Welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews Ms. Forte. It is great to have you here. We appreciate the chance to speak with you.

Thanks so much, Amanda. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Your latest release, A Taste of Honey is the fourth book in your Oberon Series. Can you tell readers a little about this series and this book in particular?

Well, the initial inspiration for the series was a local café and the great group of women with whom I used to meet for breakfast. I thought Oberon was going to be a series of ‘cozy mysteries’ until I started writing the first book. I realized pretty quickly that I found the romance element much more appealing to explore than the mystery. I guess you could say I chose sex over violence. ;-)

A Taste of Honey was originally the third story in the series, but in an effort to keep things in chronological order, it was bumped back to fourth. I can tell you, this did not make my characters happy. They used to wake me up in the middle of the night demanding that I tell their story NOW.

The story deals with the relationship between Lucy and Dan Cavanaugh. In this book they’re finally able to resolve a problem that first came to light in Book Two—hence their impatience with me—they had to wait a long time for their HEA. Not quite as long as Scout and Nick did, of course, but long enough.

Having read Sound of A Voice That is Still, I have had the chance to experience your diverse characters and plots. Where did the idea for such an expansive series come from?

To be honest, it kind of surprises me, too. I’m still amazed by the way in which some of the plots and story lines fit together. As I said earlier, I started out writing about a group of women who were all friends, or related to each other in some way. I knew I wanted to tell each of their stories, the rest of it just kind of grew from there.

How do you keep all the characters and history of the series straight as you continue to build on the previous books?

Oh, they do that for me. Seriously, each of the characters are so distinct in my mind, I couldn’t mix them up if I tried. Even the twins have very different personalities. And it’s such a character driven series, that it really seems at times that what happens within the stories is what had to have happened, given the personalities involved.

I do keep notes on some things—mostly ages and dates—just to make sure I don’t contradict myself. Even so, I did manage to accidentally change the ages of two of my younger characters in one of the books. My sister in law pointed that out to me, after the book was released. Unfortunately, no one else caught it before then.

I also plot things out ahead of time, I think that has to help.

Within the Oberon Series, do you have a particular character that is your favorite? If so, what makes this character stand out?

Ack! That’s like being asked to pick between your children. I think I’m serially monogamous when it comes to my characters, whichever one I’m writing about, that’s my favorite. But, I have to say that Lucy and Dan will probably always hold a special place in my heart. Dan taught me so much about writing. Getting his POV nailed was a major accomplishment for me. Also, his character really started out as nothing more than a plot device. I had three women I was writing about in Scent of the Roses (AKA Book One). One was divorced, one had never been married, so, by default, Lucy needed to have a husband. But, from his very first scene, it was clear that Dan was not going to be content with a minor role. I’m always a little surprised that not everyone sees him as an Alpha—because he so is one.

It takes a strong man to stand up to Lucy. She’s got such a feisty, indomitable spirit, that it’s taken a few of my readers a while to warm up to her—some never do. But she’s also endlessly loyal and surprisingly vulnerable. I probably love her almost as much as Dan does.

What do you find the most compelling aspect of writing?

Probably the way life mirrors art. It’s kind of frightening, sometimes, but exhilarating, as well. Also the characters themselves, they’re definitely compelling. And, I guess, just the opportunity to create a little corner of reality and share it with people; I feel very fortunate to be able to do that.

When you are not writing, how else do you spend your time?

Moving (five times in four years), looking for work, home schooling my daughter, neglecting my poor, long-suffering husband (well, that’s his opinion, anyway ) doctoring my skateboarding son when he injures himself…sheesh, no wonder I spend so much time retreating into my fictional world.

Do you have a particular author or genre of books you like to read?

Back in the good old days, I used to be really eclectic in my tastes. Lately, I’ve been more pressed for time and I’ve also become friends with so many wonderful authors. Since I’ve had to limit myself, I tend to focus on books by people I like. (It’s very Lucy-like solution to the problem, I think)

Do you find it difficult to keep your ideas and energy fresh when writing books in a series?

I think it is one of the challenges. The books follow a certain pattern, so I really have to work at making them fit with one another without becoming repetitious. I do love the town and the characters, however, so that keeps me going.

What else would you like to accomplish with your writing?

Well, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings any if I could make enough money from writing to support my habit. ;-) Actually, a lot of people have commented that they could see Oberon as a movie or a mini-series. I think it might be fun to attempt a screenplay—especially since my husband is a film maker.

Will there be any additional books in the Oberon Series?

Yep. I’d originally planned to write nine books, and that’s what I’ve been contracted for. I’m hoping they’ll all be released by the end of 2006. I don’t have dates yet, but my publisher is planning to release books five and six by the end of this year. Book six is kind of a Christmas story, so it would make sense to get it out by then.

However, once I had the ninth book plotted out, I realized that there were going to be a few loose ends that still needed tying. So, I’ve decided to add a series of four novellas to the pile. Each of these shorter stories will feature characters from Oberon, but they’ll all have different settings--Hawaii, a cruise ship, Canyon De Chelly, and I’m not sure about the last one, yet.

Are you currently working on any other projects?

I’ve just completed writing book eight. That’s been something of a challenge in that it’s the darkest book to date, and definitely the longest. But it wraps up several major story lines, so it kind of had to be that way. I plan to take a little break from the series—no more than a couple of months, I hope. I have a very short erotic romance that’s all plotted and begging to be written, and I want to get that out before I get too embroiled in book nine.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I’d like to mention my newsletter, The Oberon Chronicle (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Oberon_Chronicle/) which offers news and events in Oberon, along with excerpts, interviews, and updates. Subscribers can also download a free pdf file of my novella, Such Fleeting Pleasures, in which I’ve taken some of the flashbacks from A Taste of Honey, along a few original scenes, to tell the story of Lucy and Dan’s first few weeks together.

Thank you for joining us Ms. Forte. It has been a pleasure learning more about the Oberon series. Readers if you are looking for a series that offers something for everyone, pick up a book from this compelling series.

Thanks again, Amanda. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about my work.

Interviewed by: Amanda