What can you tell us about your new release, Queen of Swords?
Queen of Swords is a mystery about star-crossed lovers, murder, and a jewel theft that take place at an antebellum plantation in 1850. 168 years later a group of architects and designers go in to restore the mansion to its former beauty to turn it into an exclusive retreat for the wealthy and politically connected. Georganne, the interior designer, accidentally uncovers the mystery of the nearly two century old murder and theft. She begins to encounter a man who perhaps isn’t really even there. Her own troubled past comes back to haunt her and the handsome young architect whose family is bankrolling the project.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
A lifetime of reading. I love the medium for its dependence on imagination. I grew up in the country without cable or movies, so books were very important to me. I think most people who are serious readers think about writing at one time or another.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
Drood by Dan Simmons
As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann
The Rifter Series by Ginn Hale
The Stand by Stephen King
Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
Dan Simmons. I’d like to ask him how he manages to be so prolific and brilliant at the same time. I would love to know more about his editing process.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
Creating worlds and characters and then seeing how they react to their environments. I believe that once you have created fully fleshed out characters they will take on a life of their own and direct the action along the plot lines you have set. Creating detailed biographies of imaginary people is the fun part.
What is a typical day like for you?
I like to write first thing in the morning. Breakfast for the pups, coffee for husband and myself, and then I write. I own a business outside of writing and after a couple hours of writing I head to work myself.
What scene in Queen of Swords was your favorite to write?
There are several mysteries entwined in the plot of Queen of Swords and the revelation of each of those was great fun to write. Resolution is the release of bits of dramatic tension you have built into your story, so the final unraveling is satisfying.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
I just believe that life is short and unpredictable, so make every moment count. Your life is a Choose Your Own Adventure, so choose wisely.
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