What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life? I would have to say earning my doctorate from one of the toughest graduate schools in the world. There were so many obstacles thrown in my path by the people in my life that it was a miracle that I got into the program at all. Then, I was even more surprised to find out that I had the intellectual talent to graduate with honors. I guess you never know what you can do until you try.
When and why did you begin writing? Since I majored in English literature, I’ve been writing all through my school years and graduate school. My doctoral dissertation was my first book. As to why I continued to write, I suppose it was out of habit.
How long have you been writing? In the back of my mind, I’d always intended to write a novel at some point in my life. When I reached the age of 40 without having gotten around to writing that novel, I finally decided to knuckle down and get it done. I’ve been writing, off and on, since then. Nineteen years.
Who or what influenced your writing once you began? I consciously avoided outside influences because I didn’t want to end up sounding like somebody else. I will say that I was quite impressed with Caleb Carr’s The Alienist when it first came out. That was around the time I wrote my first historical mystery. Similarly, I loved the divine feminine aspect of the The Da Vinci Code which may have influenced my archaeology thriller series.
What made you want to be a writer? I didn’t want to be a writer per se. If there’s an idea which I feel an overwhelming need to communicate, I’ll write. For example, my current series is all about the lost women’s history of the world. Things that have been forgotten for millennia are emerging in the archaeological record right now. To me, that’s an intriguing subject which people might want to know about.
What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general? The biggest challenge has to do with the specific type of books I write. I use a fictional plot and characters to disclose loads of suppressed historical facts which aren’t generally known. Trying to assimilate the data and then convert it into something that’s entertaining and fits my fictional world can be quite a task.
Can you tell us about your main character? Cassie Forsythe is a twenty year old college dropout whose world implodes after she has a nightmare in which she sees her sister being murdered. The nightmare turns out to be real and Cassie finds herself stuck with a telepathic gift she never knew she possessed. This leads to all sorts of complications including being enlisted to take her sister’s place in a secret organization trying to recover a series of lost artifacts. Over the course of the novels, Cassie evolves from a self-absorbed teenager into a mature adult.
Who designed the cover? I designed the covers of all of my books. Many of my author friends complain about the covers their publishers use for their books. The biggest gripe I hear is that the cover artist had no concept of what the book was about. I like having creative control over the images associated with my work. At least the design has something to do with the story.
Why did you choose to write this particular book? I felt there was a need to overturn some of our cultural assumptions about the role of women in society. Lo and behold, I discovered an ever-increasing body of archaeological evidence proving that human civilization was not originally male-dominated or violent. This was true of every race on every continent. The story of who we once were and how we got to be the way we are needed to be told.
What is the one question you never get asked and would like to get asked in an interview? Please ask and answer it. The question would be, “Do you enjoy writing?” Shockingly enough, my answer would be “No.” I think there are writers who are in love with the process of writing itself. They keep journals, maintain blogs, write poetry. I don’t like doing any of those things. I take a much more utilitarian approach. For me, writing is a means to an end. I’m in love with the idea, the concept, that I want to convey to a reader. Writing is just the vehicle that gets me there.
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Genre – Archaeology Thriller
Rating – PG13
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