AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CHRISTIE WALDMAN

Today we sit down for a chat with Christie Waldman, author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Learn more about Christine and her books at her website.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels? 

When I was seven, I had a second-grade teacher who thought kids should be writing stories and plays. We even wrote a class play which we performed for the parents with paper mâché puppets we made ourselves. When, for my story about a talking horse, I kept going back for more yellow paper, my teacher said, “I think you’re writing a novel.” Oh! I liked that!

 

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication? 

Sixty years! From first draft to publication of The Voice of the Wooden Dragon was forty-one years.

 

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author? 

Hybrid

 

Where do you write? 

Home office

 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind? 

Silence

 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular? 

Most are imagined, but some details come from history or my own life. 

 

Describe your process for naming your character? 

Mostly, the names just come to me. They need to sound “right.” “Meredith” was the name of the statue that inspired The Voice of the Wooden Dragon (carved by Bill Loomis of Carbondale, Illinois).

 

Real settings or fictional towns? 

My novel has both: the Land of Deweydaire and Philadelphia.

 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has? 

Dr. Sampson, an oddball dragon doctor, performs hypnosis with a yo-yo.

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk? 

Chewing on pens and pencils

 

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why? 

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. It is such a great story—so full of heart! 

 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours? 

Everything happens for a reason, even things that look like wrong turns, is how I see it. If, for example, I had gone to a college other than SIU in Carbondale, Illinois, I would not have met Bill Loomis or seen his dragon statue, “Meredith,” which gave me the idea for The Voice of the Wooden Dragon, the book I feel I was meant to write. 

 

What’s your biggest pet peeve? 

People who automatically find some reason to disagree with you instead of looking for common ground.

 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves? 

Aside from the essentials, food, water, and sunshine: the music of birds, the beauty of nature, and fresh air. 

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held? 

“Walking beans” (hoeing rows of soybeans) 

 

Who’s your all-time favorite literary character (any genre)? Why? 

Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables. She’s loving and lovable. She’s an imaginative dreamer who grows up into a lovely young woman. She’s probably based on her author’s life.

 

Ocean or mountains? 

Mountains

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy? 

Country girl

 

What’s on the horizon for you? 

Perhaps I will try to write some short stories. Maybe one will turn into a novel. Also, I have Francis Bacon-related research to complete and patchwork quilts to make for my grandchildren.

 

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books? 

I would love to see children’s creative writing, art, and music cultivated in homes and schools. I did not get this nurturing growing up, other than from that one teacher. Still, I went to college seeking a liberal arts, humanities education that would prepare me to become a “serious fiction writer.” Bernard Malamud once offered this advice to would-be writers: “You must know and love literature and read and think of it endlessly.”

 

The Voice of the Wooden Dragon. 

“Wanted: Princess Meredith!” Friend and foe seek the outlaw dragon princess who fights on behalf of oppressed human farmers. Things go from bad to worse when her cousin Prince Rupert—that bully!—takes the throne. Somehow, with the help of her friends, the boy Peter, court-jester dragon Felix, and a little girl in America named Suse, she must find a way to defeat Carlos’s magic, reclaim her power, and fulfill her destiny.

 

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THE INSPIRATION BEHIND AUTHOR KAREN L. ABRAHAMSON'S NEWEST MYSTERY

The remains of the Bella Coola cannery

Karen L. Abrahamson writes fantasy, romance, and mystery novels and award-nominated short stories. When not writing, she can be found with a camera and backpack in fabulous locations around the world. Learn more about Karen and her books and her website.

The Inspiration Behind the Story

I tend to set my stories in unusual locations that inspire me. The Phoebe Clay Mysteries take place on the stormy waters of Johnstone Strait on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the sweltering Arabian Sea heat of Kochi, India, and the also sweltering heat of Angkor, Cambodia. I’ve been fortunate to visit all of them. The latest book, Trapped on Cedar Trails, (releasing September 30, 2022), returns Phoebe Clay to British Columbia, Canada, this time to the rainy Great Bear Rainforest of the B.C. Central Coast.

 

The novel centers on Bella Vista, a fictional town that is a poor relation to the real-life Bella Coola. Like Bella Coola, Bella Vista has its own derelict fish cannery. These places are left over from the days when the Pacific Northwest ran thick with salmon and the fishing boats couldn’t possibly get their catch back to Vancouver for canning before the fish spoiled. As a result, in remote locations along the central coast you’ll find these huge old L-shaped buildings built over the water where the boats could pull in and transfer their haul. Inside these remote canneries, men and women, often First Nations or Chinese, would can the fish that would then be transported to the cities.

 

At the time, people could live in dormitories, or claim a bit of land and build a cabin. Typical of the day, the communities were segregated into sub-communities of First Nations, Chinese and European. The canneries had stores that catered to the fishermen and the cannery staff. All this changed early in the 20^th century with the advent of the huge cannery ships. As a result, the canneries and this iconic west coast life faded away. 

 

Today, the old fishing fleets are gone and few of the canneries remain. Fires and west coast rains have largely destroyed the huge old buildings. I stayed at the Tallheo Cannery Guesthouse across the water from Bella Coola. Here, half of the old structure remains standing stately on its pilings along the shore. The other half collapsed long ago and now the owner of the cannery works long hours trying to preserve this bit of west coast history. We stayed in the old (supposedly haunted) dormitory house that was once reserved for the European employees. The old store and the communications buildings still stand as well, though the First Nations and Chinese communities have been consumed by time and the dense vegetation of the rainforest. 

 

Standing on the pebbled shore in the shadow of the west coast mountains, with the wind off the ocean tugging at your hair and the sun disappearing behind the peaks, I could imagine the trials of living in those very isolated communities. As the shadows lengthened, I could conjure the ghosts who probably inhabit the area. Of course, while ghosts might seem dangerous, more realistically the danger to visitors is the chance encounter with one of the rainforest’s huge grizzly bears.

From these thoughts and this beautiful place came the inspiration for the story which grew into Trapped on Cedar Trails.

 

Trapped on Cedar Trails

Phoebe Clay Mystery, Book 4

 

The discovery of a woman’s body trapped in driftwood off a small, west coast town turns a five-day photography class into a nightmare for Phoebe Clay, her sister Becca, and Phoebe’s niece Alice. Did the woman fall off a boat or has something worse happened? Either way, Becca wants to return home immediately, but Alice, a student in the class, won’t hear of it. Phoebe just wants to stay out of the mother-daughter drama.

 

The specter of murder hangs over the family as they join the other students at an isolated fish cannery guesthouse on the coast of British Columbia. Then on their first night, Alice spots ghostly figures outside and on the first morning, Phoebe finds a dead grizzly bear on the cannery’s shore. She doesn’t want to get involved, but there’s something wrong at the Bella Vista Cannery Guesthouse, and someone is not who they say they are.

 

Against her better judgment, she begins quiet enquiries while trying to keep her sister and Alice safely uninvolved. But not knowing who to trust means answers come at a price. When Alice decides to pursue her own risky investigation, events take a sharp turn, revealing an insidious plot that threatens the lives of everyone Phoebe holds dear. 

 

On the run on the cannery’s treacherous, rain-soaked, night-shrouded cedar trails, Phoebe and her family will face the greatest danger they’ve ever met—brutal foes determined to ensure the family doesn’t survive to reveal the cannery’s secrets.

 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--MULTI-GENRE AUTHOR JANET LANE WALTERS ON READING AND WRITING SERIES NOVELS

Today we feature something a bit different from our usual author guest posts. Author Janet Lane Walters joins us to talk about the different types of series novels. Janet has been published for 50+ years with time out to work as a nurse to help put her children through college. She is an eclectic writer with works in mystery, romance (both sweet and spicy), adult and children’s fantasy, and poetry. She’s also, along with her writing partner Jane Toombs, an award-winning nonfiction author.  Learn more about Janet and her books here.

Do you enjoy reading series books? I enjoy both reading and writing series. Lately, I’ve been reading series books in various genres. I’ve also written series books in mystery, romance, and fantasy.

 

Series come in many varieties. There are series that follow one character from book to book. I’m currently reading one now, Anne Perry‘s Monk mystery series. But there are also series in other genres. C.J Cherryh‘s Foreigner Series features science fiction stories with more than twenty books following the adventures and growth of a single man. My own Mrs. Miller’s Mysteries series, beginning with Murder and Mint Tea, follows this format. When I began writing the first book, I didn’t expect it to turn into a series, but members of my critique group liked Katherine, my sleuth, and encouraged me write a series about her.

 

There are series that focus on a group of people. Often, they live in the same town or have the same profession. There are several great series that feature doctors and one where a group of people live together. Jennifer Probst’s Searching For Series features people in the same family.

 

I have several series of this type, including my Opposites In Love Series and Moon Child Series. These are connected through astrology. In one series the hero and heroine live in the same town, work at the same hospital and are astrological opposites. The Opposites in Love Series was planned, and although the first three books were written close together, the last three came later because I wanted the books to be different from each other, even though they featured the same professions,

 

The third type of series I call Worlds. One might think this would only apply to historical, science fiction, and fantasy books. Not necessarily. There are contemporary stories that deal with worlds unfamiliar to us. Mike Geraghty‘s Cosantoir (Protectors) MC Series is one such contemporary set of books as is Mary Jo Putney’s Rogues Redeemed and Fallen Angels Regency Series. Another historical series is Jo Beverley’s Malloren Series, which takes place before the Regency period. 

 

Vijaya Schartz has several series in science fiction that are tied to a world view. Her Bizantium Series is one. In fantasy Anne McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern are fascinating. 

 

I am at present awaiting the release of the fourth Moon Rising series – Incal. The first Book was written as a stand alone. Several years later, I was halfway through Healwoman when I realized I had meandered into the world depicted in Moon Summoned. I returned to reading Moon Summoned for the culture and other items to fill in the details of this world. In the past two years I completed Nilos and Incal, which were recently released.

 

Series are fun to read and to write. 

 

Nilos

Moon Rising, Book 3

 

Return to the world where Midra and Midran rule. The god and goddess have two faces. Midra is Mistrees on the Moon and also Mistress of the Dark. Midran is Lord of light and Lord of shadows. Rons ago, the Three and Three rose, Seer, Warrior, Healer defeated the Lord of Shadows, though remnants of his worshipers remain. As generations pass in the four nomes of the land only a few remain to honor the Mistress. Once again the followers of Midran prevail, leaving trouble to roil beneath the surface. Prophecies abound and many point to change. Will the Three and Three come again?

 

In Nilos, Healwomen have become only midwives. Their hodara lies in ruins on the bank of the Nilos River in the city of Memphos. Only a few women come for training and remain in the city. Others serve in the highlands and on the desert. The Eldest, she who rules the midwives, sets upon a scheme fo bring the Three to life and to rule the nome.

 

What will happen when the Eldest sets her plan into action? Will there be just three women or will they find their opposites becoming the fabled Three and Three? Who will rule the changes to come?

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DONNARAE MENARD

Today we sit down for a chat with author DonnaRae Menard who writes in a broad spectrum of genres, including cozy mystery, suspense, police procedural thriller, fantasy, and children’s books. Learn more about her and her books at her website.   

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

I realized I wanted to write in the seventh grade when I was writing non-flattering reviews of classmates. I've been writing ever since.

 

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?

It took me eight years once I got serious.

 

On April 28, 2008, I was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous carcinoma During treatment, my doctor kept asking me what I wanted to do and had never done. What was I going to do when I got better? Recovery was slow, but once I got going, I chased every rainbow going to book signings and lectures, and I took classes. Then I met Harriette Sackler and Bruce Robert Coffin. One believed I could do it, the other said he'd meet me again when I did. I couldn't wait.

 

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

I'm a hybrid, though I recently pulled the procedurals to re-work them.

 

Where do you write?

I have a designated space in the spare bedroom, but I'll write anywhere words find me.

 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

I like sixties music or traditional Christmas Carols while I'm writing, until I get to the red line, then I lock myself away.

 

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

For the cozies I draw a lot from real life, 50-50 from my own. The procedurals and fantasy are my brain just out there. I have to admit, I have some weird dreams.

 

Describe your process for naming your character?

A character is a fishing expedition--too weird, too tame, just right.

 

Real settings or fictional towns?

I pick a town; I go looking for a street map. I don't have a problem adjusting terrain for what I need. In the fantasy, it was like a game, I built as I went.

 

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

I can be driven, not seeing housework, living on Cheerios and ramen, then one day it's OMG, I gotta clean this place up and eat a real meal.

 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

My characters have a tendency to be focused and unable to let go until they find an answer. Oh, and in an upcoming book, my protagonist works for a funeral home.

 

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

If I could have written any book, it would have to be The Viking’s Woman. I read it when I was in my twenties. It was a cross of everything I love--foreign places, exotic women, daring men, and adventure.

 

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

I'd go back to when my children were young. I was the breadwinner and missed so much. I envy my youngest daughter her relationship with her children.

 

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

People who don't use turn signals.

 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

Ooh, on a desert island I'd like a deck of cards; a long, sharp knife; and a long-legged dog.

 

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

The worst job I ever had was with Jo-Page Attractions. I didn't know I'd be cleaning out the candy apple machine and the latrines.

 

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

The Legend of the Seventh Virgin by Victoria Holt

 

Ocean or mountains?

Ocean

 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

Country girl

 

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?

I’m an eclectic individual; I learned all sorts of crafts because I wanted to, traveled around the US using my thumb, and have had many jobs. My writing is like that, sometimes my head is exploding with what I want to do. I'm sure many writers feel the same way. I can only hope when someone says they are believed in, each writer will savor the moment. 

 

Murder in the Meadow

An It’s Never Too Late Mystery, Book 1

 

After 10 years gone, Katelyn Took returns home in 1974 to find the grandmother who raised her has been killed in the farm meadow. Gram’s will leaves Katelyn ownership of the now dilapidated farm but includes a stipulation regarding seventeen cats. Then there's the confused old woman still living in the farmhouse. Katelyn doesn't want to stay, but the longer she does, the more drawn into finding Gram's killer she becomes.

 

The anger she felt towards Gram fades, replaced by grief and loss. Katelyn takes a temporary job working beside Grandpa's friend. She develops a romantic interest in the Deputy Sheriff, and just when she decides it doesn't matter because she's leaving town, a stalker makes her a target. The need to run is constantly challenged by the anger at having what’s hers yanked away. Is she going to stay? Continue her new romance? What about old friends who are new again and rallying around her? What price is she willing to pay to be a big city girl?

 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--A TIMELY TALE FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES (AND ADULTS!)

Need a holiday gift idea for a child? Back in 2009, Lois Winston, the author who makes my life miserable,  came up with the idea for a chapter book for young readers. Shortly after she finished writing it, she sold the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, and as all of you know, with a few exceptions, her life has pretty much centered around dropping dead bodies at my feet ever since. The Magic Paintbrush was finally published in 2014. With all the divisiveness going on in the country, it remains a must-read and a perfect gift for young readers.

Without being preachy, The Magic Paintbrush addresses the issue of differences, in this case, a kingdom that is all pink at war with a kingdom that is all blue for longer than anyone can remember—so long that no one even knows what started the feud. It takes two children from another land to point out to the rulers of both kingdoms how we're really all the same inside and the benefits of getting along. 

 

Now if only people in the real world would do likewise…

 

The Magic Paintbrush

When nine-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister Zoe are snowed in for days with nothing to do, their complaints land them in every guy’s worst nightmare—the kingdom of Vermilion, a land where everything is totally pink! At first Jack is mistaken for a spy from the neighboring kingdom of Cobalt, but Zoe convinces Queen Fuchsia that they’re from New Jersey and arrived by magic.

 

Queen Fuchsia needs a king, but all the available princes in Vermilion are either too short, too fat, too old, or too stupid. Jack and Zoe suggest she looks for a king in Cobalt, but Vermilion and Cobalt have been at war since long before anyone can remember. Jack and Zoe decide Vermilion and Cobalt need a Kitchen Table Mediation to settle their differences. So they set out on an adventure to bring peace to the warring kingdoms—and maybe along the way they just might find a king for the queen.

 

The Magic Paintbrush is suitable for children eight years of age and up to read on their own. Younger children will enjoy the story if it’s read to them. Read an excerpt here. 

 

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#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--MEET FANTASY AUTHOR HELEN HENDERSON'S MASTER MAGICAL WEAPONS FORGER

Today we sit down for a chat with Brodie from author Helen Henderson’s Windmaster Novels. 

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

I don’t know who this “author” is that you say controls of my life. I have seen Lady Helen called an author. If it is her of which you speak, she just chronicles events as they are told her. We first met when I was an unbearded youth on the eve of my first battle. My opponent was Lord Dal. Beside being the Archmage he was also a skilled mercenary. I was no match for him as a man or a soldier, and he disarmed me with a single blow. He spared my life, and we have since become close friends. Lady Helen noted the story in a manuscript she calls Windmaster.

 

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

My ability to imbue life into steel. The weapons I make for the journeymen mages will serve as their tool for the rest of their lives. Even though I don’t know who will select what token for the hilt or what blade, each piece is special and customized for their future owner. Although I haven’t witnessed it myself, as I have no powers of my own, those who are summoned to the council fire say the token, hilt, and blade that are meant to go together call out to the mage who will use the dagger to focus their powers. The pieces have been said to emit a beam of light skyward that only the intended future wizard can see.

 

What do you like least about yourself?

Almost every day since I came to the isle of the wizard’s council and school of magic, I have rued the fact I don’t have the ability to work magic. The other mages have never treated me less because of it. We are friends…They are my family…I am just not fully one of them.

 

As a fighter and a mercenary, I know the tactical advantage of harnessing the power of wind and rain. And with a rogue mage out and about the land, I need to be able to command every weapon available

 

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

Lady Helen merely recounts the story. As long as she is accurate, there is nothing to argue with her about. It is not her fault I was born without any magic of my own.

 

What is your greatest fear?

That I will fail Dal and his mate, Ellspeth. The archmage and his lady are my friends. They and their daughters treat me as a member of their family. I would never forgive myself if they fell in battle because I did not train them well enough … or if I failed to protect them.

 

What makes you happy?

Besides turning metal into a tempered weapon, I am honored that Wirake, the son of the head stallion of the herd of fàlaire that resided in the valley beyond the Isle of Mages, chose me as his rider. Long rides allow me to forget my troubles and ease my soul. The fàlaire are more than just horses, they have an earth magic of their own … and they are great listeners for their special friends.

 

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

I would have liked to have a family of my own. I never knew my parents and the mountain village they came from never accepted me. Which is why I signed up with Ruaridh, the head of the mercenary troops serving the false oracle. Of course, if I had had a happy childhood, I would never have met the archmage. While I may not have a family bound by blood, I ended up with one with even stronger ties.

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Relliq. When the Archmage asked me for my opinion of Relliq, I had to admit that I didn’t like him. He is a mage, but he doesn’t use his powers for good. Instead he wields them against innocents and uses black magic to gain his ends. However, in all honesty, there is another reason I dislike him. He used his powers to stalk Kiansel, sister of the current Oracle of Givneh.

 

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

Although the author of several local histories, and numerous articles on the topics of American and military history, antiques and collectibles, Lady Helen’s first love is fiction. Her work in the museum and history fields enables a special insight into creating fantasy worlds. The descendent of a coal-miner's daughter and an aviation flight engineer, her writing reflects the contrasts of her heritage as well as that of her Gemini sign. Her stories cross genres from historical westerns to science fiction and fantasy. In the world of fantasy romance, she is the author of the Dragshi Chronicles and The Windmaster Novels. In her books, she invites you to join her on travels through the stars, or among fantasy worlds of the imagination. Learn more about her and her books at her website.

 

What's next for you?

My fate... my future... is revealed in Windmaster Golem. I haven’t read the tale that Lady Helen has penned so I can’t tell state anything with certainty. Between Kia’s invisible stalker, a rogue mage and the wasting disease he set on the land, there is darkness on the horizon.

 

Windmaster Golem 

Kiansel, sister to the current Oracle of Givneh, is expected to one day assume the mantle and lead the temple’s followers. Her emerging powers force an impossible decision. To answer the siren call of magic requires she turn her back on her family, her heritage and the teachings of the oracle.

 

Banishment to a remote village as healer, a position he despised, fueled Relliq’s desire for revenge. The discovery of a mythical city and an army of clay soldiers provided the means to control all mages--including the one he wanted most—Kiansel.

 

Brodie, weaponsmith for the School of Mages couldn’t refuse the archmage’s request to act as escort for a healing team fighting a curse upon the land. But how can a man without any magic of his own fight a curse or protect a friend from an invisible stalker?

 

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MYSTERY AUTHOR FRANCES SCHOONMAKER ON DEVELOPING A MIDDLE GRADE HISTORICAL FANTASY MYSTERY

Old Shep

A former classroom teacher, Frances Schoonmaker is Professor Emerita from Teachers College, Columbia University. The Last Crystal, the third book in her The Last Crystal Trilogy, won the 2019 Agatha for Best Middle School/Young Adult Mystery. Learn more about Frances and her books at her website.  

Years ago, an uncle told how he and his little brother made a Kansas City to Sacramento train trip every summer to visit grandparents—alone. Their father worked for the railroad. It was an affordable way to keep the family close. The idea captured my imagination. What kind of mischief might two boys get into on a train trip? Who kept an eye on them? What if the train broke down? What if…?

I had the beginnings of a story. Still, it didn’t seem fair for two boys to have all the fun. I knew that if there were two boys, there had to be two girls.

The busy life of wife, mother, elementary school teacher, and graduate student took precedence over writing. By the time I retired, I knew the story was to be a wilderness quest with room for facts, fantasy, and mystery. I wanted the four children to be real, ordinary kids, not superheroes. Intuitively, I wanted them to learn that one can act heroically while shaking in their boots and that sometimes you do what has to be done because it’s right, not because you think you can do it or have any chance of accomplishing it. I wanted the least likely of the characters to step up to the challenges they faced, too. 

After more than a dozen years as an elementary school teacher and another dozen plus as a teacher educator, I know a lot about kids. Circumstances change, but people are driven by needs and wants that have existed since the beginning of time. So I planted four children I barely knew into my quest, starting on the famous Santa Fe Chief a couple of years after the outbreak of World War II. 

I gave the eldest a family name. From that moment, I knew J.D. would be the standard bearer. He’d protect, lead, and keep the others from giving up hope. Mary Carol emerged as a caregiver, responsible, an organizer, imaginative, and bossy. Robert developed with the contents of his rucksack. They needed the rucksack if they were to survive in the wilderness. So Robert became a kid who is always prepared. He has all the answers because he’s read about the questions. From the first, Grace was the kind of protected, manipulative, darling little girl you’d like to give a good smack. 

Underlying the events that shape the lives of the four children, is a struggle between immortal twins C’lestin and Celeste, charged with care of seven crystals set aside for the care and healing of the earth. Forfeiting her immortality to be the most beautiful woman who has ever lived, Celeste steals the crystals and uses them to sustain herself, down to the last one. Leave it to say that their development made me realize that when I finished The Last Crystal, I wasn’t done.

I kept wondering how the last crystal came to be where it was. Why were these particular children on a quest for it? Again, context led my characters. The children start out on the Santa Fe Chief train. What if the quest actually began on the Santa Fe Trail a hundred years earlier with another Grace, protected, privileged, probably equally bratty? Before I finished answering back-story questions, I had The Last Crystal Trilogy.

I didn’t follow a story formula or make a chart of protagonist, antagonist, and secondary characters. I created an evolving time line with settings as close to real as possible, meeting characters along the way. “Who?” “How come?” and “What if?” drove me. Some characters changed as I refined the story. Old Shep is a good example.

Old Shep was Grace Willis’s faithful dog on the Santa Fe Trail. The fourth and fifth graders in schools where I piloted The Black Alabaster Box fell in love with him. They didn’t love my switch from trail life to quest. Thankfully, they were still engrossed in the story. I realized they needed advance notice that magic was afoot. Old Shep was promoted to time traveler, mysteriously appearing in chapter one of The Black Alabaster Boxwith an important role in The Red Abalone Shell. I couldn’t leave him out of book three. I had to find a place for him.

All this is to say that in The Last Crystal Trilogy, character development was a messy, recursive process where circumstance and characters interacted to tell a story.

  

The Last Crystal

The Last Crystal Trilogy, Book 3

When they board the Santa Fe Chief in Kansas City, bound for L.A., the four Harrison children have never heard of the Last Crystal or the magic surrounding it. They are concerned about their father, who has been injured in World War II, and dread having to stay with their boring, old Uncle James. But before the train is half way to L.A., J.D., Mary Carol, Robert, and Grace discover that staying with their Uncle James is the least of their worries. They cross paths with a Nazi spy. One of them is kidnapped. Then, without warning, the four find themselves off the train, magically drawn into a quest for the Last Crystal. To get home again, they must cross two thousand miles of wilderness and find the Crystal with nothing to guide them but their wits, each other, and an old map that only the youngest can read. 

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CHARACTER INTERVIEW--AMERGIN FROM AUTHOR M.L. FOXX'S CELTIC MYST TRILOGY

The Irish Countryside. Close your eyes and imagine the dragons of yore.

Today we sit down for a chat with Amergin from M.L. Foxx’s Celtic Myst Trilogy. 

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

I had a lot of responsibility with the de Dannan clan. It all started thousands of years ago, before the measurement of time.... We lived in Inis Fail, which is Ancient Ireland. Then my author wanted me to tell my story. And so I did, and it took three books to tell all.

Amergin

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

I am Amergin, a druid and I am a descendent of the original wise one that placed the elemental power of the lands in the hands of the Tribe of Danu. I'm a wizard charged with the task of providing wisdom and protection for the descendants of the Tuatha de Danann.

What do you like least about yourself?

My liege does not always take my ideas seriously. Though the Danu come from a long line of faeries, my liege is not one. And so he does not always take me at my word and it can take a lot to convince him. And sometimes I have to lower myself to begging for the good of the clan. I do not enjoy that at all. 

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

Well, I created a dragon. That was a challenge I tell you. But I was up to the task and Palriad the Magnificent was able to take on the dark dragon of the witch and come out victorious.

Do you argue with your author? 

Not very often, but yes I did. 

If so, what do you argue about?

I wanted to have a mate going through eternity and she said no. So I am a lonely wizard, but I do have my Aibell Brid and her loved ones to watch over and mentor. 

What is your greatest fear?

That Mourdra (that is the witch) will win and I will have lost that which the Gods and Goddesses tasked me with. The protection of the de Dannan’s. 

What makes you happy?

Watching Aibell Brid and her daughter Derdriu dance and play their fiddles. 

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

Because it is a trilogy, it is a continuation of the story. I cannot tell what I would like to change because it would be a spoiler for the end of the first book, and it would also end the story before the completion of prophecy. 

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

The fact that Mourdra can see what the de Dannan’s are doing in her Cauldron. And the clan and villagers have no idea when she is going to attack. 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

Cuchulain Dubhshlàine because he is a warrior and mortal. He does not have to live forever and protect those from evil forces. He protects his loved ones in battle not through spells and magic.

Tell us a little something about your author. 

Author, M.L. Foxx has lived her life in Utah. She loves the mountains. Someday she’d like to move to Ireland, home of her ancestors. She and her hubby love to travel anywhere. As long as they’re together and it’s an adventure. Her favorite places she has visited is Ireland, Scotland, and Tuscany, Italy.

She loves to hear from fans. This is her first jaunt into Fantasy and Sci-Fi. She loves it. It gives her freedom of choice. She also loves to go to the movies and you got it… Watch The Avengers and Dead Pool, among others.

When not writing or traveling, she is hanging out with family.

PS: She also writes under her own name, Mary Martinez.

Where can readers find her website/blog?

Find M.L. at her website where you can find links to her other social media. 

The Cupán of Flúirse 

Celtic Myst Trilogy, Book 1

Forged by the gods, the Cupán of Flúirse is born under the thunder of Taranis, fashioned with symbols of the elements to bring peace and abundance to the clans.

Element of the air, Amergin is a faithful protector and guardian. Through the years, he’s guided the other elements and reigned over times of peace, prosperity, and royal births.

However, the witch Mourdra, is plagued with jealousy over the clans. They hold dear all she desires…and has been denied. The fire dragon and Klenidalf, an evil wizard are tasked to do her bidding, to plunder the clans…and steal the Cupán of Flúirse.

Without the sacred chalice, Amergin is condemned to wander the Earth, those he’s vowed to protect out of his reach.

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--AN INTERVIEW WITH WEREWOLF LORI GRENVILLE

Today we’re joined by Lori Grenville from author P.J. MacLayne’s paranormal Free Wolves series.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

Helping rescue unhappy female shifters from packs was just an ordinary day for me. But I can't believe she got me involved with saving the life of an alpha. Alphas and I don't get along. They despise what I stand for. So to think that she got me to put up my life as security for an alpha is craziness.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

That I stand up for the ones that can't stand up for themselves, give hope to those that have lost all hope. Sounds saintly, doesn't it? But I'm no saint, and sometimes I resort to less than legal tactics to get the job done.

What do you like least about yourself?

I don’t like being short and having to look up at everyone. I mean, hanging out with these big male wolf shifters can give me a literal pain in the neck.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

When she had me crawling into the bed of the most powerful alpha in all of North America, that was pretty weird. Of course, it was strictly business, and I made that clear to him from the get-go. Not that he was interested in me. Not as a bed partner, anyway. Still, it was a risky move on her part because it could have gone badly.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

Yep. She tried to talk me into having romantic feelings for the wrong guy. I set her straight, of course. Not that I have time to have romantic feelings for any guy.

What is your greatest fear?

That my undercover status will be blown in the middle of a job. If that were to happen, I wouldn’t be the only one getting hurt.

What makes you happy?

Besides the obvious of completing a rescue? Going for a run in wolf form in an old forest. I’d have to dodge shrubs and young trees as I darted from one patch of sunshine to another. I could stop and drink water from a clear stream whenever I got thirsty.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

The bit about my mother. I still want to locate her. If I could rewrite that part, I’d find her among either the Jaeger or Destin pack females. It would make for a happy ending. Or happier, maybe.           

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Elder Jaeger. He’s no alpha. How the heck does he keep one of his betas from challenging him for pack leadership? He’s got to have some dirt on them and I wish I knew what it was. It might enable me to do some manipulation of my own. For the betterment of the pack, of course.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

Interesting question. Obvious answer would be Counselor Carlson, but I don’t think I could live with all the restrictions his position puts on him. What kind of life is it if you are surrounded by bodyguards all the time? I’ll say Elex Destin instead. He may have had a rough start in life, but he’s found what he loves to do and he’s good at it. And he won’t allow himself to be pressured to be something he isn’t.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

Born and raised among the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania, P.J. MacLayne still finds inspiration for her books in that landscape. She is a computer geek by day and a writer by night who currently lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. When she's not in front of a computer screen, she might be found exploring the back roads of the nearby national forests and parks. In addition to the Free Wolves’ stories, she is also the author of the Oak Grove series. Read more about her and her books at her blog.

And a Giveaway! In celebration of the release of Wolves' Gambit, one or more lucky people will win an e-book version of Wolves' Pawn, the first book of the series. You can enter here.  

What's next for you?

It's time for me to go into hiding for a while. Sit back, relax, recharge, wait for things to settle down. At least until I get chosen for another mission.

Wolves' Gambit

Wolf-shifter Lori Grenville was rescued from near-slavery and a brutal pack leader by the Free Wolves. To pay back the favor, she's dedicated her life to helping others in the same situation, leading shifters to safety and a new start, risking her life in the process. She's faced down alphas and has no qualms in undermining pack structure.

Now she's challenged with the task of restoring an alpha to his rightful place. If she gets it right, she can stop a war from ripping apart two packs and spreading across an entire state. If she fails, she'll be among the first to die.

There's still the option of walking away and letting the Jaeger and Destin packs destroy each other. That means she'll fail in her original mission of rescuing the daughter of the Jaeger alpha before the girl is forced into marriage for political gain.

Lori hasn't failed in a mission yet. This one may be the exception.

Although Wolves' Gambit is the third book in the Free Wolves series, each book can be read as a standalone.

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