Hi Angela! Welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews. Thank you for stopping by and chatting with us.
Your book, Soul of a Witch, was recently released by Wings ePress. Can you tell us a little about this story?

The hero and heroine of SOAW have appeared in some of the previous books as side characters. I felt they needed their story (and they felt so, too *g*).

Sinya is a space pirate who has taken care of his little brother, Wes, since he was born. But over time, Wes has showed an increasing sign of powers, which causes him to physically and emotionally manifest the hurts of other people around him. Finally it becomes too much, and he retreats into his subconscious, basically leaving his body in an almost coma-like state.

Desperate for an answer after Wes sips into a coma, Sinya turns to the only person left – Beulah the witch-woman, who is not all she appears. Sinya is drawn into a mystical world which he finds hard to understand, but he trusts Beulah, and goes where she leads.

But the danger isn’t over, for a dark mystic, who is on the search for his sister, discovers her hiding in Wes’s subconscious, but while she manages to escape, he seizes the boy’s soul for his own purposes, after a battle in the subconscious with Beulah.

Sinya and Beulah now have to travel the galaxy to find the dark mystic, and only one person can tell them where he is - The Overlord of the Outlaw Sector. On the way, they meet up with the Overlord’s own dark mystic, and with Fredrico, a pirate we met several times in other stories, and who is now treading deeper into the dark world of the Overlord.

The fight ends on the dark mystic’s world – and this is where Beulah turns into something she never suspected existed inside her – and Sinya is in danger of losing her to the supernatural.

And if I said anything else, I’d give it all away! LOL

Soul of a Witch is book eight of your Heart and Soul series. How would describe the overall concept behind this series?

Basically: Women strong enough to stand up for what they believe in, remain true to themselves, and make no excuses for who they are and where they come from.
And the men are strong enough to stand by their side against all and sundry.

More explanation *g*: It’s about women from different walks of life in the future/sci-fi universe. They really are who they are portrayed as – assassins, mercenaries, outlaws, peacekeepers, bounty hunters, witches, pirates, etc, with no excuses or apologies for who they are and what they do. If they are deemed blood-thirsty, then I want them to be as such. I believe readers should get what the book promises.

So I wanted heroines who were able to stand up for themselves, and if some of them weren’t strong in body, then they had to be very wily in mind *g*.

And unlike most ‘tortured’ heroes of today, my heroines are the ones that come from tortured backgrounds. It’s making the heroine the main feature, with the hero as her support and, sometimes, savior.

The heroes - I wanted my fantasy men *g*. Strong, determined, loving…but with real emotions and characteristics. They are not perfect. But they will stand beside the heroine against all and sundry, and never let her down.

I wanted heroines with inner and outer strength, and who are able to stand on their own feet regardless of what is thrown at them, and heroes strong enough to stand by her side and accept her for who she is, without trying to change her.

Creating a series of such magnitude seems to be a very daunting task. Did you originally set out to create a series this involved?

No! LOL I wrote Heart of an Outlaw, with not a thought to a series. But then I got interested in Reya, the heroine’s sister, and along came Soul of a Mercenary. Of course, their cousin Dana was good value, and so along came Heart of the Betrayed…it’s the fault of the side characters! They always pop up with interesting stories LOL

Do you find it difficult to keep your ideas fresh as the series builds?

Not so far. I guess because each heroine is so different. While the heroes, so far, have come from several different backgrounds, they are pretty stable. But the heroines are the ones who are so different. As I said, outlaws, pirates, peacekeepers, bounty hunters – their professions, be it legal or otherwise, make their characters so pliable. And the fact that I can make them as bloodthirsty, funny, outrageous, or sexy as I want, allows me scope to try new things.

So saying about the heroes coming from stable backgrounds, some of them now waiting for their stories are from more varied backgrounds. That’s what I love about this series – nothing is ‘set in concrete’, and the characters can be so varied!

What do you find the most appealing aspect of writing futuristic romances?

The scope of developing my own worlds and races, my own laws, and letting my imagination go where it will*g*. There are no limits.

Given the variety of the characters in your works, how does a character come to life for you?

Well, my characters come to life usually when I’m driving with music on, so they come to life at any time – on the way to work at night, going down the street for shopping…sometimes even in the shower! LOL I see a little scene play out in my mind, or just a picture of a character even standing doing nothing, but there. They become real to me.

Then I plot the story a little, to have a basic outline. I write to music the whole time, it inspires me, and helps me with the character’s emotions. I find that is sometimes write books to certain songs *g*.

I live the character while I write, and find myself laughing, grinning, frowning (even crying once) as they do.

To date, what has been the most rewarding aspect of your writing?

When a reader tells me how much they love my books. It’s the biggest buzz – and makes the times I write myself into a corner, (or swear because my characters won’t do as they’re told) worthwhile.

Since most of us only see the finished product, would you describe a day in your life as you bring an idea to fruition?

I’m driving along and pop! A figure pops into my head. She is usually in a scene of some kind, inspired again by the mood of the music. I’ll keep playing the scene in my mind, seeing where the mood takes me.

1. If I’m traveling long distance, I’ll stop and jot the idea down. If I’m just in town, as soon as I get home, I’ll jot it down.

2. The idea will stay with me for several days, maybe even weeks, and I’ll keep jotting information and ideas down as they come.

3. Now I need a reason for things to happen. I mull this over, but vague ideas have formed a little with my first scene.

4. I’ll jot notes onto paper, including characters, etc.

5. Once I’m ready to write the story, I’ll have a rough outline to keep me focused, and start with ch 1, pg 1.

6. Being a person who has to work in an organized environment, I have my plot outline hung up near the computer, music playing, and paper to continue to jot ideas as they come (but aren’t ready to write yet), new characters, keep track of my chapters and pages, note any changes from original outline, etc.

7. Then the writing is full steam ahead!

So I tend not to actually have a day of doing an idea only, it’ll come to me first with a scene, and in my imagination, I’ll enlarge upon it while driving, in the shower, etc. over several days or weeks. My best ideas come to me while driving with the music on – I don’t why!

What do you like to do when you need a respite from writing?

Read, watch some TV, go to the movies with friends, have a video night with friends – I’m a real wild child as you can see *guffaw*

The covers on your books are exceptional. How involved do you get to be with their design?

Completely involved! At Wings ePress, we actually work with our artist to design the cover we want. We submit our idea first, and then the artist brings it to life, maybe suggesting other things, etc, until finally we’re all happy. The author and artist are in constant contact with each other during the cover work. I’m lucky in that Richard Stroud, the artist for my covers, has a great imagination – and can put up with me *g*

Heart of a Traitor will be available December 2005 from Wings ePress. Can you give us a hint about this work?

Heart of a Traitor was a book completely different for me to write. It’s about Oriel, a career soldier and prized sniper, who is working on the outskirts of the Outlaw Sector. The military is her dream – but she turns traitor for one she cares about, gets caught, and is whipped and branded before being set loose for the outlaws to hunt.

Tough military justice *g*.

Jase, a Daamen trader, is drawn to her, and is a helpless witness to her shame of branding and whipping. Later, he and his Daamen crewmates stumble across her fighting for her life against outlaws.

But Oriel’s problems are far from over, for there are dark plots afoot, and she’s about to become neck-deep in treason once more…

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

Some readers say my books are getting better and hotter *g*. I would like to say that when I first started writing, I was a little worried about what people would think (namely friends and my Mother LOL). But as I progressed, I started to worry less (and not at all now LOL). The characters now live within me when I write their stories, and I become involved in their worlds. That’s how it should be.

Whether a book has a lot of sex scenes or not, depends totally on the story and characters. Some of the titles are definitely more ‘hotter’, such as the Loves titles, and yes, this is deliberate. These titles are more humorous and sexy, and they’re meant to be. The Heart & Soul titles are more serious, and the sex scenes aren’t so many – but again, that can always change *g*.

I value the opinions of the readers and reviewers, and I want to take the chance to thank again those who have taken the time to write to me. I’ve always ensured that I answer each and every letter, and I want you all to know how much I appreciate you.

And thank you to Fallen Angel reviews for interviewing me!

Thank you so much for stopping by Angela. Readers, feel free to stop by Angela’s site. She offers readers some wonderful excerpts from her work as well as many other additional links that are sure to appeal.

Interviewed by: Amanda