Can you tell us a little about how you started writing; was it something you have always wanted to do?
I wrote as a child and always wanted to be an author but strange as it seems, the Celtic Warrior Queen, Boudica is the reason I began writing seriously, with intent to submit to publishers. I love history, and in reading a book about the dark ages, I came across Boudica. She inspired me so, I jotted down notes, but they were fiction (it-must-have-happened-like-this type). Before I knew it, I had written a novel. I thought, gosh I can really do this. So after accidentally writing that novel, I wrote one on purpose, which was my first published book, The Fox Prince.
What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?
As a reader and a writer, strong characterizations are most important to me. Also, both as a writer and a reader, I like interesting settings and unusual periods or events in history.
Could you tell us a little about how you develop your characters? Who has been your favorite character to write? The most challenging?
I fill out character charts for my heroes and heroines, which includes their deepest fears, biggest dreams, family history, and everything else you need to know to bring someone alive for the reader. It’s hard to say who I most enjoyed writing about but Margaid from A Fine Cauldron of Fish remains one of my favorites as she is patterned after my good friend Helgie. So I had a lot of fun writing about her. I would say my most challenging was Mocha Mong Ruad in Queen of Kings. I usually only use real historical persons as secondary characters but my heroine in Queen Of Kings is based on the real bronze age queen, the only woman listed as a high king of Ireland. She was challenging to write about as I wanted to keep her legendary, bigger than life qualities and make her real and fleshed out at the same time. Adding romance and giving her someone to love enabled me to do that.
Have you ever found that you didn’t like your Hero or your Heroine? If so, what did you do to change that?
I have never found that I disliked any of my heroes or heroines, but when writing dialogue for Druid Bride, my hero and heroine’s genuine disregard for Romans with no regrets in killing them in battle, surprised me. Then I looked at the characters I had created and I realized their attitude made sense as they both grew up as children of war. My heroine, Tanwen had not only her family but her entire tribe exterminated by the Romans and the same thing had happed to her mother’s tribe. And my hero Brude grew up as the son of a chief who was the second generation watching the travesties Rome inflicted on Britannia, including the destruction of the Druid center of Learning, their religious school, destroyed twice. I understood that the reaction was correct to the personal history and times they had experienced and I accepted their viewpoint as accurate to the characters I had developed.
Can you tell me a bit about your most recent/upcoming release?
I always wanted to write something set in the late 60’s or early 70’s so I chose the prime setting for that period, the Woodstock Art and Music festival of 1969. Jodi’s life is changed forever by the magic of music and romance during the summer of 69. Jodi thumbs her way to Woodstock to groove on peace, love, and music, but even in her wildest dreams she never expects to find anyone like Blue the moment Blue spots Jodi strutting toward him barefoot in the rain, he's overcome with déjà vu. She doesn’t believe his tale that they’ve were lovers in a previous life and thinks he must be half crazy. But amid the music and freedom of Woodstock the fiery passion she feels for him is unleashed.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
I love to watch movies and I also love playing with my cat and my four year old granddaughter. And I love to read in the bathtub
Is there a genre you haven’t done that you would like to explore in the future?
I’ve written short stories in straight non- romance horror, mystery, and fantasy. In romance, I mainly write Celtic and Steampunk romances but I have written contemporary romance and a romance set in ancient Mesopotamia. I have not interest at the moment to pursue any other genres but you never know when the muse calls, I have to follow.
Tell us about your favorite restaurant.
That would be any restaurant where at a candlelight dinner I’m supping on delicious food and sipping rich wine as I dine with a passionate heroic type gentleman, who is charismatic, charming, and honorable and cares about, protects, and helps others.
Do you listen to music when writing? Do you feel like some stories write themselves a soundtrack with specific music? If so, what book and what kind of music influenced it?
I like Celtic music a great deal and folk and rock but for whatever reason, I write best while listening to anything from Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen. Sometimes in my writing I hear the characters sing rather than speak, in Danger Is Sweet I wrote lyrics for a song the hero sings to the heroine and I wrote lyrics for a song about Boudica’s bravery sung by druids in two of my books, Druid Quest and Druid Bride.
Plotter or Pantser? Why?
I’m a bit in between a plotter and a panster. Once I have my idea (my premise), I pick a plot to go with it. Then I work up character charts on the hero and heroine, which include information on their family history and their likes and dislikes. Then, with a fairly good idea about the beginning and ending in my head, I begin the rough draft.
What is your favorite meal?
Since I was six years old my favorite meal has been spaghetti and meat balls and it remains so to this day.
What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?
I find love scenes difficult, after ten years of writing romance books, I feel I write better love scenes now then in my first books but they have never gotten easier for me. I have heard people say they have decided to write a book and even though they don’t read romances they want to write one as they think they are the easiest to write and consider them to only have loves scenes in them. For many reasons, those statements puzzle me, the main reason is I have met few authors who found writing love scenes easy, for the large majority they are the hardest scenes to write. People may be surprised to learn, for several reasons the romance genre is one of the hardest to write, the love scenes are one of those reasons. When I read other genres, if they have love scenes in them they always disappoint me as they are so short and involve more telling than showing. I am use to the wonderful romance love scenes that are showing and beyond, filled with fire and emotion. Even a typical love scene in a romance novel is infused with an author’s expert knowledge of the craft of writing. But readers don’t need to know that, those scenes are meant for enjoyment, and to bring the readers closer to the characters, and of course to move the plot forward.
What do you have coming up next for you? Care to share any details with us?
I will soon place three of my early books directly on kindle, beginning with a revised version of Danger Is Sweet, now titled The Scottish Selkie. Also I have submitted To Love A London Ghost, a Steampunk/romance and I’m waiting to hear from the publisher on it. It’s set in Victorian London at a match factory and includes a mad scientist type villain with strange machines. The hero is a rather grumpy ghost hunter and the heroine is the ghost of an ancient Celtic warrior woman. He’s haunted by her beauty and she burns with deep desire for him, but their love is forbidden as the dead and the living dwell in separate realms. I am also working on As Timeless As Magic, a sequel to my Steampunk/ Romance, As Timeless As Stone. The book blends Steampunk technology and Egyptian magic. One of my favorite scenes in it is set at a Victorian mummy unwrapping party.
Who are some of your favorite authors, and if we were to visit your home, what books would we find on your bookshelf, end table, floor or e-reader?
My absolute favorite is Celtic/historical/paranormal novels like the ones written by Morgan Llewellyn, Jules Watson, Manda Scott, Sharon Kay Penman , and Marion Zimmer Bradley. And in steampunk, I like George Mann and Tim Powers. Some of the books on my shelves and in my Sony e-reader are The Greener Shore by Morgan Llewellyn, Priestess of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Dreaming the Hound by Manda Scott, Pillar of the Sky by Cecelia Holland, The White Mare by Jules Watson, Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman, Anubis Gates by Tim Powers and The Osiris Ritual by George Mann.
If you could be any character of any book or movie, who would, you be?
Sulwen from Druid Quest. Because she is a druid who works with Boudica during the revolt and the warrior queen is my all time favorite historical figure. I find Boudica so inspiring I would have liked to have been there when she fought the Romans. Also Sulwen has such a purpose to her life, fighting for freedom and her beliefs through spiritual means. And Sulwen is such a strong woman, she takes horribly traumatic things that have happened to her and turns them into positives.
Where can readers find you on the web?
Check out Peace Love Music by Cornelia Amiri
Jodi's birthday breaks her free of the foster care scene and launches her on a journey of self discovery. She thumbs her way to Woodstock to groove on peace, love, and music. The moment Blue spots Jodi strutting toward him barefoot in the rain, he's overcome with déjà vu. She doesn't share his feeling that they were lovers in a previous life, thinking it's half crazy, still she feels she's meant to be with the irresistible hippie.
As an adult now Jodi's free to be naughty rather than nice and he's the man who can make her wildest dreams, the sensual ones, come true. Is she headed for a love-in at his tepee?
