The interview - Part 1

	What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote?   As a teen I began to seriously read the classics, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables, The works of Guy de Maupassant, Dickens, Twain, and Daphne du Maurier, The Secret Garden, Walter Farley, historical books, etc. I kept a dictionary beside me at all times and whenever I came across a word I didn’t know I stopped to look it up. It was during junior high that I began writing stories. My best friends read my work and encouraged me to continue. As an adult I picked up the pen again in 2003 and haven’t stopped writing since.
	What is your favorite genre? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it?   Historical and modern romances are my favorite genres. I seem to have a flare for writing epic adventures.
	What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?   Creativity is a very strong gauge of who I am. It also reveals a bit of an eccentric personality. Before sitting down to write I have to seriously clear my head of all outside influences. From this point I get into character similar to an actor portraying their part.
	What type of reading inspires you to write?   Besides doing research, reading doesn’t really inspire me. I’m quite visual and hope to provide the reader with a feel of what I see through my words. Picturesque views of the Mediterranean motivated me to write Taylor Made. The same views stirred the creation of Adonis Mortale. That’s not to say reading can’t be inspiring. I used to read Sydney Sheldon and others to be whisked away to another place or time. There’s always Dan Brown with his awesome ability to move even a wooden totem pole. I do need to read books that challenge the mind with sub layered plots that twist and turn to better the quality of my work. Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer” or John Hart’s “Iron House” were very good. Oh, and the Fifty Shades of Grey series – yes.
	What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story?   Trauma and drama. I like to take the reader on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. I give and then take away until the characters are broken and demanding to be fixed. And of course with plenty of loving support from the love of their life. The stories are romances you know.
	What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person?   I’ve used third person for most of my work however I’m currently using first person for an epic adventure. With first person the reader can get up close and personal with the characters – more so than by third person. It also makes the background shadows mysterious with a nagging need to know or else find out.
	What well known writers do you admire most?   Well, the ones that have made a career out of writing. Dan Brown fascinates me with his deep intellect of history and cultures, and his ability to weave a tale, and his perception of mankind in general. I’m envious of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. What a wonderful tale, and in first person. Nora Roberts pumps out books to bring in revenue although I prefer a more adult and complex storyline. I read Richard Castle’s Heat Wave a while back and got a kick out of his playful and knowledgeable style. Oh, and also, Kathleen Grissom’s The Kitchen House. Wow, now Ms. Grissom takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride. When the reader is begging to be soothed by good news she rolls out the powder keg only to blow everything up!
	What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours?   Characters are usually built from their foibles, their grief or desire to obtain something that’s currently out of reach. I try to paint their characteristics thoroughly through this mode. Yeah, sometimes I get stuck describing the typical blue eyed blondes, or brown eyed brunettes. At this point I look for their energy, their height, their mannerisms or their career to see what idiosyncrasies drive them.
	Are you equally good at telling stories orally?   I try. That is until my captive audience figures out I’m a show boater. I make a better listener – unless they’re an insufferable show boater. I enjoy listening to professor types and soak up knowledge like a sponge. I absolutely love to learn! Life moves too fast to focus on needless fluff. I’m a woman on a mission to write and publish books.
	Deep down inside, who do you write for?   I write for creative expression. And, for entertainment purposes. It has been said that writers are some of the craziest or loneliest people on earth. One of those isn’t true, but we do talk to ourselves and have discussions with people that aren’t actually there. I want to share my warped personality and dramatic scenarios with those that might appreciate following a good adventure.

The interview - Part 2

	Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force?   *With elbows on table and hands on face, I sigh.* Of course it is. Really. I tell a story for the sake of an interesting tale to tell. The characters dictate their tragedy, climax and reward. But, for the sake of psychology, yes, any writer uses what knowledge they’ve accumulated over the years to formulate a book. Words can be a reflection of oneself. Please, take me as I am – a writer.
	Does reader feed-back help you?   Most definitely. I need it, want it, but can’t seem to find much of it. Have you ever lived in a remote cabin in the middle of a vast and vacant frontier with the grocery store as your weekly outlet? Feedback is very difficult to find. However, now my sister is writing a book as well and promises to read my work as I do likewise to her story.
	Do you participate in competitions?   I have participated in several writing workshops over the years and received wonderful feedback. Authonomy being the most recent and most helpful with a complete editing of “Taylor Made”. The English ladies love the feisty and naughty nature of “The Enigma” and have spurred me on to finish it.
	Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust?   Yes. Locally, a retired school teacher, a writer of children’s stories, has proofread some of my work, but alas, his genre is not the same as mine, and I prefer not shocking the dear fellow with my work.
	Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for?   A voice is composed of poetic prose, the ability to make the words dance. I think I’ve found my voice however it changes with the seasons. Some days the singsong is there and other days I really need to work at it. Listening to classical music helps.
	What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.?   I push to keep going with fortitude, stubborn determination and a strong belief system. With two books finished I see hope.
	What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate?   A clean work environment does wonders. Pictures of the Mediterranean, Native American scenes and photos associated with what I am working on at that moment. I make sure my research is up-to-date.
	Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process?   Everything is on computer and saving devices. In one session I type on the story. I’ll come back at a later date and proofread, make corrections. I probably go over a book a hundred times, in a hundred different frames of mind, to polish things up.
	What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information?   I have a blog site www.kathrynferrier.blogspot.com and use facebook as well. I am also on Authonomy.
	What has been your experience with publishers?   I don’t have any experience with publishers as of yet. Editors have been helpful and encouraging. Agents are the ones I would like to capture the attention of however they seem to be very elusive.
	What are you working on now?   I am working on an epic adventure which took an immeasurable amount of research. It is an interracial story of a Philadelphia debutant in the 1840’s. She builds a friendship with her uncles’ stable groom and together they run away. The pair travels the Underground Railway and crosses the vast western frontier on the Oregon Trail – all in search of the young man’s dream to own a ranch in California – and all before the Gold Rush. They eventually see their children growing up on the west coast. However situations from the east coast continue to haunt them up until the Civil War. I don’t want to give away too much. I’m also working on more than one contemporary romance.
	What do you recommend I do with all those things I wrote years ago but have never been able to bring myself to show anyone?   Keep them! Although I’ve burned the junk that was written as a teenager. In these past years of writing I’ve accumulated several books. Hopefully one day they can all be published – by a career author.

 

 

 

 

Adonis Mortale - synopsis

When the son of an honest fisherman, collides on the street of his island home with a young and vibrant sprite – hearts collide. But the young man holds a secret that could upset his family and anger one general of the Roman army. Adonis Mortale, set at the decline of the Roman Empire, brings to life Greek mythological characters on an island in the Ionian Sea. General Ares, his wife Aphrodite and Adonis are mortals. Adonis adores young Callisto who is also passionate about him. He would do nothing to hurt her, but his desire for Aphrodite drives him to near madness. One day he vows resolution. He sneaks off into the woods to avoid the curiosity of his cousin Markus who is beginning to unravel the secret. But alas, halfway up the hill to the fortress Adonis is attacked by a wild boar and gored. General Ares and his men, while hunting, find the injured man and take him to the fortress. In the days of Adonis’ recovery he and Aphrodite collaborate the story to their clandestine affair. Eventually Markus and Callisto retrieve Adonis and return the wayward son to his worried family that had feared the worst. Callisto’s father intervenes and demands restitution for what Adonis has done to his daughter. Adonis denies any wrongdoing, which his father believes, however their parents agree the pair should be married. On the eve of their wedding day a Roman warrior takes Adonis aside to inform him that Aphrodite has given birth to twins. Adonis is forced to ignore the reality and bears the joy and sorrow alone. Seventeen years later Adonis is confronted with a harsh reality as his daughter has fallen in love with her half-brother, a member of the Roman army.
Young Dionysus paces the hall in anger as his mother Aphrodite and this stranger tell him he can never see his half-sister, the love of his life, again. And when Ares calmly enters the room and tells him it is true – and why, Dionysus vows to runaway. After a keynote battle in Gaul Dionysus flees only to embark on his own adventure. The ending finds Dionysus soon on his home shores – watching as the fishing boats come in – watching for one boat in particular, his father’s.

Taylor Made - updated synopsis

When fashion merchandiser Heather Taylor travels to Italy she stumbles upon the Holy Grail of the clothing world – and Luigi Cassini, a gentleman nineteen years her senior. Heather ends up with a whole lot more than she’s bargained for. The man, fatherly yet very Italian has a fire sparked within his soul, a fire he thought long dead. He pursues Heather, wins her affection and they marry upon his yacht in the Mediterranean. After their marriage Luigi’s playboy son, Rausi begins a relentless flirtation with his new step-mother. Heather makes attempts to stop him but enjoys his attention as well. One night Rausi pushes his father and Heather too far which causes a spiraling chain of events to upset their lives, an upheaval that takes Luigi’s life. The prodigal son is then left scrambling to find a murderer while fearing it could be modern day pirates. Luigi’s business partner, an import/export tycoon, takes Rausi under his wing as they attempt to ward off the piracy. In the meantime two meddling detectives endeavor to uncover the family’s dark secrets.

While in mourning the loss of his father Rausi takes over the business as Heather, alone in the villa, suffers the loss of her husband. Months later the family spreads Luigi’s ashes over the Mediterranean Sea and Rausi begins his pursuit over Heather once more. She admits to their strong initial attraction and states he is the reason she has stayed in Sorrento. Secretly they marry and hide Heather’s pregnancy from Luigi’s friends and ex-wife. Only after the child is born do they find there was more to Luigi’s death than was previously told. Real fear of modern day pirates returns and chases the young family. Can they overcome the fear and escape?

The Forty Acre Garden - synopsis

When a landscaper inherits her great-uncle's forty acre estate she is torn between her steady career or following a dream. With the help of an elderly groundskeeper, the local tree service proprietor and the original 1920’s plan, she takes on the daunting task of returning forty acres back to their former glory.
Laura is at first overwhelmed with the 1915 house and the overgrown jungle surrounding it. However there are hints of a previous era gone-by from the neatly sectioned parterres and sturdy trellises. First, with the help of a Japanese gardener a teahouse is constructed on a knoll overlooking the gully. Neighbors hold a clue as they reveal they have original shade plantings from the garden. And during a neighborhood party Laura makes headway as Judge Maxwell, from across the avenue, informs her that the paintings in her Prairie Craftsman home are fifty and sixty year old depictions of the garden – priceless artwork.
By the first spring the plantings near the street are a splendor to behold. Laura owns a greenhouse to bring in revenue and is landscaping locally. She hires a hardworking young mother to help run the business, and together they rescue a dog that has lost its owner. Laura’s romance with the local tree service owner only heats up. Widowed Faron Grunwald, whom Laura affectionately calls Greenwood, is a father to three lively children.
Season by season Laura brings the grounds back to life while capturing the attention of the locals. She eventually wins a permit by the city to dam up the gully and make the pond in the Japanese garden. It is only when the neighbors across the street in the Italianate sell their home that Laura’s luck changes for the better. She captures the attention of an entrepreneur that repairs old homes. In the meantime an East Coast Professional Gardeners Association takes notice of a spectacular garden that needs to be on the historical registry.

The Enigma - synopsis

During a midlife crisis a blossoming writer has an internet affair over a few months with the enigma of a man. Having never seen his face or photograph she perceives the man as a person of power and prestige, everything she wants from a man. Yet he is secretive, not revealing his true identity. Their affair ends however she never forgets the person that stirred her senses. Years later Catherine is in Manhattan promoting her new novel at a book signing. A gentleman approaches. He is forward, flirtatious and engages Catherine’s imagination. Could he be the enigma she had yearned for years ago? Or is Richard just an average guy? Richard arouses Catherine’s curiosity until she begins to think he might actually be the enigma she adored. But returned home to Illinois Catherine begins her next novel. Instant messenger comes on. It is the enigma from years ago. Hayden taunts before revealing, to her surprise, that he is Richard. Their flirtatious bantering resumes. Hayden then approaches Catherine with the idea of sharing a European vacation. The offer throws her into a psychological tailspin from the pain of her divorce to the fear of this powerful man. She eventually accepts the offer and learns the nature of his family’s old-world wealth. They have little in common besides their bantering vice however he patiently waits for her to grow. Things take a turn for the worse when Hayden arranges a trip to Lake Placid for Catherine, her daughter and future son-in-law. However Christmas repairs the damages done. On the day Catherine’s daughter marries many emotions crumble before they can be built again. Hayden sees Catherine’s world completely and he is ready to change as well.

Prelude to Alvina and Jed

California 1901

It was a dusty old room, musty and stale. The floorboards creaked and heaved underfoot something terrible, but you know... with a room full of dancers and a fiddle or two playing one never notices these things. Jedidiah loved to dance. That is with me only and in the shelter of our own home.

Jedidiah, I miss him so. His name means 'beloved of the Lord', or 'blessing', the name given to King Solomon, of course King Solomon - the second son of King David. Jed was certainly a blessing to me. I loved him so.

We never made an issue or really thought much of it - the fact that our skin colors are different. I only noticed the softness in Jed's dark eyes, the gentleness of his hand and the love he gave me. Only in the presence of more than one African American did I see how pale my skin was - as pale as the dough to make bread, inherited from my English ancestors.

My ancestors were a slender, thin bunch with long oval shaped faces and that long, linear nose. The shape one sees in so many of those old paintings. In my youth my hair seemed to fade into some sort of yellow-beige. You know, from warm summers out of doors or plodding in the garden patch. But as I got older it dulled into non-descript brown, absent of any particular character. That is before turning this silvery-white... I say with a subtle sigh.

That was fifty-six years ago... or sixty. My memory slips easily these days. Sometimes I don't know if my thoughts are dreams or actual memories. Jed nudges me from heaven and tells me "to get the story right".

"Yes, dear. But look Jed, see how your grandson wins over the room." I have to feel pride. David, our first born, turned out to be everything we wanted in a child. His son, Matthew, turned out the same, a practical and honest man that runs the farm well...

P.S. As soon as I wrote: Jed nudges me from heaven and tells me to get the story right - well, I knew I had Alvina's story to tell. The words that form prose are given to me from heaven above. I have felt this gift of creativity from as far back as I can remember.