Author Alison Chambers: writer of historical romance and crime avoids dead-ends by plotting
- Sheelagh Caygill
- Apr 15
- 4 min read
Author Alison Chambers
Alison Chambers is the pen name of author Sandra Kohler, who first started writing when she was a teenager. Sandra was sparked by an interest in Nancy Drew books and a desire to tell a good story. She enjoys keeping her hero and heroine in dangerous and exciting situations against a backdrop of exotic settings, lost treasure, and unsolved historical mysteries.
The Magician's Daughter: a crime story full of war-time intrigue
Author Alison Chamber's latest book is The Magician's Daughter, a thrilling novel of conspiracy, espionage, and intrigue which takes place on a US Army Air Force Base outside London in 1942 and published by Holand Press. The historical novel portrays a woman forced to deal with treacherous Nazi spies, high-level fascist conspiracies, and escalating sabotage on US Army Air Force Bases all over southeastern England, while trying to save the life of the base commander she loves. The main character finds herself embroiled in a frightening labyrinth of lies and deceit, where nothing is as it seems. As the attacks increase, suspicions mount and even her sanity is questioned. With no one to turn to and no one who will believe her, she fights desperately to defend herself before the vicious threats claim the lives of both Eleanor Roosevelt and the man she so desperately loves.
Sandra was vice-president of one of the largest association management companies in Wisconsin, U.S.A. She has traveled extensively and served as executive director of several national medical associations, where she was responsible for marketing, communications, and public relations, as well as overall management and has received four awards for excellence and dedicated service. She continues to work in the association management field and has also written for newspapers. Sandra majored in political science and history, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
A writer in love with historical romance
On Creative Writing: Can you trace any common themes across your writing?
Alison Chambers: My books all have a historical romance angle, either dealing with undercover conspiracies, unsolved mysteries or lost treasures. These areas have always piqued my interest, and I tend to read books, both fiction and non-fiction, that deal with these themes. Reading these books help me think of new plots because I’m constantly going ‘Well, what if this happened instead?’ This makes the fictional book concept have a good historical basis in reality.
On Creative Writing: Which authors and/or types of books do you like to read?
Alison Chambers: I love Karen Robards, the romantic suspense author, who lately has written historical fiction, namely Some Murders in Berlin and The Girl from Guernica. I like the way she blends romance with mystery and action. I also enjoy the Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child Pendergast series, and World War II historical fiction, like The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. I’m glad to see that genre is back in vogue.
On Creative Writing: Do you use social media to engage readers, writers, or publishers and, if so, which platforms?
Alison Chambers: Yes, this certainly helps raise awareness that, like anything else, takes time to build. It’s important to post regularly and to educate as well as promote. I utilize Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram.
Being a plotter makes it happen! It enables structure, character development, and narrative arc
On Creative Writing: Are you a plotter or a pantser? (For writers or short stories and novels).
Alison Chambers: Definitely a plotter, otherwise you can write yourself into a dead end from which there is no return and you have to start over. I begin with a basic plot idea, then develop detailed character sketches and describe each scene, also in detail, that will appear throughout the book. I make sure there is escalating conflict between the characters and that the excitement is rising to a strong satisfying conclusion.
If you're a plotter, leave room for changes
However, I do change things a bit as I begin writing if a new angle comes to me, but never drastically and that usually makes things better, especially if it heightens conflict or deepens the relationship between the characters. And you want to have fun writing it, because if you don’t, the reader won’t enjoy it either. Also, if you don’t like or care about the characters and the problems they face, neither will the reader. Creating empathy is so important and often drives the plot. It’s important to give each character a strong backstory that readers can identify with and a goal that each character wants to achieve.
On Creative Writing: Do you edit as you write, or write and edit later?
Alison Chambers: I write and then edit, going back over sections again and again until I feel it sounds right to the ear because, as people often say, ‘the ear is the best writer.’ The sentences have to have a certain pleasing rhythm, like music, so they flow properly.
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