The Novel Lady Interviews Author Cynthia D'Alba

The Coastal Magic Convention, which will be held February 27 thru March 3rd, 2019, is once again being held in beautiful Daytona Beach, Florida.  As a Coastal Magic Featured Blogger, one of the best things for me is that I get the opportunity to interview some of my favorite authors.  I met Cynthia D'Alba last year at Coastal Magic and I must tell you that her sense of humor had me laughing until my cheeks hurt.  

Cynthia D'Alba is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.  When she's not reading or writing or plotting, she's doorman for her border collie, cook, housekeeper and chief bottle washer for her husband and slave to a noisy, messy parrot. She loves to chat online with friends and fans. 

In my imaginative interview, I'm sitting here on the deck at Cynthia's vine covered cottage in Arkansas (I wish), looking out at a 10,000 acre lake.  Oh my!  Isn't  this one of the most beautiful views ever!  Another sip of coffee... and let's get on with this!

Scherry:  Hi Cynthia!  I was so excited to hear that you will once again be at the Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona Beach in February as one of Coastal Magic’s Featured Authors.

Cynthia:  ME TOO!!

Scherry:  Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background? Your family?  Oh!  And tell us about your parrot!

Cynthia:  Oh man! That parrot! Panama. He thinks this entire interview should be about him. Panama is 40 years old, so he will probably live another 10-20 years (if I don’t make parrot pie before then!) He owns 4 different cages! He has two LARGE cages in our house, a travel cage when he goes on the road with us, and a large cage at our winter house in Florida. He’s spoiled rotten. Loves my husband and considers me the interloper since I’ve only been with my husband for 36 years. He doesn’t let me forget that he was here first.  

I was born and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where we live now. I have an older sister who is married with three grown children, all of whom are married. I have 2 great-nieces and 1 great-nephew. My parents are still living here too. I’ll tell their ages as long as no one tells Mom! Mom is 88. Dad is 89. They are doing pretty good. They still live in their house.

Scherry:  Shhh!  We'll keep your secret!

Cynthia:  My husband and I don’t have children, other than our four-legged furry kids! We have had a number of dogs over our married life. Currently we only have Maggie, the Border Collie (picture attached.) Maggie is seven years old and maybe the smartest dog we have ever owned.

Scherry:  Maggie is so sweet!  I've heard that Border Collies are really smart dogs.

I understand that you are leaving for a fantastic vacation in Alaska and won't be back until around the time this interview is posted on my blog.  I'm wondering if Alaska might inspire you to maybe write about a hunky lumberjack or some muscular guy living in the Alaskan wilderness.  That could be prettty cool, ya' know.  

Cynthia:  Even though I haven't been on the trip yet, YES, there will be book written about our trip. Lumberjack? Don’t know but I love the idea. I should probably do some of the writing while I’m there!

Scherry:  Cynthia, I have to admit that I love your characters.  The first book of yours that I read was CADILLAC COWBOY.  Such a fun read!  

But I think my favorite so far is TEXAS TWO STEP.  I fell in love with the characters Mitch Landry and Olivia Montgomery.  Do you have a favorite book or a favorite character you’ve created?

Cynthia:  I LOVE the Montgomery family. I was sad when I wrote TEXAS LULLABY (book 6.) At that time, all the KNOWN Montgomerys were in love, married, settled and having children. That made me sad.

BUT what do you know!! There was a falling out in the family years ago and a sister left home and never returned. AND she had three children. She told her children the truth about her background and family in Texas. AND what do you know? One of her sons MOVED to Whispering Springs, Texas to spy on the Montgomerys! So there will be three more Montgomery books.

Scherry:  That is great news for me!  I would love to read more about the Montgomerys!

Cynthia:  BUT I have three Navy SEAL books that I have to finish first. Hot SEAL, Cold Beer releases on Oct. 9. Hot SEAL, Black Coffee releases Oct. 23. IF I can get Million Dollar SEAL finished in time, I hope it will come out in October also.

Scherry:  We will definitely have to be on the look out for those books in October!  Have you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own life?

Cynthia:  NEVER real people. Really, I can’t think of any actual events I’ve used. I’ve used places I’ve been (like Montana for Hot SEAL, Black Coffee) but other than settings, no. Everything else is totally out of my head (which is kind of scary knowing all those people live there!)

Scherry:  Do you have any inspirational items on your desk or wherever you write?  Pictures, figurines, cowboy hats?

Cynthia:  My office is quite decorated with hats, books and western keepsakes. However, I write in my living room, so not really. However, I do like to have a scented candle burning when I’m writing.

Scherry:  Ever go on writing retreats with a few writing buddies?  If so, where would you go and who would you be with?

Cynthia:  YES!! I’m been on one this year (with Becca Jameson and Parker Kincade) back in April. I have one in July every year with Parker Kincade, Mandy Harbin, Elle James and Delilah Devlin. I love writing retreats. I can get so much done with the right people.

Scherry:  What’s the funniest typo you’ve ever written?

Cynthia:  Oh yeah.

What I meant to write was… He put her hands on the concrete balcony.
What I wrote was… He put her hands on the concrete baloney!

HAHA Totally two different things!

Scherry:  Glad you caught that one before it went to print!  Concrete baloney?  Ha!
How long did it take you to write your first book?  Did the second and third go more quickly or did they take longer?

Cynthia:  YEARS for book one, TEXAS TWO STEP. About 18 months for TEXAS TANGO. Now, it depends on when I need the book done. I write best to deadlines.

Scherry:  What do you do when you’re not writing?  Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

Cynthia:  Besides reading? I love to read, so I try to set aside time to read every day.
But I love embroidery. I have two machines. One is a single-needle embroidery/sewing machine. The other is a 10-needle embroidery machine.

One of the things I love to do is make personalize prizes for readers.

Scherry:  I've seen some of those personalized prizes and they are WONDERFUL!  Such unique gifts!

Scherry:  Cynthia, which writers inspire you?

Cynthia:  I write because of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Before I starting writing, I remember finishing one of her books, a huge grin on my face. I had enjoyed that book so much. I remember thinking…I’d love to be able to make other people feel like I do right now.
So that’s why I started writing.

Scherry:  Well, you certainly accomplished that with ME!  Every book I've read of yours has left me with a huge grin on my face!
Are there any nuggets of wisdom you can impart to aspiring writers?

Cynthia: 

1.       Write, write, write.

2.       Erase, erase, erase

3.       Rewrite, rewrite

4.       FIND AN EDITOR!!! So many newbie writers will give their work to friends to read. Friends will “love” it but that’s not what you need. You need a PROFESSIONAL eye to look at it. It is obvious who used a friend (or no one!) and who paid for a professional editor.

Scherry:  Great advice!
So, say you got arrested.  What’s the most likely reason the cops are carting you off to jail?  And who would be with you?

Cynthia:  I was!  HAHA 

When I was a senior in high school, we had a bonfire in the middle of nowhere. And OF COURSE you know there was beer. “EVERYONE” was there. By that, I mean cheerleaders, dance/drill team, football team starting line-up and so forth. All the cars had to park at the end of a deadend dirt road and WALK to the middle of the field for the party. When I was leaving (riding out in someone’s car who’d driven through the field), I remember seeing bouncing lights coming toward us. It was the Sheriff’s Department! Some woman called them because there were too many cars driving down her road!
SO the girls were tossed into the backseat of the deputy’s car and the boys were put in another.

One of the deputies was a newbie. The other was a long-timer. The long-timer was letting kids WHO HAD NOT BEEN DRINKING go. I hadn’t been, so he took me from his car. I jumped into my friend Vicki’s car and we left.

Later, we were at Burger Chef when the patrol cars went by stuffed with the other kids!

Nobody got “arrested.” They took the drunk kids to the main Sheriff’s Department and called the parents to come get them. THAT was their punishment! LOL

Besides, if you understand football in the south, we had the leading high school football team in Arkansas and nobody was going to mess with that!
I’m still hearing stories from those who were there about where they hid or how they got away.

Scherry:  Ah!  The memories of high school days!  It's a good thing social media wasn't around back then to record all of our little mishaps!  

What type of books do you enjoy in your downtime? 

Cynthia:  Romance, if I’m reading.  Almost ANY genre of romance!

Suspense, Thriller if I’m doing audiobooks. This to keep me from reading the ending first! LOL Yes. I’m THAT person!

Scherry:  Cynthia, thank you so much for joining us here at The Novel Lady!  What is next for you?  Do you have any scheduled upcoming book signings, releases or works in progress?

For 2018

Booksigning

Naughty in Nashville, Oct 6

New Releases for 2018

Hot SEAL, Cold Beer (Oct 9)

Hot SEAL, Black Coffee (Oct. 23)

Million Dollar SEAL ( Date TBD)

Re-Releases for 2018 – all dates are TBD

Cadillac Cowboy

Texas Ranger Rescue

Texas Marine Mayhem

Four signings in 2019

Coastal Magic in Daytona Beach, FL (March 2)

Book Obsessed Babes in St. Augustine, FL (March 9)

Signing with the Spirits in Eureka Springs, AR (March 30)

Readers and Rebels in West. Virginia (Nov. 2)

How can fans contact you/learn more about you?

Email: cynthiadalba@gmail.com

Website:  https://www.cynthiadalba.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.dalba

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CynthiaDAlba

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cynthia-d-alba

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/cynthiadalba

I will definitely be looking forward to seeing Cynthia D'Alba at #CMCon19 in February 2019 in Daytona Beach.  Join us there and you can meet Cynthia in person!

The Novel Lady Interviews Author Vivien Jackson

Hello Readers!  I’m here today with author Vivien Jackson! 

I have to tell you that I just finished reading WANTED AND WIRED, Book 1 of this series and I completely understand why it was selected as an Amazon Best Book of 2017 in the romance category and was named as one of the 2018 Romance Writers of America® RITA® Finalists in the Paranormal Romance category.  Such a great book!  You can find out more about this super Sci-Fi novel in my review.

Pour yourself another cup of coffee... or glass of wine, depending on what time of day you're reading this, and let's find out a bit about this amazing author!

Scherry:  Hi Vivien!  I was so excited to hear that you will be at the Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona Beach in February as one of Coastal Magic’s Featured Authors.

    

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background? Your family?  Any pets?

Vivien:  I’m a big ol’ geek in a family full of ‘em. One of our favorite things to do together is play games – board games, video games, tabletop RPGs, the works. We went to PAX South a few years ago, and whoa! Like Christmas. Folks who’ve played Shadowrun will definitely find echoes in Wanted and Wired. 

We also have two permanent small furries – Chihuahuas Lily and Tahiti – and a couple of frequent canine and feline guests at Casa Jackson. Here are my two weirdos.

Scherry:  Ohmigosh! Lily and Tahiti are adorable!  Just look at those little faces! 

Are you originally from Austin, Texas?  What brought you there?

Vivien:  I’m originally from Houston, but when I went to Austin for college I sort of … stayed there. I hear lots of people do, there’s no shame in it. Austin is a pretty groovy town.

Scherry:  How do you balance home life and your life as a writer?

Vivien:  Well, that is the trick, isn’t it? I still haven’t figured that out. Most of my writing is  jammed into kids-out-of-the-house time, which happens on the regular during school but is something of a premium in summer. I’m not getting much done right now!

Scherry:  WANTED AND WIRED was quite intense and action-packed.  How did you come up with that story line?  And those characters?

Vivien:  I love how it turned into a hair-on-fire wild ride, but it sure didn’t start that way. I have a degree in literature, so I set out to write a near-future cautionary dystopia about bigotry. (Yawn.) But I couldn’t maintain my serious very long, apparently, and then the hot-sex happened and oh look a cat and … the story got out of hand. Also, it’s my first novel, so I was figuring out what I was doing as we went along. I guess you could say it evolved.

Scherry:  I was surprised when I discovered this was your debut novel.  It seemed much more like it was written by a seasoned writer.  Great job!  What did you edit out of this book?

Vivien:  I had originally wanted to do an ongoing series about the adventures of Mari and Heron and their adorable little sexy group of bandits, but when we decided to restructure the series so that each book would feature a new couple and their HEA, I had to rework the ending of Wanted and Wired and completely ditch the epilogue and the half-drafted next book. At first I mourned a little for what almost was, but then I got to know Kellen and Angela a little better and now am so happy they got their own book in PERFECT GRAVITY.

Scherry:  Do you have any inspirational items on your desk or wherever you write?  Pictures, figurines, guns, robotics?

Vivien:  I write whenever and wherever I can snatch a moment of privacy, so… not really? When I’m feeling low, I have a digital collage of encouraging feedback emails and awards and stuff, and I’ll put that on my computer as its wallpaper to remind myself that I don’t suck at this.

Scherry:  You definitely do not suck at this!  Ever go on writing retreats with a few writing buddies?  If so, where would you go and who would you be with?

Vivien:  I’ve gone on several retreats with my local Austin RWA chapter, but I have to confess those are mostly social events for me. I’m a private writer. I like to closet myself away from the rest of the world and completely subsume reality into the fiction. That’s my happy, productive place.

Scherry:  If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?

Vivien:  A co-worker once took a three-month vacation in a remote village in northern Scotland. I remember thinking that sounded sort of like heaven.

Scherry:  What’s the funniest typo you’ve ever written?

Vivien:  I wish I could remember, because I’m sure there have been howlers, but my internal sense of shame has edited those out of my brain.

Scherry:  What is your favorite word, and why?

Vivien:  Forever, because it’s implicitly laden with so much joy and so much heartache. It’s a million questions and what-ifs in a single word.

Scherry:  How long did it take you to write your first book?  Did the second go more quickly or did it take longer?

Vivien:  Wanted and Wired took… four years? Five? Even though the initial draft went swiftly, I was pecking at it for a looooong time as I learned how to be a writer. But when we signed the contract with a publisher, I promised to turn over the next two books in the series within a year, and I hadn’t started either of them. Perfect Gravity was on time, and I was three weeks late with the second (the third book in the series, Chloe’s book). That year was amazing and exhausting and magic and I will never do that to myself or my family again.

Scherry:  What do you do when you’re not writing?  Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

Vivien:  No guilt! I play a lot of games. Like, a lot. My favorites are the single-player story-driven RPG videogames, like Dragon Age and Fallout. I have a secret strategy for kicking ass at the board game Settlers of Catan (not telling!), and I once won a prize for role-playing a vampire at a con. Every week, the hubs and I log on and play an MMORPG with friends who’ve been playing with us since World of Warcraft was in beta. So, yes, games. And I read and write fanfic, of course.

Scherry:  Which writers inspire you?

Vivien:  Mary Balogh’s Regencies made me want to write romance. John Keats’s hand-written manuscripts convinced me that revision isn’t a sign of weakness or lack of talent. Sherry Thomas’s historicals taught me that romances can be complicated and layered. Gabriel Garcia Marquez inspired me to play with linear structure and magic. Haruki Murakami showed me the beauty within the bizarre. J. R. R. Tolkien planted beauty and pathos in my brain. Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash and The Diamond Age made me want to write a story not just about taking over the world but about a female character leading the way.

Scherry:  What are the upsides and downsides of being an author?

Vivien:  The upside is I get to tell stories. The downside is I have to sell them.

Scherry:  What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as an author?

Vivien:  This last spring, I was pretty low, pretty sure I didn’t belong here in authorland. And then I got a phone call informing me that my debut novel was a Romance Writers of America RITA finalist. Talk about validation. I cried for most of that day. It was just so overwhelming, the notion that my peers had read my book and thought I’d done an okay job.

Scherry:  Are there any nuggets of wisdom you can impart to aspiring writers?

Vivien:  Don’t make your goals so big and so beyond your control that you’re constantly dealing with a sense of failure. Make smaller, achievable goals. And really, in this business, the only goal you have complete control over is finishing the book. So write books. Lots of them. That’s where the magic is.

Scherry:  So, say you got arrested.  What’s the most likely reason the cops are carting you off to jail?  And who would be with you?

Vivien:  Whatever shenanigans we got up to, my amazing critique partners would ensure we would never be caught.

Scherry:  Great answer!  Tell us about your most embarrassing bookish experience.

Vivien:  Every time I send a pitch or a draft out to another person to view is the most embarrassing moment for me. It never gets easier to share.

Scherry:  What type of books do you enjoy in your downtime? 

Vivien:  I love science fiction romance and paranormal romance, but when I’m writing I have to read elsewhere. My brain just needs that outside-the-genre input. I read a lot of popular science books, thrillers, historical romance, nonfiction history, and science fiction.

Scherry:  What are some great books you’ve read recently?

Vivien:  Eep! Well, I judged for the RITA and PRISM contests (not in my own category!), so I’ve read some pretty incredible books … that I can’t talk about. Just check out the finalists for those contests; you’ll find some goodies.

Scherry:  Who are some of your favorite authors?

Vivien:  I don’t have a whole lot of auto-buy writers, but these guys get my click-finger working every time: Sherry Thomas, Darynda Jones, John Scalzi, Brandon Sanderson, Haruki Murakami, Jodi Picoult, Beverly Jenkins, Michio Kaku, Dean Koontz, Rebecca Royce, Kit Rocha, Farrah Rochon. Erm, the list goes on. So maybe it is a whole lot. lol

Scherry:  What is next for you?  Do you have any scheduled upcoming book signings, releases or works in progress?

Vivien:  I will be hosting a table at the Buns & Roses literacy event in Dallas in October, and then next February/March I’ll be at Coastal Magic in Daytona Beach (my first time! I’m so looking forward to this! I have reason to believe that Coastal Magic is my people).

In terms of releases, the third and book in my Wanted and Wired series is complete and ready to go, but I will be self-publishing it and have no idea what I’m doing! So, I guess you can look for that as soon as I can educate myself on how to do this indie thing and get contractors lined up. Also, she needs a title. *gulp*

Scherry:  So, if you are a fan in the Dallas area, be sure to find Vivien at Buns & Roses.  And definitely come to see her in Daytona Beach at Coastal Magic 2019.  

Vivien, thank you for being with us here at The Novel Lady.  I am looking forward to seeing you at Coastal Magic in February!  

Hey Readers!  If you want to learn more about Vivien Jackson or want to contact her, here's where to find her!

Email: jacksonvivien@gmail.com

Website: http://www.vivienjackson.com

Facebook: I have a reader group! Viv’s Vortex of Readers and Space Vodka: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2193046674256564/

Twitter: @Vivien_Jackson

#CMCon19, #VivienJackson, #Wanted&Wired

The Novel Lady Interviews Author Nancy Northcott

Okay, this is it!  Next month, at Coastal Magic in glorious Daytona Beach, we get to meet these fantastic authors I’ve been interviewing!  In person!!  I’m so excited!  And to top things off, I have none other than the highly talented author, Nancy Northcott, here to talk to us today!

Nancy is the award-winning author of The Deathbrew Affair, and numerous other paranormal, romance, sci-fi and fantasy novels, including The Boar King’s Honor trilogy, The Light Mages series (pausing briefly to catch my breath and check my heart beat, trying to take my eyes off these book covers), Outcast Station, Capital Danger, The Lethal Webs series, and so much more! And I understand she has some new releases coming out soon!

So…. without further ado, let's get to it…

Scherry:  Hi Everyone!  I’m here with one of our favorite authors, Nancy Northcott.  Nancy, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed on The Novel Lady. We're thrilled you're here to talk to us.

Nancy:  Thanks, Scherry!  I’m delighted to be here.

Scherry:  One of the things I hear over and over again is that you are right on with historical accuracy in your books. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what drove you to study history and travel so much to Britain?

Nancy:  I’m really glad to know people are saying that.  I try very hard to get everything right.  I think a writer who depicts a particular historical era is obligated to present it as accurately as possible.

I’ve always enjoyed history and historical fiction.  When I was in second grade, I saw the (highly fictionalized, though I didn’t realize it at the time) story of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, When Knighthood Was in Flower, on The Wonderful World of Disney.  About that time, I also discovered the Arthurian legends.  I was completely hooked.

I majored in history in college, with British History as one of my three required sequences.  Although my parents were by no means wealthy, they gave me a summer studying at the University of Oxford in a program my college offered.  I know they scrimped to do it, and I’ve always been grateful. We studied the history and literature of Tudor and Stuart England that summer, with lectures from Oxford dons (professors) during the week and weekends free for travel.

It was a very special summer for me. My memories of hanging out in Oxford with my friends and of traveling around the country in groups are like a tapestry embroidered in green and gold. It was everything I’d hoped for, and it pretty much sealed my fate with regard to being an Anglophile. 

The photo was taken a couple of years ago, when my husband participated in a conference at Oxford and I revisited old haunts.  Behind me is the Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Library.  My friends and I spent a lot of time studying in that building.

When I was in grad school, a friend gave me Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time, which focuses on the controversy surrounding Richard III.  I love a good mystery, and the question of his character snared me immediately. I come down on the side of those who feel he got a raw deal in history, primarily because of Shakespeare—who was a dramatist, not a historian.  I read a lot, mostly on the pro-Richard side since the anti-Ricardians have dominated the scene for 500 years, which leads me to feel they don’t need my money.  Anyway, my husband calls that interest an obsession, and he has a point. 

My interest in Richard III directly inspired The Herald of Day and its siblings in the Boar King’s Honor Trilogy (so named because Richard III used a white boar as his emblem). I was fortunate to visit Middleham Castle, which was his home for about a decade while he administered the north of England for his brother Edward IV. Here’s a photo of the castle.

Scherry:  Tell us a little more about your home life.  I understand that you currently live in North Carolina.  Is that correct?

Nancy:  Yes. I’m a Tar Heel born and bred. I’m married with one grown son and a bossy dog.  Bossy dogs have been a constant in our married life.  We tend to adopt older dogs, usually from rescue groups or shelters, and it doesn’t take them long to realize we can be manipulated.  Needless to say, they’re quick to take advantage.

My husband and I are both readers, so a highlight of any trip for us is discovering a bookstore.  Especially if it has old, out-of-print children’s books or nonfiction. Now that our son is grown, we like to travel when we can and the budget permits, though I have more time for it than he does.  We also like to go to movies.  When I’m not writing, I read.  He likes to putter in the yard.

Our son lives not too far from us. He comes over to be fed—and to allow the dog to boss him—from time to time.  We always enjoy having him turn up.

Scherry:  Some authors have favorite characters from their books, or characters they love to hate. Do you have any favorites or not so favorites? Which of your characters would you like to hang out with?

Nancy:  All my villains would be not-favorites. I don’t really have any favorites among the good guy squad. The character who’s closest to me is probably Will Davis, a recurring character in the Light Mage Wars series and the hero of Warrior. I gave Will a lot of my geeky interests. 

As for hanging out with any of them, I don’t think I would. They’re always running into potentially deadly trouble!

Scherry:  I understand that you may have a new release coming out soon.  Care to share some info about that with us?  Perhaps a sneak peak, hint or teaser of what’s to come?

Nancy: I’m hoping to have the next Light Mage Wars book, Nemesis (Tasha and Carter’s story) out by Coastal Magic, though that’s going to be cutting it close.  It may be early March instead.

Tasha and Carter served in the US Navy Seabees, the navy’s engineering arm, together.  An instant, mutual attraction flared between them, but Carter was her CO. Fraternization regs kept them apart.

The Seabees are often deployed for disaster relief in other countries.  During one such deployment, Tasha did something she shouldn’t have, and it caused serious problems with the local political bosses.  Her motives were good, but she hadn’t thought the ramifications through.  Carter, as her CO, discovered what she’d done and was duty-bound to bust her.  Obviously, they didn’t part on good terms.

Years later, Carter took a job as a deputy shire reeve (mage law enforcement officer) in south Georgia.  He had no idea Tasha lived in the area, nor did she know he’d moved there.  They met again when Tasha’s friend Will was on an archaeological excavation that was threatened by the mages’ deadly enemies, the ghouls, and Carter was assigned as protection.  He walked into Will’s HQ, and this happened:

Heading to the door, Will told Griff, “Carter has news.”

Will opened the door, and the tall deputy reeve stepped in. Although raindrops glistened on his combat boots, his close-cut, chestnut hair was dry. He must’ve magically shielded himself from the rain.

“Days like this,” Carter said, his gray eyes gleaming with humor, “I wish I were a weather mage.”

“I wish you were, too,” Will replied as Carter and Griff exchanged handshakes and heys by way of greeting each other. “You want a cup of coffee before you tell us the news?”

“Coffee’d be great.”

They all started for the kitchen as Val, Tasha, and Audra emerged, Val carrying a plate stacked with brownies.

About to ask Carter a question, Will happened to be looking at him. The expression on the deputy’s face went from shocked to delighted to wary to bland in a heartbeat.

What the—? Tracking Carter’s gaze, Will found it locked on Tasha, who’d gone pale and wide-eyed. Bright spots of red suddenly bloomed on her cheekbones.

Carter set his hands on his hips. “Hey, Red.” His easy tone belied the intent look in his eyes. “Good to see you again.”

“That’s Murdock to you, mister.” Despite the whipcrack in Tasha’s voice, it was higher than normal, and she was minutely trembling.

Will had never seen Tasha rattled, and he would bet Griff and Val hadn’t either. Val moved a half-step closer to Tasha, into her space. A clear move of support.

“What are you doing here?” Tasha demanded, glaring at Carter.

His expression hardened. “My job.”

The answer made her eyes flash, as though the words had some significance. Will eased between them on

Carter’s left at the same time Griff was stepping forward on the right.

“Do we have a problem?” Will asked, glancing from Carter to Tasha.

“I don’t,” she snapped.

Carter shrugged. “No problem here.”

Yeah. And the Easter Bunny ate steak for breakfast.

So that’s their reunion. The first chapter of Nemesis is on my website.

Scherry:  Wow!  I can’t wait to read it!  Do you have any plans yet for any other future works? If so, can you share any information?

Nancy:  Thanks!  I do have plans for other books this year.  The challenge in writing multiple series is keeping them going, so my goal for this year is to feed each series.

Nemesis is the only Light Mages novel slated for this year, but I’ll have a Christmas short story  in that series.

The Boar King’s Honor books are a trilogy.  I’d like to wrap that up so I can focus on other things next year. I’m reading about Regency England and Waterloo as background for Book 2, The Steel Rose.  Then I’ll be looking at England during the summer of 1940, just after Dunkirk, for the final book, The King’s Champion.

I launched my Lethal Webs romantic spy adventure series this past September with The Deathbrew Affair. The second book in the series, The Runway Murder Affair, is slated for release in late April, and I’ll write the novel after it, The Deadly Cargo Affair, for the fall. Those are set in roughly present-day London and Yorkshire.

Jeanne Adams and I will follow up our Welcome to Outcast Station space opera anthology with Christmas on Outcast Station, again including a novella from each of us.  If I can, I’ll also have a couple of other Christmas novellas. 

I say if because this schedule is very ambitious for me and meeting it pretty much depends on life being normal all year.  As we all know, that has a way of not happening.

Scherry:  Looks like we have a lot to look forward to! Nancy, everyone seems to have a publishing story. Would you be willing to share yours? What made you decide to take the leap?

Nancy:  I’ve read superhero comic books since grade school. I particularly loved the Legion of Superheroes, a group of teenagers fighting interplanetary crime in the 30^th (now 31^st) century.  A friend introduced me to Legion fandom. People were writing fan fiction, so I tried my hand at it.  I didn’t put it on any public forum, but I showed it to a few people. They seemed to like what I’d done and encouraged me to write something original.

I also love fairy tales and, as noted, Arthurian legends, so it was no surprise that my first two manuscripts were fantasy. They’re tucked under the bed, and they’re going to stay there.  I still love the stories, but the execution was definitely at a beginner’s level. If I ever revisit those books, I’ll open a clean file and start over.

The Light Mages are my version of superheroes. 

Scherry:  Most writers have some unusual quirks. What's yours?

Nancy: I’m prone to what my husband calls serial obsessions.  I get interested in something, and then I read everything I can find about it, including whatever websites Google turns up, until my curiosity is satisfied.  Then I find something else that captures my interest, and we repeat the cycle.

And of course there are some people who would say a grown woman who reads comic books is quirky.  To me, though, with friends active in fandom, that’s just normal.

Scherry:  What's the strangest thing you've ever researched for one of your books?

Nancy:  Probably the oddest thing was for The Herald of Day. The story is set in London in 1676.  Near the end of it, the heroes are in a running, magical battle from Whitehall Palace down to Westminster Abbey. They take sanctuary in the Abbey.  The problem I ran into was that I knew there’d been a wall encompassing both the Palace of Westminster and the Abbey as late as the Tudor era.  It was on maps from that period, but not ones from the later 17^th century. So when did it come down? Were the characters going to have to blast through that wall magically?

I tried for a couple of months, even consulting a medievalist, to find out when that wall came down.  I had no luck. Finally, I took my best guess and didn’t put it there.

Scherry:  Nancy, do you have any advice for new writers?

Nancy: Persevere.  The odds are never stacked in an author’s favor.  Perseverance in putting words on the page, in learning the craft, and in learning the market are essential.

Scherry:  Can you tell us some of your favorite books or authors who inspired you?

Nancy:  As I said above, superhero comics spurred my imagination, so I’d pick Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. They created Superman, from whom all other superheroes sprang.  The Legion’s adventures drew me into science fiction.

I was a huge Nancy Drew fan, but the author listed on her books, Carolyn Keene, didn’t really exist.  That’s a house name. Most of her adventures were written by Margaret Wirt Benson or Harriet Stratemeyer Adams.  For shorthand purposes, let’s just say Carolyn Keene. (Melanie Rehak’s Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her is a great look at the subject).

When I was growing up, we had historical romances that belonged to my grandother. They’re tame by today’s standards, but I loved those of Inglis Fletcher, which are set in North Carolina and span the state’s history from the Lost Colony to the adoption of the US Constitution. In high school, I discovered Georgette Heyer and Regency England and fell in love again.

I have eclectic interests, so I guess it makes sense that I became an eclectic writer.

Scherry:  Nancy, thank you so much for chatting with us.  I’m looking forward to reading more of your books… AND I’m looking forward to seeing you in Daytona Beach in February 2018 for the Coastal Magic Convention.

Nancy: I’m looking forward to that, too, Scherry.  Thanks for having me!

If you would like to meet Nancy Northcott in person, stop by the Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona Beach in February 2018.  Nancy is one of our favorite Featured Authors.  For more information about #CMCon2018, check out the web site at  www.coastalmagicconvention.com.

Nancy Northcott’s childhood ambition was to grow up and become Wonder Woman.  Around fourth grade, she realized it was too late to acquire Amazon genes, but she still loved comic books, science fiction, fantasy and YA romance.  A sucker for fast action and wrenching emotion, Nancy combines the action and high stakes (and sometimes the magic and romance) she loves in the books she writes.

Reviewers have described her books as melding fantasy, romance, and suspense. Library Journal gave her debut novel, Renegade, a starred review, calling it “genre fiction at its best.”

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website | Twitter | Facebook |

Here are some of Nancy's recent releases.  Check out her website for more.