Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Wow, hard question! I was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska where I caught the science bug from living very close to Hyde Observatory (run by the Prairie Astronomy Club) and, of course, from watching Star Wars in the movie theater. I guess that dates me in that I remember seeing the original Star Wars before it was “A New Hope.” I was the only girl in my grammar school who liked science, of course, for which I was mercilessly bullied. Girls aren’t supposed to be into physics!
My writing ability was also showing very early on. I grew up in an especially violent home. I coped mostly by making up my own songs — music and lyrics — and singing out my feelings. That worked really well of course; today we have music therapists teaching people how to do what I always did instinctively.
I was also helped along the way by my teachers who became my mentors and were the ones who really encouraged my talent when my family was not nearly so supportive. In particular, my English literature teacher and my grammar-vocabulary teachers in high school helped shape me as a writer.
While in university, I joined the American Tolkien Society and was published in the ATS’ journal, “The Minas Tirith Evening Star” in 1991 for my sonnet, “Why Bilbo?”
As I matured and honed my writing further, more publications followed, none of them paid, of course. Finally, in August 2012 I published my first book, “The Great Succession Crisis” which is book one of my Peers of Beinan series. An extended edition was released with two more chaptersd and lots of non-fiction supportive articles at the end of January, 2013. In March 2013 I was able to release book two, “The Ghosts of the Past.”
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Ghosts of the Past” and it’s the second book in my Peers of Beinan series.
Like any second chapter to a trilogy arc, Ghosts was driven by the overall plot arc of the Anlei’s Legacy arc. Part one of that arc tells the story of Princess Anlei who is caught up in “The Great Succession Crisis.” In Ghosts, the arc demanded that I show readers the consequences of Anlei’s choices over the span of four generations, ending with Princess Anyu’s escape from planet Beinan; the story of her exile and return is the essential story of the still unwritten book three, “Princess Anyu Returns.” This is an arc set up in the prologues of each book, so there is no spoilers in what I just said.
Within these boundaries, the story reflects my experiences living in a suburb of Newark NJ on 9/11 and subsequent residence in Brooklyn, New York. Ghosts is a murder-mystery where the villain of GSC pursues his revenge in the form of terrorist bombings of healing centers. To someone who lived and worked for over 12 years in/around New York City, this is very personal to me; there are a lot of people haunted by 9/11, by losing someone that day and Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar, the son of two healers who are killed in two separate terrorist attacks, is no different. So on that level, my own experience of 9/11 living in the area inspired that major story arc in Ghosts.
Of course, other parts of my life are also reflected in Ghosts. New Jerseyans and New Yorkers will probably recognize the sights and sounds of the capitol city of Hejing’s public transportation system; it’s a fusion of HBLR, PATH, and MTA transit systems just as members of the Society for Creative Anachronism should recognize the structure and sounds of the royal court scenes. I’ve been a part of the Society since 1990 when I was a student at the University of Nebraska. So yes, there’s some of the SCA in not just Ghosts, but all of the Peers of Beinan.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know if this is unusual for a bird person, but my cockatoo is usually perched on or near me while I write. Sometimes she is a major distraction. Sometimes she types, erases, and otherwise mucks up my work. But mostly she is just great company. So yes, I like having my bird with me while writing. I think that is pretty normal for a cockatoo person. I’m a sucker for that crest!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love English literature. William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and of course J.R.R. Tolkien! Among Americans I love the work of J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame, Dorothy “DC” Fontana of Star Trek fame (we owe Vulcan society primarily to her), and Marion Zimmer Bradley whose Avalon series is the best Arthurian series I’ve ever seen and probably one of the best researched historical fiction series I’ve ever seen. A lesser influence, but still an important one would be Victor Hugo; in university, despite THREE majors, I read Les Miserables from start to finish and loved its weaving of social justice themes with a great and complex story; the musical is beautiful and well written, but doesn’t really capture Les Miz very well; you have read that book!
Jane Austen fans will be thrilled to discover the Beinarian version of English country dancing. As with Pride and Prejudice, the dancing scenes are often very revealing and poignant in Ghosts of the Past in particular.
What are you working on now?
I write a lot of non-fiction for Yahoo Voices, so I’m always doing something for them. Outside of that, I am working on book three, “Princess Anyu Returns.” My books are research intensive because I am a huge world builder and an amateur scientist and amateur historian, so I have a lot of research yet to do before I can get very far into the book. In particular, I’ve been working at studying the history of the Society for Creative Anachronism, working with the Kingdom of Aethelmearc’s historian officer among others to discover those hidden little stories that will influence what happens to Princess Anyu.
I’m also expanding my SCA activities to archery and thrown weapons as part of that research phase on this book. I have to be careful as I have a dislocated left (dominate) shoulder, but I think learning more about both of these martial arts will help me write those upcoming scenes where Princess Anyu has to fight her way out of trouble, especially after she returns to Beinan about midway through book three.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, I have four youtube book trailers. The oldest of them features a song called “Anlei’s Aria” which is not in the book text but reflects the romance of “The Great Succession Crisis” and the dedication that Lord Knight Corann feels for Anlei. http://youtu.be/mF-HgERxVAU. The second trailer features the song I added into The Great Succession Crisis for the Extended Edition which is performed in chapter three, “Bevin’s Royal Challenge” and is called “My Lady Fairest Queen,” http://youtu.be/6yvBmhtiyb4.
Ghosts of the Past features at least six songs across the book with two of the songs retaining their original scores after publication. The first of these two songs to make it into a trailer is called “Here Lays My Father and My Lord” from chapter eight, “Kendric’s Lament” which is performed by Princess Constance upon finding her father murdered. It’s a ballad based strongly on the ancient and musical traditions of Celtic and Germanic peoples and perhaps in some ways also reflects the music Tolkien wrote into The Lord of the Rings (which itself was based on his expertise in Anglo-Saxon), http://youtu.be/6U6Am_8VXJg
The last song to make it into a trailer is the song that is reprised near the climax of Ghosts of the Past and is called “I Shall Always Find You.” http://youtu.be/BU5277EBi20
I feel my trailers are the best way to showcase my books. I sing on all of them (I got into writing as a singer-songwriter) and I am hoping that my hard work on creating all that beautiful heraldry for my books, the trailers, and my website will pay off. I made all my book covers as well; I previously worked as a commercial photographer and graphic artist in Manhattan before the recession downsized me out of my job. Not bad for a person with 20/80 vision!
Finally, I use twitter to promote, but have a lot of peeves about self promotion. I hate “buy my book” posts on social media and shy away from them. Instead I prefer to share my videos, so please watch them and tell everyone how beautiful they are!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
RESEARCH! The more you learn, the better you write. I have a BA in writing, pre-counseling psychology, and medieval history. On top of that, I’ve been a living history re-enactor for over 20 years which means I’ve studied a lot about a lot of different things. And of course, I never lost my science bug. So I’m always watching NOVA and other PBS programs, reading science news, and so forth. The better your education, the more you know, and the more you put into the research on your books, the better they will be.
I write with the idea that at least 25% of my readers will know more about a given subject than I do. So I work hard to get things RIGHT. I spent over a month working out the physics and astronomy of Beinan. Another two weeks working out the bio-chemistry with three different periodic table resources so I could write just ONE paragraph in Ghosts where Elendir goes to the scene of the crime and his computer provides forensic analysis.
But it’s those details that make all the difference in the world!
Finally, new authors need to be careful about cover art. If you write anything historical, MAKE SURE your art MATCHES your time/place. Again, this is an area where people will be knowledgeable. Most of us know what people were wearing in 1805 or 1863 or 1585 (aka Regency, American Civil War, and Tudor eras). If you are wrong on that costuming, people will be turned off and not look any deeper than your art! It took me WEEKS to find photos I could purchase the rights for that featured the CORRECT style of gown for Beinarian women. That style is called a “bliaut” which was popular in the high middle ages here on Earth.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Your website is about your readers, not about selling your book. Always focus on the READER and what benefits the READER — NOT ON GETTING SALES! People can see through “buy my book” stuff and are turned off by it. But offer the reader something special and you will get results.
What are you reading now?
I am in the research phase of Princess Anyu Returns so I am doing a lot of research into the Society for Creative Anachronism history. Much of what I like to read right now is non-fiction in nature. This is partially because most fiction is NOT accessible to me as a low vision person. E-Readers aren’t designed for the visually impaired and very few authors have their books in large print, braille, or audio formats. The last book I read was Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “The Pluto Files” which I found through the Carnegie Library for the Blind as an audio book.
Before someone yells at me about reader devices, I should specify that I cannot see in black, white, or other neutral colors; my sight loss is caused by traumatic brain injury and I don’t have the nerve cells in my brain anymore to process neutral colors. So what I need is an E-Reader that gives me complete control over the text and background color — any color combination I want. So far, inquiries on the matter with Barnes and Noble and Amazon have indicated they do not plan to change their devices for improved accessibility here. Maybe you will help change that so I can read more books.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have several goals right now. One is to move to either eastern Pennsylvania (right now I am in Johnstown, PA) or New Jersey where there is more employment opportunities than out here and certainly better public transportation; I naturally do not drive.
I am also of course working on book three, Princess Anyu Returns.
Finally, I am really hoping to be able to adopt another cockatoo. My bird is lonely and I want to increase the size of my flock. I adore birds.
I also hope to take a trip to the UK within the next five years if things take off professionally for me. Part of this is my passion for history. Part is I want to explore my Irish heritage more (I’m 1/8th Irish). But part of it is my desire to buy some nice English wool so I can make a beautiful Tudor wool gown! The Tudor era had the BEST dresses; I really want a nice Tudor ensemble made of English wool. Plus I have friends in the UK I would like to meet in person for the first time.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Oooohh! That is hard! I am torn between Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” and Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” I love all three!
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