As the author, how would you describe your books?
BLUE MOON, is a wonderful story about one woman's determination to do what's right, even if that means making difficult decisions. The road she needs to follow isn't always clear, and big, giant boulders keep getting in the way...
Mary Corbett loves the travel and variety her job as estate curator brings, and is pretty content with life in general. When she trades jobs with a friend who calls in his "marker", however, she stumbles into a journey that's unlike anything she's ever encountered.
From the moment she sets foot on an old, run-down Louisiana plantation, she recalls details about the house that only someone who actually lived in it would know. If that wasn't bad enough, she finds that her attraction to the other curator, Jack Windom, hasn't lessened since they last worked together. In fact, as they spend time together on the estate, she realizes she's falling in love with him. Unfortunately for her, he's already spoken for.
When she and Jack attend a Blue Moon Voodoo ceremony, she has a "clear-sighted vision" about the former owners, both of whom mysteriously disappeared over a hundred years ago. Even though she's never been "psychic", she continues to "see" bits and pieces of their lives. Shortly thereafter, the ghostly apparition of the former mistress, Magdalene Laroussard, appears to her and begs for help. When Magdalene continues to ask for help, Mary realizes what she has tried all along to deny -- that she is somehow tied to this house and to Jack. She makes up her mind to not only buy the run-down plantation and turn it into a bed and breakfast, but to also solve the mystery of what happened to Jean-Pierre and Magdalene Laroussard.
Her determination to find the key to their disappearance is fraught with danger, and her path and Jack's crosses that of some very real enemies. Although she doesn't realize it, her determination to perservence will help her succeed in solving the mystery of Magdalene's disappearance, but will also change the course of her life forever.
Breaking the Chain—Breaking The Chain is the sequel to Blue Moon. In Breaking The Chain, Mary and Jack continue their relationship while running a thriving Bed and Breakfast business at the restored plantation. Their idyllic world soons turns ugly when Sadie has visions of a "Brown Man" who's coming to the Plantation, and she and Justine return to help Mary battle the dangerous path ahead. When Sadie's prophetic visions become reality, and Mary and Jack must use their wits in order to survive.
Jingle of Coins—When Emily Sane moved to Vegas to make a fortune by cashing in on her unique ability to tell which slot machine was ready to pay off, she didn't anticipate being forced into an uneasy partnership with a security expert of dubious integrity, getting entangled in a Secret Service investigation, finding a dead neighbor on her doorstep, or having a contract put out on her life. Determined to see her plan through, she travels down a path that can only have two possible outcomes: winning more money that she ever thought possible...or death by a professional assassin's bullet!
Can you tell us the behind-the-scenes story about how your books came into being? What was the germ? How did the characters come to life? Is there a character who still lives inside of you?
Having grown up in New Orleans, Louisiana, I have been around plantations and voodoo for most of my life. I am a firm believer in "Old Souls", men and women who's bond of love is so strong, they find each other in every lifetime. There's no doubt in my mind that my husband and I are two "old souls" who have found each other. From the very first moment I saw my husband, I knew I would marry him. Strangely enough, he felt the same way. For each of us, there was no period of "getting to know each other's quirks" -- from the first moment, it was as if we'd been together all our lives and settled into a pattern of enjoying each other's company. Scary, but true.
I wanted to find a way to combine all of these aspects, and Blue Moon is the result. The characters took on a life of their own as I wrote and re-wrote the chapters, and throughout the rewrites, the story was fine-tuned until it evolved into the saga of Mary and Jack, Magdalene and Jean-Pierre.
There isn't a character, per say, who specifically lives inside me. Rather, I like to think that there's a little bit of me in each of my characters. Each person is a combination of many character traits, both good and bad, and their personality continually evolves with each new experience we encounter.
I love the sound of slot machines paying off! The bright lights, the glamor, and the thrill of winning a jackpot all led me to the creation of Jingle of Coins. The characters are a blend of the best and the worst personality traits of individuals I've either observed, listened to while taking walks or sitting in restaurants, or know on a personal basis.
Emily's my idea of a modern woman—witty, intelligent, funny, but still a romantic at heart. Like all my other female characters, she's self-reliant, which is a big part of what it means to be a woman in today's world. All women have the ability to reach down inside themselves for that core of steel. Sometimes it just takes an unusual situation to alert us to the knowledge that we possess it!
Writer Description: I've ALWAYS been a writer, even when I was in grammar school. I have a very set writing time, from nine at night until three or four in the morning. My house is quiet, my husband, dogs and cats are asleep, and I find that the silence lets my creative jucies flow! I do write during the day, but more often than not, I find myself moving to my computer at night, and typing page after page after page!
Can you tell us something about you as a writer, i.e. when you started writing, what's your creative process is like, what inspires you, etc.?
I've ALWAYS been a writer, even when I was in grammar school. I have a very set writing time, from nine at night until three or four in the morning. My house is quiet, my husband, dogs and cats are asleep, and I find that the silence lets my creative jucies flow! I do write during the day, but more often than not, I find myself moving to my computer at night, and typing page after page after page!
How do you keep a balance between family, work, and your writing?
It's tough, especially since I've returned to college on a full-time basis now that my only child has graduated from college. I am adamant about finding time to write. For me, writing is the itch that always has to be scratched. If I'm not writing, I fell like something's missing from my life! It's tough finding time to write, but I'd rather go without sleep than miss working on my latest novel!
Can you tell us something about you as a person?
There's Type A personality, then there's type AAAAAAAAA Personality! I fit into the latter category, and always have! I love watching people and listening to the conversations of others as I sit in a restaurant, park bench, etc. That's where the real wold is! I love people. They amaze, shock, and often surprise me, but they're never dull! My home life, on the other hand,is very quiet. I live with my wonderful, magnificient, brilliant, and talented husband of 29 years, two dogs and two cats. With four animals in the house, life is NEVER dull!
If you had a chance to be mentored by one author (living or dead), who would you choose and why?
I am very lucky to have the unique chance to be mentored by M. R. Henderson, who is one of the better suspense writers in the buisiness. She's helped me in immeasurable ways, always challenging me to stretch my writing ability, and to raise the bar another level. She's brilliant, talented, witty, and most of all, not afraid to pass on what she's learned to others. I thank God every day for the opportunity he's given me in having Marilyn help me develop my writing skills.
Despite the wisdom that says you can't take it with you, if you could take four things with you when you leave this world, what would they be?
1. My husband
2. My cat
3. My computer
4. And a library of e-books!
What is your view of epublishing? What opportunities does it provide for you and for other authors? What do you think is the future of epublishing?
Epublishing is absolutely wonderful! It gives writers the opportunity to showcase their talents in a medium that will (if it hasn't already) become the "bookstores of the future". Epublishing is a way to gain instant access to books, no matter what hour of the day or night, or what day of the week it is.
This doesn't mean that epublishers don't have the same stringent standards other publishers have. A writer still has to submit quality work in order to be published. And, like other publishers, epublishers pay royalties on books sold, offer standard contracts, etc.
I LOVE epublishers and epublishing!
What projects are you currently working on?
I will start my new novel in a couple of weeks. Like my other books, it will be a woman's suspense novel in which the heroine finds herself in an unexpected situation in which she must rely on her own common sense and intelligence to extricate herself from a potentially deadly situation.