Where did you get the idea for these books? I know it is kind of based on God, but where did you get the idea of dragons and Doneels and all of the other creatures in these books?

I can't really say where I get the ideas. I suspect God helps me a lot. I try to write a good, interesting story, and leave Him to put in the extra important stuff. back to top

Persevere. Read. Deliberately hone your skills. Read. Go to writing conferences. Read. Don’t try to write what you think the market is buying. Read. Write the story of your heart. (Yes, dragons represent the story of my heart.) back to top

Robert Elmer has written two related romances, The Duet and The Recital. Those well-crafted tales touched me deeply since they are about older “lovers.” Max Lucado is my favorite non-fiction writer. The secular writer I admire most for her characterization and plotting is Patricia Veryan. I love Linda Windsor (Christian Romantic Comedy) for the way she loves God. back to top

Chaos, pure chaos. Lots of good intentions; lots of interruptions. Moments of sheer delight while words pour through my fingertips.
Gnashing of teeth, pulling of hair, tears of frustration. All in all, it’s a pretty humdrum way to make a living. back to top

I don’t try. I’ve been a Christian a long time, and I think like a Christian. I have by no means perfected my Christian walk, but my view of life is pervaded by the faith I have in God. So it comes out in my writing. If fell into a conversation with a man who is a football fanatic, you would soon hear his passion for football in the way he talks. He would use phrases like “touchdown,” “stuck on the bench,” and “passing the ball” as descriptors. A hunting enthusiast would have a different underlying reference point. back to top

A blank page combined with a headache is the least favorite part of writing. Meeting readers is my favorite. back to top

Yes, DragonLight is the last in the DragonKeeper Chronicles series. However, there is another book from the same world as Amara currently under contract. (6/08) back to top

I am basically a grandma. It is my favorite role in life. I know if Grandma was a paid profession, I would be making big bucks, because I really put my heart into it. My favorite color is yellow. My favorite dinner is steak, rare, no side potato except on my birthday and then loaded with butter, sour cream, bacon bits, chives, and one black olive. My favorite animal is dog. There is an old saying that God made dogs in order to illustrate what absolute adoration is. And to show that discipline must be learned. My dogs through the years have demonstrated many spiritual lessons I’ve needed to understand. back to top

I want to explore Amara in different time periods. There is also a back story that is revealed in DragonKnight of how dragons and another race got to the land of Amara. And there are folk tales to uncover.

Yes, I plan to continue to write fantasy, but it is the harder of the two genres I’ve tried. I think I might dabble in romance once and awhile to give myself a break. You know, instead of having toast for breakfast every day, occasionally having oatmeal. back to top

Yikes! I hate this question. And yes, I have experienced wizard backlash. But I love this term you have used, and it is the first time I have heard it. It makes me chuckle, and humor is a good leveler, helping restore perspective.

First, I don’t think of my books as delving into the magical arts. The word “wizard” comes from “wizened,” and in its original use, way back in the days people spoke Anglo-Saxon, it was a respectful term for an older person who had great knowledge gained by experience and study.

My wizards command the elements of nature that God has created. They do without equipment what a scientist would do with lasers and electromagnetic generators, or even what a housewife might do with a washing machine or a microwave. The reason they are wizards is that they understand, down to the molecular structure, God’s creation.

Secondly, this is fiction, and I don’t expect people to take my fiction literally. Talking bears, such as Paddington and Pooh, don’t bring down scathing rebukes of magic. If a parent is concerned about the child’s perception of what is real and what is not, then that parent ought to seize the opportunity to teach. Parents, read books with your child and discuss the points on which your child needs clarification. back to top

Interest is high now in fantasy as literature. Some people find Tolkien too literary, and some people find the Christianity in the Narnia books by Lewis to be too blatant. The DragonKeeper Chronicles offer a great tale of adventure with the time-honored battle between good and evil playing out in a way that gives adults meat to chew on and children sips of nourishing milk. back to top

Check out my "Looking Ahead" selections in the main menu bar for details on upcoming projects. back to top

BS in elementary education with an emphasis on early childhood. Some graduate work in education, several certificates for things like teaching Bible and counseling. back to top

I would have to say the letters from readers who say that my stories have positively affected their life. back to top

In all businesses, one can be disappointed by the lack of integrity of another employee. This happened to me within a publishing house, and I took quite some time before I was able to forgive and accept the situation as a lesson I needed to learn. back to top

I belong to several critique groups. Two are face-to-face groups that meet weekly. The other is an online group. Learning with these other writers, actively analyzing what is working in our manuscripts, and seeking solution to problems of character development as well as plotting has been invaluable. back to top

I am actually the exception to the rule. My first Christian romance was accepted by the first publisher I sent it to, and DragonSpell was accepted by the first publisher my agent took it to. I’ve had other manuscripts in between that have bounced around the industry, and a few have never found a home. back to top

My mother, actually, urged me to try something new. I had three novels and four novellas published in the Christian Romance genre. So I took a chapter of fantasy to my crit group. They gave me a thumbs-down and shook their heads woefully. I rewrote that chapter and brought it back the next week. They still didn’t like it. The third try was a winner, and that was the beginning of The Dragon Keeper Chronicles. DragonSpell was easy to write. Each subsequent novel in the series has been harder. I hope they have also gotten better. back to top

Definitely anyone who read to me as I grew up. Anyone who told me about a specific book or author or gave me a good book to read. And any author who wrote something that moved me. back to top

I got published by polishing, polishing, polishing the manuscript I worked on. I read every book I could find on the craft of writing. I went to conferences and learned more techniques and honed my skill. When I felt my ms. was ready, I submitted it to the publishing house I thought would most likely take it. Eighteen months later, the editor contacted me and sent me a contract for the book. It was published a few days before the two year mark after I had first sent it out. back to top

I like humor and truth. I think some truth is too hard to take with out an element of humor. I think all “truth” should be given the test of whether it lines up with Scripture. I think all humor should be pleasing to God. If He wouldn't laugh at my joke, I'm not going to tell it. Writers who have influenced me are Max Lucado (a master storyteller), CS Lewis (not afraid to include his beliefs in his writing of fiction), and Patricia Veryan (a secular author who has characterization/plotting down pat.) back to top

Believe it or not, my mother. She was the one who told me to write a book, and later, she told me to try something different. She always loved words as in crossword puzzles and unusual words that she used everyday in ordinary conversations. And when we moved, which was often, she acquired a library card as soon as she got a new driver's license. back to top

Heartsong's To See His Way won second place in the 2001 national Readers’ Choice awarded by Romance Writers of America/Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter.

“The Arrow” in Barbour's City Dreams novella collection tied for third place in the 2002 national Readers’ Choice awarded by Romance Writers of America/Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter.

“Engagement of the Heart” in Christmas Letters novella collection won first place in the 2002 national Readers’ Choice awarded by Romance Writers of America/Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter.

DragonSpell was nominated for a Christy Award in 2004. back to top

I suppose as most writers, I could say I started writing as a child. I wrote stories and read them to my friends at the weekend slumber party.

But as an adult, I was more interested in writing children's books and took the Institute of Children's Literature course.

When my daughter was thirteen, she announced she wanted to read a grown-up love story. ACK! There was no way I was going to let her read one of those bodice rippers. She and her brother went away for ten days to the Christian Youth in Action camp to train for summer ministry. When she returned I handed her my first complete novel which had been written in her absence. During the next six weeks while they went on five day mission trips, I wrote the second. That is the one that sold and was published the year she got married. back to top

Ha! Letting my extended family know what I was doing! back to top

To actually make a living as a writer. Sorry, that isn't terribly spiritual, but I am comfortable with the ministry side of my endeavors. God has patted me on the back in several ways, showing me He is pleased with the way I am touching lives. I would like to be more financially independent at the same time realizing God is still teaching me to depend on Him. back to top

People have been very generous with their encouragement. But the one that tickled me most - my daughter's mother-in-law was going to save my last two books to read on an airplane trip. She just started one to see what it would be about and finished it. So she was going to save the other one. Well, she decided to read the first page and couldn't put it down. Before she knew it, she had nothing left to read! back to top