Francis : Where were you born/where did you grow up, did you have an easy childhood? I was born and raised on a small family farm near Eugene, Oregon.I grew up outside, observing the natural world. I remember squinting at grass and ants when I was about five years old, with this magnifying glass my mom bought me from a science kit, wondering at how amazing it all was! And that wonder has never left me. Because we lived so far out, I only socialized at school. When I was home, my sister and I would roam across our pastures for hours, making up grand adventures.We use to make up this one, that we were “doggie-warriors”, and that this wheelless, abandoned cart in the back pasture over a stream was our ship, and we battled pirates! I was a fantasy writer even then, and I had no idea!;-)
Francis :Give some background information about yourself, are you generally an optimistic person or pessimistic?Generally optimistic. I have a faith in life that goes beyond this world we see. Not religious, I was raised in no church, only the vast cathedral of awe that everything here is amazing. Even when I get down, which happens, I let myself feel it, recognize it, then move through it and get back up. It used to be more difficult, through my teens and twenties, because I saw a world of pain around me. Now I know that pain is a choice. If something goes wrong, do you say, “Well... on to my next great adventure!” Or do you let it ruin you? Your choice, really.
Francis: Tell us your latest news, what are your current projects? So many!! As an independent author, my projects are my choice. I can bring each and every one of my creations to readers who want something out of the norm, and I value that. That being said, I love to explore the wide territory of writing!
I have another romance coming up, tentatively called Adia and Delio, about a strong-headed young woman raised by her father. It's set in a Florentine atmosphere, the same world as the Three Days of Oblenite novels. She's being forced to court for marriage, and enters into a pact with a wildly outrageous duke's son to court each other and both avoid being married as long as possible. It's funny, tender, and poignant, and quite a bit sexy! I mean, it's Italy...!
Then I have my baby, an epic fantasy series called the Kingsmen Chronicles. The first book is titled Blackmark, soon coming to preorder on Smashwords in the next few months. Probably four books at this point, it features four jaded fighters who are trying to discover how their kin, the King's elite warriors, disappeared ten years prior. The web of deceit runs deep, and this story is already brutal. Characters die (sorry!), people get heinously wronged, the bad guys are not always bad, and you don't always like those who are just.
And then I have a fantasy-western entitled Scythe, about a jaded gunslinging whore and the devil from another world who ruins her town. The two launch into an uneasy truce to both pursue their individual vendettas, like Bonnie and Clyde. And then there's a dystopian steampunk sci-fi, about a bitchy mechanic and a cold assassin trying to protect a reclusive engineer who is building a machine to re-generate their world. And more!
Francis: When and when did you begin writing? How does your present day work compare to what you wrote then? I began writing three years ago. Before that, my career was science and medicine, though I used to use my creative side singing opera and as a professional bellydancer. I have always had very epic, movie-style dreams, and my husband kept encouraging me to write them down. I think he got tired of hearing them every morning at the breakfast table. So I picked one, started writing, and after a few days had 50 pages! That work has since turned into a 3-part fantasy epic called The Key of Fire series. But as my first work, it was quite stream-of-consciousness dream-vivid. It has needed repeated editing! But I learned much through the process of editing my work over and over again, comparing what I wrote to my favorite authors, adjusting, keeping at it... I feel I got quite an education, and it has helped streamline my current work. Every now and then, I go back to that series and edit, comparing it to my new work, seeing where my trouble spots still are. You'll see it someday... ;-)
Francis : What genre do you consider books to be? Have you ever thought of writing in another genre, for example if you wrote a Children’s book, how would it turn out? My genre is primarily fantasy of a dark and sensual nature. The first trilogy I released, Three Days of Oblenite, was technically dark fantasy, though it has a lot of romance. I'm not afraid of sex and passion, even in my high fantasy, and I'm not afraid of dark situations in my romance. It's ultimately about the depth of the story, and the emotionality of the characters. Oh my god! If I wrote a kids' book... ;-) It might turn out something like “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”! Or true Grimm's fairy tales. “Well, kids, Goldilocks had it coming! She was a thief, and she got caught. Thieves get their hands chopped off...”
Francis: Have you ever been flattered by a comparison to a well-known author or by a review? Absolutely! My reviewers have been so kind! It makes me tear up when I read some of the things they write. My writing has been compared to Tennessee Williams, Stephen King, Anne Rice, and even Virginia Woolf! But when I get a review that essentially says, “needs work”, I pay attention. These reviews are so valuable to me, because they point out where I have yet to reach my full potential. And then I work on those areas, and bring something better to the table next time.
Francis: What inspired you to write your first book? Well technically, Breath, the first book I released, was not even close to my first! But since I already talked about The Key of Fire series, I'll talk about the Three Days of Oblenite series, Breath, Tears, and Blood. As always, they started with a dream. The first scene in Breath was that dream, Gryffine moving through the heady festival of Rollows. It was very New Orleans Mardi-Gras, even though I've never been. I started there, working with dark and religious or anti-religious imagery, wrought iron, and creepy old mansions. And it birthed a series!
Francis : Do you have a trademark writing style, what makes your work recognizable? Yes. My imagery is very vivid and I'm told I use the 5 senses well, putting readers emotionally into the “feel” of the world, and also into the inner conflicts of my characters. My writing is palpable and sensual, with a “telling the story around the fire” essence, like dark European fairytales or some of Stephen King's fantasy work. But I use graphic language, curse-words, and whatever I need to, to get the characters right. Tender readers may find my work offensive and graphic or harsh. But I don't write the easy story to read in your book club. My stories are going to rip your heart out, and serve it back to you in triumph and tears. Because ultimately, life is about feeling something. And that satisfied sigh at the end, after the entire gamut of emotions has run through, leaving you raw and cleansed. ;-)
Francis : Do you write short stories? If so how do they differ to your novels? Yes, I do. I have a few short stories now from my myriad dream-sketches. My short stories are hard to keep short! They take vignettes and build emotionality, and usually something fantastical or weird is featured. I recently wrote a short story called “The Man in White”, about a woman dying of pneumonia in a bitter winter. A new take on an old idea, her family is starving and there isn't enough food, so she leaves, walking out into the snow to die. She is found by a mysterious man in white, who offers her salvation. I won't spoil the ending (you should go to Inkitt and read it, and vote if you like it!), but I spent time capturing the feel of winter, both the desperation of it and the glory, because the dying woman is really seeing it in a childlike state for the first time in years, now that she knows she will never see it again. Seeing the stark beauty of it before she dies. That's the kind of short story I write.
Francis: How did you come up with the titles of your books? My husband is great with titles! We just keep brainstorming until we think of something that grips. He's also great with teasing out crazy tangles of plot. Whenever I get stuck, I go to him and tempt him out for a walk by buying him yummy PacNW coffee (Stumptown, of course)!
Francis: Are there any messages in your novels, if so what? Yes. Value yourself. Trust your intuitions. Go deeper until you truly see who you are. Wrestle with your demons, embrace them and get to know how they sabotage you and then choose what you want out of life. You know, stuff like that!
Francis: How much of your books are based on reality, how much are based on someone you know, or events in your own life? Whoa. Neo in the matrix. A lot of my books are based on reality. Not the fantasy worlds, but the emotions, the character interactions. I've modeled a few characters after people I know, and one character I've written, Aeshe in the Oblenite series, shares some of my personal experiences. If you go to my YouTube channel, you'll see a video of me channeling a non-corporeal entity. People have subtle and incredible abilities so far beyond what we think is possible, and I'm no different. I use my ability to speak with high-resonance entities as a way to help myself and others find lovingkindness, and this ability is not unique to me. But I chose to open up to it, starting in small ways with yoga and meditation and moving on from there, moving towards it bit by bit. And I definitely use it to inform and inspire my writing!
Francis : What books have most influenced your life the most? Are some of these books different to your own genre of writing? Hmm. A lot of it has been non-fiction, actually. Yoga and the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope was one, also Craft of the Warrior by Robert L. Spencer. And Sogyal Rinpoche's Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. I also love Pema Chodron's The Places that Scare You. And I got righteously angry reading Alphabet and the Goddess. But for fiction, it has to be some of the classics. The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, the Kushiel's Series by Jacqueline Carey. Tolkien, George RR Martin, Stephen King, especially the Gunslinger series. Clive Barker's Imajica. Robin Hobb's Fitz and Fool novels. And I have a guilty delicious pleasure for Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. Sexy!
Francis: Are you sometimes shocked by some of your own writing/ideas? Yes. I'm surprised at how much abuse comes out sometimes in my ideas! My husband actually said once, “might want to cut that down”. And I agree with him. Some of what I write is very dark, very challenging for readers. Sometimes I take it out, and sometimes I don't. If it's important to the character's storyline that she gets raped or bludgeoned nearly to death, it stays in. Not often, but sometimes. Readers who don't want to be confronted with difficult emotions may want to steer clear of my stuff. Just sayin'!
Francis: Do you see writing as a career? Yes, I do. But I sit upon the horns of a dilemma, that the writing industry is changing so much just as I jumped into it! I'm very passionate about telling a story the way it needs to be told, and thus, the indie industry appeals. I disagree with agents and editors who believe the indie-publishing world is full of no-talent hacks who don't edit and got rejected by publishers over and over again. I appreciate thorough edits, and I rearrange and heavily edit my stuff all the time! But I don't agree when someone says, “well, chuck all that plot and those characters and forget everything you've already braided so carefully together for books two and three, because we need this book to be only 120k words since readers won't buy it if it's longer”.I think readers enjoy to be challenged! So I'm reaching out to find the readers who want to absorb themselves in thoughtful, intellectual, spiritually interesting, emotional journeys, not just buy what the industry thinks it should sell them. I'm very grassroots-passionate in everything I do, and I want to find the people out there who are tired of being fed what the media thinks they should eat.
Francis: Is there a character in one of your books that really stands out for you? Could he or she be compared to any well-known literature character? Well, since I was a science, medical, and opera major, I can't answer this question thoroughly. I can say that I'm fond of the character Elsennia Mae Argentine in my upcoming book Scythe. She's a hard-luck woman trained to be an assassin by night and a madam by day, but she's very real. She's not afraid of her emotions, and she's learned to face anything that tears her life apart with tenacity and practicality. Mae endures despite everything, and though she loves and hates, wins and loses, she keep living because the living itself is important. She reminds me of the Oregon trail pioneers. Libertarians, the lot of them. Pick up a shotgun and warn that drunk asshole to get off your porch or you're gonna shoot him in the balls and deal with the sheriff later.;-)
Francis: Were your parents avid readers, have your family played a part in your writing career? How do they feel about your work? Absolutely. Both my parents read a lot, and valued it. My dad reads westerns and Clive Cussler, and my mom loves highbrow literature. They got me reading very young. I can remember being the only one in my preschool in the reading-room, alone, pouring over book after book. The preschool teachers would just let me stay in there as long as I liked. Both my parents are excited about my writing, and supportive, though my preferred genre is not to their tastes.
Francis: What makes you proud of your books/life as a writer? Since I wasn't an English major, I've learned writing from the ground-up! It's been a lot of invested energy, and every time I see my writing improve I feel proud. Taking the leap to put some books out there and see what reviews came back has been very rewarding. Each time I can make my writing clearer and more substantive, more engaging, is a win for me. And when I find the people who enjoy what I do, it makes it all the better! Every review is a win. Every book read and enjoyed, purchased or for free, is a win. Because it's about enjoying a good story, not about me.
Francis: How do you come up with the initial concept of a book? Dream-sketches, usually. Sometimes just a character idea, sometimes a vignette or an extended scene. I write until I get stuck, then hash out plot, then go back and get rid of anything that doesn't fit. I usually get a feel of how long the work will be after I've hashed out the initial sketch. Sometimes it's just a short story, sometimes it's a 4-book series!!
Francis: Who is your favorite author and what is it about them that you admire? Ooh, tough call. Toss-up between three, so I'll mention all three and why. 1. Anne Rice – she writes in a dark, luscious, and compelling style and that I just can't put down! 2. Clive Barker – I don't think I've read a story as curiously creative and still as emotionally incredible as his Imajica series. Read it! 3. Stephen King – The man is a legend for his work ethic, for the sheer hours spent, daily and on-schedule, moving through ideas and refining them.
Francis: Who designed the covers for your books, were you happy with result? Ha, ha! I did the covers for the Three Days of Oblenite books, just like I did my website. I could do better, but I like them well enough for now. I will probably use a proper designer in the future, though, because doing all the graphic design takes away from my writing time! That being said, I love the photographs on the covers, especially on Tears. The photographer, Jean-Baptiste Huong, is amazing!! His project, Sweet Fantasies Diary, is some of the most tender and honest work that I've seen.
Francis: What was the hardest part of being a writer? Getting the word out there! Creating publicity and marketing is ongoing work. And social media can suck you in and eat you alive if you don't set strict boundaries!
Francis: Do you have any advice for other writers? Yes. Don't stop. No matter what anyone tells you. Keep refining. Emulate the writers you love. But most of all, write what satisfies you. I went through a dark patch, trying to strictly fit my writing style into a “genre pattern”, and it made me unhappy. What if I like writing high fantasy with sexy romantic bits in it, and also kill off a main character in a gory, horrible way? What if I write a great fantasy romance where the main character dies in the end? What then? Ultimately, you fit with the readers who fit with you. There is always room for improvement with style and mechanics, don't ever stop refining those. But if you find yourself “selling your soul” to fit in a niche you don't enjoy... it's not worth being there.
Francis: Other than writing do you have any other interests, do they connect up with your writing? Yes. Yoga, meditation, hiking, clean living, and removing obstacles to radiating my true, resonant soul are my hobbies. I also dance when I feel like it and sing whenever the fuck I please. And I swear. A lot. Also in my books.;-)
Francis: Are there any films that have influenced your writing? What kind of films do you like? Hmm. I love a good fantasy film, faves are the Lord of the Rings series (extended versions... yesssss my preciousssss!), and thoughtful, well-produced anime like Samurai Champloo, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Attack on Titan, to name a few. I recently enjoyed the dark and gritty The Fall with Gillian Anderson, but also the dazzlingly funny Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I truly enjoyed the show Dead Like Me, and I LOVE Penny Dreadful. It's all over the place. I also love documentaries and watch interviews incessantly on Gaiam TV about ancient aliens, the pyramids, conspiracies, and the horror of our centralized banking and media systems. All of it influences my writing, to some degree...
Francis: If your books were adapted into being films, which director dead or alive would you want to direct them? Which actors would you like in the films? What would be the overriding mood of the film? Ooh! I think I would get the Polish director of the French film Bleu, Krzysztof Kieslowski, to do the Three Days of Oblenite series. Moody and lush and amazingly sexy, that film impressed me for life and that tone would be great for the Oblenite series! And I think the Kingsmen series might be done well by Neil Marshall, the director of Centurion with Michael Fassbender. Of course, I would also love Peter Jackson to do it!!! As far as actors, you can see a lot of the people I think would represent characters in my books well on my Pinterest pages. I think Jessica Brown Findlay from Downton Abbey could play Gryffine from Breath. She has the right restraint and strength. Jessup I don't know... email me your ideas! For Tears, I like Jamie Dornan for Phillip. I think he could play a gay sub well... ;-) I LOVE Anson Mount for Oruthane in Tears. He is quite literally, perfect. And for Blood, I think the thoughtful duo of Jude Law as Aulen Gregoire and Viggo Mortensen as Krystof Fausten would be amazing, basically recapping their roles in A Dangerous Method.
Francis: Do you socialize with other writers or creative people? Do you know any obscure or up and coming authors/or perhaps other creative people who deserve recognition? I'm getting better at socializing, but since I just started moving into the “author world” about six months ago, I don't know many people yet! Want to be my friend? Send me an email!!;-)But as for recognition, I'd love to give a shout-out to a few people who have inspired me recently. One is Chelly Wood, a Seattle author who has been so kind as to show me all the ins and outs of Critique Circle. Another to Carew Papritz, author of the Legacy Letters, who inspired me with his energy and marketing motivation at the PNWA conference recently. A third to the Smashwords creator, Mark Coker. His tutorials and manuals are invaluable for indie authors, and I love his vision. And to my sister Stephany Brandt, who is also writing, deliciously dark and creepy horror novels that you may see coming soon...!
Francis: which theme (for example death, misery, and torture) is most prevalent in your stories?All three? ;-) Seriously. I write dark-edged fantasy. But I think the theme that comes through most is that by exploring the very depths of oneself, we come to know our demons, and that invaluable knowledge gives you the power to create the life you want.
Francis: Which method of death would you choose out of the following
A being ripped apart by lions
B facing a firing squad made up by shadowy figures, who you suspect you have had major altercations with, during the course of your life.
C you find yourself in a hospital, in a country far from home, with doctors and nurses you can’t communicate with, attached to devices that indicate you are in a critical condition. You don’t know how you got to the hospital/country. Death is inevitable however.
Wow! Lions. Gotta go with the lions. Circle of life and all that. (Cue morbidly dark Lion King theme music here done by Danny Elfman)