noble, Amazon and The Wild Rose Press.
Sara Ackerman, an English-as-a-second-language teacher at Monroe High School, wrote her second novel, "Little White Lies," last summer and published it on April 20.
The novel follows Amelia Westby, a woman rendered incapable of telling a lie by a gypsy's curse. Westby encounters the disgraced gentleman Tavis McGuire, who offers her a chance at a new life outside of London, but their relationship is threatened by her inability to keep secrets and his efforts to clear his family's name.
Ackerman said Westby's character was inspired by her own struggles with attention deficit disorder.
"You worry about blurting things out at the wrong moments," Ackerman said. "So I used that as an idea, and I just started writing.
"Lies" was written in only three-months time and originated as merely a summer hobby.
"I needed a project to fill the summer," Ackerman said. "And the kids are old enough so they don't need constant supervision, so I suddenly had a lot of free time."
After she completed the book, Ackerman presented it to several publishers before it was accepted by The Wild Rose Press, an electronic and print publisher that specializes in historical fiction and romance.
Ackerman had self-published an ebook before in 2011. "The ELL Field Guide: Everything I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Teaching" is a non-fiction book about Ackerman's experiences as a teacher of English language learners.
Ackerman said the book has been downloaded more than 3,500 times.
Meanwhile, "Little White Lies" is available in both ebook and paperback from the publisher.
Ackerman said she is already working on the second book in what she calls the Westby Sisters Trilogy, each of which focuses on a different member of the Westby family with a different curse.
She added that she has ideas for young adult novels to write in the future.
"Little White Lies" is available from Barnes and Noble, Amazon and The Wild Rose Press.