Fantasy Romance Novelist

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"MY LORD BEAST debuts with top reviews!  Five Angels, Recommended Read, Fallen Angel Reviews, Perfect 10, Romance Designs, Five Coffee Cups, Coffee Time Romance, "Exceeds All Expectations!" Romance Reviews Today - "Read these reviews and more on the Reviews Page."

"MY LORD BEAST--4 1/2 stars, from Romantic Times!
Read the review at: romantictimes.com

MY LORD BEAST now available at your local bookstore or Amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com  

"Please Check out the new interview up on OnceUponaRomance website now."

THE MOON RUNNERS crosses the Atlantic with a review in the UK's online magazine THE ETERNAL NIGHT.

Heart of Fire is a finalist for the Windy City Choice Award

ON STORY TELLING

I’ve always told stories. In the beginning, they were more descriptions of what fairy palaces would look like, and where they would be (underground beneath a huge tree, like Peter Pan’s hide-out, or in the middle of a lake with mist rising). I spent hours inventing the perfect bed for a fairy (shaped like a water lily, and smelling like lilacs).

When I hit the ripe age of seven, description wasn’t enough, and I started on plot. But it wasn't until I was grown up, with a few adventures tucked away and a view of the world to wonder about, that I began to write steadily. At first, it was for myself, a world where I could go every day for a little while, and have total control over events. Later, I wrote three manuscripts for my children. Making them each a hero of his or her own story gained me an audience of three.

As to that thing about control? I have a confession to make. I’m a happy ending freak. Unless a book is by one of my favorite authors, I will read the ending first to make sure it ends well. So you can see how wonderful it was to have total control over the lives of my hero and heroine.

But in time, I wrote a manuscript and I realized somewhere along the way, I’d lost control of the characters. My carefully plotted manuscript began to take on a life of its own. Characters I could have sworn would act one way started reacting to each other, or to challenges in their lives, and surprised me.

I began to think about them when I was doing the dishes, or weeding, or folding laundry. I wondered how they felt about each other and each new trial I put them through. Often, it was their reaction to the last challenge that brought on the next. It got so bad that I began to think I couldn’t write them out of their tragedy and into a happy ending. (For anyone who’s reading my latest book, do not continue here!).

I am relieved to say that they made it! And that manuscript became THE MOON RUNNERS, just out with Five Star.

I’m now working on a new manuscript, a sequel to my first book, HEART OF FIRE. I loved the character of Jacob Augustus, the heroine Sera’s brother in HEART OF FIRE, and knew he had to have his own book. I wanted to go back to Arkadia, a hidden country modeled after Plato’s REPUBLIC, only with magic. And I wanted Jacob to meet his match in a strong, talented heroine from the Outlander world, who just might be more fascinating than anyone he’d ever met before. So far, every one of the characters, major or minor, still keep surprising me.

I hope it never stops!