Can you share with us the moment you decided to transition from writing space opera and junior fiction to focusing on epic fantasy romance? What inspired that shift?
I had been working with Louise Cusack on book 2 of my space opera series and she thought I was getting bogged down. She challenged me to join Romance Writers of Australia and write a romance. I was equal to the challenge, and this was how Princess Avengercame to be. If I was writing a romance, it had to be set in a fantasy world.
Your Queenmakers Saga spans twelve books. What has been the most rewarding part of developing such an expansive series, and how do you keep the storyline fresh and engaging across multiple books?
The differentromances have kept the story fresh and enabled the sub plots to continue to develop. ThenI wanted to resolve the sub plots by bringing all the main characters together in an epic finale-this lasted for four books and finished the series. Bringing them all together was tough.I wrote books 9, 10 and 11 as one book and then split them into three. I think that kept the pace of the stories high.
As a veterinarian, do you draw from your medical and animal care background when creating the strong bond between horses and humans in your books? Could you share an example from The Queenmakers Saga?
I have always loved animals so,while my veterinary knowledge is handy for the healing themes in my books, the bond between horses and humans comes from the relationship I shared with the horses in my life. The best example is in The Lady’s Choice. Benae Branasar is a healer but unlikeme, she can heal with her mind. She can also speak to her stallion Flaire mind to mind. This brings together two elements I have always longedfor: magical healing and easy communication with animals. When the story starts, Benae suffers a crisis of confidence in her healing because she has failed to save her parents and brother. Then when she is confronted with Flaire injured, she needs to reach deep to save him.
Which trope do you enjoy writing the most—enemies to lovers, forced proximity, or forbiddenromance—and why does it resonate with you so strongly?
Forbidden romance is my favourite trope to write though enemies-to-lovers comes a close second. While bringing enemies together is a challenge and full of delicious conflict between the two characters, forbidden romance provides even more conflict. There is the added external tensionfrom societal norms that are being challenged by the love these two people have for each other. Think Elf Princess Warriorwhich is an inter-racial love story and PrincessAvengerwhich not only brings two people together who are worlds apart in socialstanding but also a hero who is not quite human.
You’ve worked with both Penguin and Pan Macmillan before transitioning to independent publishing. How has your experience intraditional publishing influenced your approach to self-publishing, and what challenges or advantages have you encountered along the way?
I will always be grateful to those publishers for giving me a chance back when I was only a writer. Well, that’s not quite right. I had two books published by Penguin when I scored a two-bookcontract from Pan Macmillan. However, the two books with Pan
Mac were basically in the same series I was writing with Penguin. It was unusual and unexpected to be given a second chance with such a respected publisher. Those experiences boosted my confidence and led to me scoring an agent because I already had a contract. Unheard of for an agent to contact a writer and offer representation.
Additionally, working with my editors on the four books developed my craft without me having to pay big dollars for an editor. I learned a lot and really enjoyed the experience. However, back then I didn’t know how I could help with promotion of my books and none of them did well. In the end, I got my rights back for all four books and proceeded to produce new covers and re-edit them. I enjoy the freedom of self-publishing but it’s hugely expensive and very time consuming doing it all yourself. I have a cover designer in the U.S and my Australian editor also formats my books and is my website designer. I’ve learned a lot in the last seven years.
You mentioned that you like to be absorbed in a good romance or romantic suspense when you're not writing. Could you recommend a few of your favorite booksor authors that inspire your writing?
I totally love contemporary romance series like the ones Marie Force writes. She has been somewhat of an influence as she writes interconnected standalones eg her Gansett Island series. Then there is the Detective Josie Quinnseries by Lisa Regan which is awesome and I highly recommend. And I also love C.J. Archer’s historical fantasy series, historical romance, paranormal romance and historical mysteries. She features clever heroines and often magical elements.
With the horse/human bond being a key theme in your work, do you have any personal experiences with horses that have influenced your writing?
As with many women, I spent a good deal of my teenage and twenty-something years in love with and raising and training my horses. They are wonderful creatures, and I’ve never lost my love of them.
As a writer with such an extensive body of work, do you have any advice for aspiring authors on how to stay motivated and disciplined to complete long-running series?
I guess the Queenmakers Saga is quite an extensive body of work. However, when you’re in the trenches, it just seems natural that you would end up with twelve books. Authors are notoriously hard on themselves and downplay their work. We always think someone else’s books are better and cleverer than ours. Lately I’ve been producing the audiobook versions of the Queenmakers Saga and have come to appreciate the way each book locks in with the others to produce an epic fantasy reading puzzle.
Since I never planned the series to be more than a trilogy, it’s quite magical how the twelve books have come together. So, the first thing I would say is to trust yourself as a writer and author. Don’t be over critical of your work. And the second is just to keep getting the words down on the page. You can’t edit what’s not written. Part of that is trusting that what you write is worthy. And the third piece of advice is not to be offended when your work gets constructive criticism from your editor. They are trying to make your writing better and more engaging to the reader. Toughen up!
What can readers expect from your upcoming projects? Are there any exciting new directions you’re exploring in your future work?
Author Interview by Bernadette RowleyAs you can imagine, completing a twelve-book series is an achievement that makes you sit back and ask “what now?”. And during the production of the last book, To Wed a Queen, that’s exactly what I did. I had months to mull over options for my next project: from publishing my two space operas already written through writing a contemporary or historical romance to coming-of-age fantasy. I decided to create a spin-off trilogy from the Queenmakers Saga, based on the children of those couples, seventeen years later. And so was born Shadow Wing Quest, my coming-of-agetrilogy with themes of self-discovery and found family.
What aspects of the fantasy genre do you find the most exciting to write, and how do you balance world-building with character development?
I loveeverything about the fantasy genre, but the most engaging to me are the characters. I sketch in the world just enough so readers can picture the setting, rules and external conflict,then concentrate on the characters to drive the story. I think this makes fantasy more accessible to the non-fantasy reader and allows the reader’s imagination full reign.
You’ve mentioned that you enjoy spending time with friends and walking. How do these activities help clear your mind and inspire your creative process?
Spending time with friends includes my chickens! I find that a good relaxing activity from my stressful job. The same goes for walking and exercise but sometimes I do brainstorm a scene or plot problem during a walk or a swim. Currently, I’m journalling daily with a view to supporting and enhancing my creativity.
The themes of healing and transformation are strong in your stories. Can you talk about how you incorporate these themes into your characters' journeys and the emotional arcs you create for them?
Healing is part of who I am as a veterinarian. It’s not something I can separate from myself when I write. I have two healer heroines in my Queenmakers Saga –in The Lady’s Choiceand in The Elf King’s Lady. One is magical and the other a regular healer. I’m sure I will write more healer heroines in future booksbecause I find it a fascinating attribute in a character. Additionally, there are two witch characters who must use less developed healing arts throughout the books.
And transformation. I guess that comes in two forms in my stories and is also a strongtheme in my new project. Shapeshifters abound in the Queenmakers Saga. In this kingdom, they are called Defenders, and their brief is to protect the weak. They can transform into multiple animals and it’s very cool to write a scene from the point of view of a wolf or hawk.
But the main heroine, Alecia Zialni, goes through her own transformation, from spoiled princess to a woman of great influence. There are other characters challenged by transformative journeys all though the saga. They begin their story with goals and aspirations and are totally changedby the end of the book as they react to challenges and conflict.It’s a kind of growing up, of understanding what’s important in their lives and accepting a new direction.
How do you approach writing strong, complex romantic relationships in your books? Do you have any tips for crafting chemistry between characters in a way that feels authentic?
Author Interview by Bernadette RowleyFirst up, Icarefully choose protagonists who are very different. They want different things from their lives, come from very diverse walks of life and have disparate outlooks. This ensures there will be serious conflict between them and that they will challenge eachother. Then I come up with a way of throwing them together in a way that’s believable, fresh and provides challenges for both characters. This time together allows them to see attractive qualities in each other, not just the annoying habits.Then I make it almost impossible for them to be together by threatening their budding relationship. This might involve one or both of them keeping secrets that are exposedor a life-threateninginjury or illness to one of the protagonists.
Looking back on your journey from picture books to epic fantasy romance, what would you say is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as an author?
That’s a tough questionbecause this author life is such a steep learning curve, no matter if you’re traditionally or independently published. On reflection, the biggest lesson is learning not to get distracted by the next shiny thing. Keep on putting in the work and improving in all aspects of the author kit, including marketing. And understand there are no shortcuts. Just keep focusing on your goals and have faith in your craft.
How has been your experience working with AllAuthor?
AllAuthor is an affordable way to list your books and market them. I really believe the team there is focussed on helping authors increase their profiles and find readers. The cover contest is worth entering just to get your recent releases in front of readers.
