An Interview with Skhye Moncrief

Today I have Skhye Moncrief as a guest blogger. Skhye is more than just an author to me. She's a really close friend whom I have lunch with nearly every week. I'm very pleased to have such a supportive person as not only a friend, but as my first guest this month.

I've asked Skhye some questions to help you get to know her writing better. I hope you enjoy the interview.

1. How did you break into publishing?

I wouldn’t say I “broke into” publishing. I’d say I just got lucky and found an editor who liked my story. There’s a lot of being in the right place at the right time involved.

2. What inspired you to write romance?

I’ve always read romance… CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR, THE FAR PAVILLIONS, SHAMAN’S DAUGHTER… Throw in a Native American and I’d read it! I’m more fascinated by emotion than external plot. Although, I believe a novel needs both for a story to be solid.

3. What genre or sub-genre do you write? Why did you choose this genre?

I’m fascinated by world building undoubtedly from my studying anthropology. I prefer to write paranormal romances but still find reconstructing the past as challenging as creating my own story worlds in fantasy romance.

4. What difficulties does writing this genre present?

The hardest part of writing fantasy is finding readers who can help determine if you’ve got the right balance of story-world rules and back story. Once you figure out how much information the reader can handle at any moment in a story, you’ve cleared the biggest hurdle. Now how you choose to deliver that information is another issue in itself. ;)

5. What motivated you to write your current book?

My current release ANCIENT MUSINGS was simply an idea my editor had. I snatched it up and ran with it. Now, there are 9 novellas in the series: SONG OF THE MUSES.

6. Tell us about your other works, books, stories, etc.

My dark Celtic fantasy romance in my Time Guardian series is in paperback now at www.amazon.com and www.bn.com, HE OF THE FIERY SWORD… Once upon a time, King Arthur was a time-traveling shape-shifting dragon.

A war wages among the Gods. Two Celtic time-travel orders intermarry to safeguard history. Paradox is but a stolen heart away. Open the door to a new reality where destined love defeats timeless evil. www.timeguardians.com

7. How do you write? Are you a panster or a plotter? Is it your characters or your plot that influences you the most?

I firmly believe characters make a story. The internal conflict is as crucial to my tales as the external conflict.

8. What was the most usual way you came up with a story idea? I mean, I’ve gotten a plot idea from a song I heard, from brainstorming with a classmate. What unusual thing caused you to think, ‘hey, I could make that into a story?’

Riding a motion ride at the local pizza arcade, I had an epiphany… undoubtedly shaken loose by the jarring motion that my two-year old loved. She was the only reason I was on that ride. So, I should give her credit for my www.thewildrosepress.com free read, VOW OF SUPERSTION: DRAGON’S BLOOD. The title came from the haunted house movie with Elvira where the short show opens at an amusement park in from of the House of Superstition. As you can see, VOW OF SUPERSTITION was the next step—a woman heading into a vow of marriage based on superstition. Or maybe I’m just a geeky anthropologist who came up with a stiff clinical title. LOL

9. If you could spend an hour talking to anyone from any time in history, who
would it be? And Why?

Why do I want to answer “a big muscular barbarian in leather and furs”? I’d like him to have a horse. And a large weapon. ;)

10. How do you like your fans to contact you?

Fans can email me from my website, sign my guestbook, or leave comments on my blog posts. I enjoy all sorts of feedback.

Thanks for having me, Anna K. Everyone is welcome to swing by my website and check out my contests in order to win Time Guardian T-shirts, Celtic music, books, jewelry, etc. www.skhyemoncrief.com