How did you come up with the idea for your book?
I’ve always loved paranormal books about magic, fairies, wizards and witches.I was
reading about the European witch craze, a time between the 14th and 17th centuries
when many women were accused, prosecuted and executed for practicing witchcraft.
My “what if” moment was, “what if a woman was accused of being a witch, and she
really did possess magical abilities? How different would things turn out? Then as I
thought about the story, I realized if I set it in the 17th century, when England was
establishing their colonies in America, I could use one of my favorite time periods. I’m a
former American History teacher, so I love writing about the founding of our Republic.
There used to be so many different settings in romance, including Colonial America and
the Civil War era. I hope with the growth of the digital market that we see a blossoming
of new settings for romance.
Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
When I was a child, I preferred drawing and art to writing. I illustrated very short stories
about princesses, dragons, ballerinas and castles, but the story was secondary to the
art. Then when I was in High School I took an art class, and realized that my style was
pretty limited. So, I started writing and filled notebooks with short stories.
Are you a hopeless romantic, or are you more pragmatic?
Since I fell in love with my husband at first sight, I’d have to say I’m a romantic. I love
antique furniture, lace, shiny jewelry, feathers and bows. But, I also have a pragmatic
side when I’m running my business. I can switch the sides of my brain pretty quickly.
What is your writing routine?
I work for several hours, several times each week n the evening, but that is usually for
research and editing. Since I work full-time, weekends are for the bulk of new writing.
I only had two hours to write (nap time for my day care children) when I wrote my first
book, so I trained myself to write a chapter in that amount of time. I can produce pages
pretty quickly. But, they are pages that need a lot of editing. Dialogue flows very easily
for me, but then I need to go back and add in the details and the emotions. My critique
partner puts, “what are they feeling?’ on a lot of pages. My editor reminds me to “show
don’t tell”. But -- I’m getting better.
What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Never give up. I’ve quit writing many times, but never seriously. It’s a tough business,
with a lot of rejection. You can be a very good writer, but won’t find a publisher because
you set the story in the wrong era, or setting. There’s been a lot of “readers won’t buy
books set in XX” in the publishing world. But just ignore that if you believe in your
characters and story. And with the rise in Indie publishing, you might be able to prove
those folks wrong. Publish your hard to sell book and see if it sells.
What’s up next for you?
My next book is nearly done, “Prudence and the Professor” is a steampunk romance
set in the West. My Professor is an inventor, so I get to create some really interesting
machines for him. My heroine is a secretary, one of the few women trained to operate
a “typewriting machine” -- which was an amazing tool that changed women’s lives. For
the first time more careers opened up to single women. It’s much lighter in tone than my
last few books, so it’s been good for me to get back to comedic situations like in my first
published book, “Beneath A Silver Moon”. Then I have Aelwyd to contend with, the older
sister in “Whistle Down the Wind” -- her story is next in the Mystic Moon series.
Here's a blurb from the book
Escaping from the persecution of the European witch hunts, a beautiful witch with the power to control the wind joins forces with a handsome Cavalier on a mission to save the King of England and the colony of Virginia.
Catlin Glyndwr is a tenth generation Mistress of Elements -- a hereditary witch who can call upon her elemental spirits for assistance in casting spells.
Accused of witchcraft in seventeenth century England, she faces the hangman. Even though she took a vow never to hurt anyone with her magic, if her true powers are revealed, she’ll be executed.
Sir Griffin Reynolds is on his way to the colony of Virginia, on a secret mission to locate Puritan rebels intent upon seizing the throne of King Charles II. When his best friend becomes deathly ill while interrogating a beautiful Welsh maiden accused of using magic to attack a local official – Griffin is forced to strike a bargain with her in order to save his friend’s life.
When Catlin and Griffin travel together on a voyage to the American colonies, they try to resist the pull of erotic sensuality that flares between them. It is a temptation they both soon crave. But danger lurks aboard ship and evil haunts Catlin. She must learn how her destiny is linked with that of the man who has vowed to protect her.
In a dangerous and unexplored world, where superstition exists along side the new discoveries of science, powerful elemental spirits are capable of assisting the magical adepts. But there is always danger in harnessing magic and a price to pay when one calls to the spirit world for help.
While Griffin tries to deny his attraction to Catlin, she works her own special magic on his heart and he discovers he cannot resist falling under her sensual spell.
Together, Catlin and Griffin learn that a journey of the heart requires courage, trust and the ability to believe in the astonishing gift of love.
Sounds like an awesome book right?? I'm excited to read it
Sibelle Stone is the pseudonym for award winning historical romance author Deborah Schneider. Sibelle writes sexy steampunk and paranormal stories, filled with magic, mad scientists, dirigibles, automatons, and creatures that would scare the panties off Deborah. In her spare time Sibelle enjoys dressing up in Victorian ensembles, modding play guns into something that looks a bit more sinister and wearing hats.
No comments:
Post a Comment