Angela van Liempt is a small-town girl with big dreams. Music inspires her, and she creates a playlist for every book she writes. The Atlas Cliffs series emerged from her curiosity about the paranormal, but along the way, she discovered a passion for weaving romance into her stories.
She lives on the east coast of Canada with her family and her beloved dog, Harley, otherwise known as ‘Pippy’ or ‘Harley-Quinn’. A lover of the ocean, full moons, and sunsets, she’d choose to be barefoot on a beach any day over big city life. Escaping into fictional coastal towns with characters who feel like real people is one of her favorite pastimes.
Check out her links for writing updates, book playlists, and more!
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I’ve always loved escaping into stories, either through books, television, or movies. Characters and scenes play out in my mind, and I finally decided to get serious and bring them to life on the pages of books in January 2020, when I signed up for a novel writing workshop at my local university. There wasn’t a particular person who influenced me, but I’ve always loved genres with suspense or paranormal vibes, and if it has slow-burn romance, count me in!
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
Readers might know that music inspires me all the time, and has gotten me through some of the most difficult low points in my life. I grew up longing to be a singer in a country or rock band, and while I’ve taken guitar lessons, I still can’t play, but do I ever love listening to those who can.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
My first book’s title came to me quite easily. The main character, Drew Harlow, sees dead people…ghosts. She refers to them as the wandering, or Wandering Souls (as in the title). It just came to me and fit so well, I had to use it. Book 2, Seeking Haven…now this one took me a long time to figure out. I knew I wanted to keep a similar theme with the title (ing word first), but I love a title that can capture the story. In book 2, our heroine struggles with her world crumbling around her and home as she has always known it has fallen apart. What is she searching for most? She is seeking haven…and that’s how the title came to be. In book 3, a storm is brewing, not just at sea threatening the southern Maine, fictional, coastal town of Atlas Cliffs, but a darker storm from Drew’s past has returned. She has no other option than to take everything she’s learned as a new witch, and brave the storms ready to unleash in her world…and the title is Braving Storms.
How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?
Wandering Souls was the first in the series, and my first time ever working with a cover designer. The first concepts didn’t match my vision at all, but I was so fortunate to have had an amazingly talented and patient cover designer, and we communicated well together. She delivered the cover that is now Wandering Souls, and when I saw it, I had that immediate feeling of…yes! This is perfection! Holding that book in my hands was an emotional experience. Wandering Souls almost was pushed aside after September 2021 when I lost my sister tragically. Actually, it was pushed aside for months, until I had a desperate feeling that I needed to finish the story for so many reasons…her included. She influenced the ending of that book in a profound way that I will never be able to put into words, setting me on this indie-author path to completing this series that I’ve poured my soul into.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
I love this question! I have included a Spotify playlist on my website for each book that I’ve written. These are songs I’ve listened to while writing, or songs with lyrics that inspired a scene or moment between characters. For this series, a bunch of songs come to mind. “The Sisterhood” by Mackenzie Johnson, “The Walk Home” by Young the Giant, “We’re Not Friends” by Ingrid Andress, “You Are in Love” by Taylor Swift, and—just one more, I promise (see? I can’t stop listing them once I get going)—“Home” by Phillip Phillips.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?
I hope readers take away an experience from reading my books. I hope they’re transported to Atlas Cliffs as though it were a real place, and feel like they’ve gained a feeling of hope and courage to keep going when life gets tough and threatens to take them down. I hope they have moments of laughter to break the tension, and feel those butterflies of love, friendship, and found family, and can believe that family isn’t just who you’re born into, but can be those people you get to choose to surround yourself with. My perfect reader is literally anyone who enjoys my books filled with ghosts, magic, mystery, and at the heart of everything… love.
What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?
Knowing that whether I succeed at this indie author gig, or fail miserably, at least I’m trying my hardest and never giving up. This and sharing the stories that have been a part of me for so long with the world. This is the scariest part of publishing for me, but I’ve learned to push myself outside of my comfort zone and do it anyway.
What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?
I’m nearing the end of drafting a prequel to the Atlas Cliffs series. I have a beautiful cover that I will reveal to readers in the coming months, but I always share with my newsletter subscribers first. This is a promise I’ve made to them, and will honor it. Another project I’m working on because these new characters have been so persistent in my mind is an adult romantic suspense/thriller for 2025. I will update my progress along the way, but I cannot wait to share this next story with all of you!
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.