So who is behind all of this?
Just a small-town Ontario girl with big dreams. It all started back in March of 1984, when I came into the world…
Or wait. Maybe it really started in December of 1981, when my parents got married?
Or maybe 1948 and 1949, when my grandparents first set foot on these shores?
It’s hard to say really. They all played a part in making me who I am – independent, eccentric and completely enamoured with that little piece of land in northeastern Europe that we call Latvia.
My name is Antra Celmins. Like our hero, I’m a twentysomething Latvian-Canadian genealogist who is also a licensed private investigator and a member of the Goth subculture. All of the clothes you see me wearing in character shots are a part of my own wardrobe. Yes, even the boots.
I’ve been genealogy blogging for the past four years, and last year even scored a mention in Family Tree Magazine as one of the Top 40 Genealogy Blogs for International Research. Over the past three years, I’ve undertaken genealogy research for clients all over the world. I’ve created and maintained the Latvian Surname Project, which is the largest resource of its kind dedicated to Latvian surnames.
I love research and the research process, but in launching my new fiction line, I’m returning to my creative roots. I’ve been writing fiction since I was old enough to hold a pencil, and while little of it has seen the light of day thus far, I believe now is the time for that to change. The Internet has opened up channels of expression that didn’t exist before, and I intend to embrace these wholeheartedly. Gone are the days where gatekeepers stand between creators and fans. Writers can collaborate with editors and designers outside of the bounds of publishing houses, and with the click of a button can release their work into ebook format or for print-on-demand publishing. Musicians can leave record labels behind and release their music on YouTube or iTunes for the whole world to see. Even filmmakers can use platforms like YouTube to bring their work to the attention of a wide audience who will then in turn provide the support to create full-length features.
So if others can do it, why can’t I?
But I can’t do it alone. I need your help! I need you to subscribe, so you always know what’s going on. I need you to share, so that others can discover my work too. I need you so that I can make new contacts, so that I can collaborate with designers, artists, developers and other creators (bonus points if they’re also passionate, independent Millennials trying to make a go of it on their own outside of the corporate structures of modern living).
Are you ready to join me?
I hope so.
~*Inspirations and Influences*~
Indie Inspirations: Steve Robinson, the original indie genea-fiction writer; Lindsey Stirling, hip-hop violinist; Amanda Palmer, singer and performance artist; Sean Aiken, One-Week Job guru.
Music I Write To: Corvus Corax, Cynic Project, Dead Can Dance, Dresden Dolls, Mediaeval Baebes
Music I Dance To: KMFDM, Lacuna Coil, Nightwish
Favourite Writers: Tom Holt, Jasper Fforde, Edward Rutherfurd, Jacqueline Carey, J.K. Rowling, Cassandra Clare, Steve Berry, James Rollins
Favourite Television Shows: The Amazing Race, Leverage, LOST, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Being Human (UK), NCIS, Bones
Favourite Movies: Accepted, Bend it like Beckham, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean