Are
you a mom ?
I am a mom. My daughter is 27. I call her my “Opus”
(Latin for “great work”). I was 22 hours in labor and remember every minute of
it. For this reason, she is an “only child”. Interestingly, all the stories
you’ve probably read about “only children” are false. They do not grow up
selfish or self-centered. Since they never had to fight over the last Pop Tart
or deal with missing personal items scavenged by siblings, they are generous,
considerate and very giving. They develop a wide circle of deep and
long-standing friendships and they mature at a very early age.
Do
you find it hard to juggle writing and parenting?
Writing and reading has always been a part of
parenting for me. There is nothing to juggle. J
My daughter and I have always shared a love of
books. Maybe that was something I engendered, but it could very well have been
something innate within her. We spent a lot of time on the library floor. She
participated in the public library “Sneaks Summer Reading Programs” while
growing up. As she grew older, we
swapped books and talked about them in the car on the way to high school. And
then, while she stressed about her master’s thesis at a university on the other
side of the Atlantic, I wrote a book for her to keep her spirits up. I sent her
a couple of chapters each week. Her feedback, edits, ideas and encouragement
kept me racing toward the finished manuscript.
Have
you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own
life?
Yes and no. My characters are not based on real
people, but I do channel Taylor Swift and “name-check” people that are
important to me and my daughter. For example, in “Touching the Moon”, I named
the main character “Julie” after my daughter’s college flat-mate. They were
friends struggling for their master’s degrees in archeology at the University
of Southampton in England. The real Julie actually read the book by weekly
installments also!
In the sequel, I named one of the main characters
“Constanze” after a close colleague of my daughter’s. Both ladies were working
towards their PhDs and shared an office. They have finished, I have not! The sequel is
at 60%.
Is
there a theme or message in your work that you would like readers to connect
to?
I don’t write about weak women or super-women. I
write about real women… women who take responsibility for their actions, women
who refuse to be victims, women who love and live and work and struggle and
find happiness that is of their own making. No Walt Disney-Prince Charming
solutions to life and its challenges!
That said, there is plenty of romance to be found
for a woman with such a stance. It just develops in “real time” under both
normal and (sometimes) paranormal circumstances.
When
you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
I love to cook. I love to garden. Over time, the two
hobbies have become inexorably intertwined. These interests all stem from my
love of food. I love to eat. I love to
experiment with new foods, spices, herbs and preparations. When I go to a
restaurant and discover a fantastic dish, I try to re-create it at home. I bake
bread. I make pasta. I make my stocks. I’m a true “foodie”.
Which
romance book or series (or other genre, if you don’t write romance) do you wish
you had written?
I wish I had written “The Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough, “River God” by Wilbur
Smith, “The Amulet of Samarkand” by Jonathan Stroud and “The Alchemist” by Paulo
Coelho. These authors are masters of their craft and have crafted my most
favorite of all-time great reads.
If
this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?
“Touching the Moon” has a sequel and I’m working on
it currently. This next installment explains more of the Scandinavian werewolf
mythology by taking us to Denmark for a portion of the story. Although the
first novel is firmly set in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the underpinnings
of the story range far afield in the next installment. There is mythology
afoot. (Please excuse the pun.) And mythology is not ALL fabricated. I’ve heard
the word defined as a “half-remembered truth”.
I think those who enjoyed the Native American focus
of the first story will really enjoy delving into Scandinavian lore and legend
in this next book. And…it all ties together!
A sneak peek?
In
the sequel, my main character, Julie, reconciles with Hayden, the werewolf who
kidnapped her…and gets a little lesson in Scandinavian werewolf lore.
Hayden smiled. “How are your
sons?”
“Six going on sixty… which
makes me… ancient,” answered Julie.
“Ancient, no. But you are
certainly wise beyond your years. This served us both well many moons ago.”
The room fell silent.
“I’m trying,” Hayden said softly.
“Very hard.”
Suddenly, Julie felt badly. And
it made her angry. Who was she to feel guilt? His contrite behavior didn’t
erase past sins. She frowned in confusion. She frowned at the situation. She
frowned at Hayden.
“Julie.” He leaned forward. “I
didn’t grow up soft. I have to work at it.
And I would like to make amends. I know my most recent past behavior has
been less than stellar, and for that, I sincerely apologize. But, I need you to
understand. I’m grappling with an ancient past as well.”
“How so?”
“There’s a warrior legacy in me
that dates back to the time of Odin.”
“Excuse me?”
“The Norse god of battle.”
“I don’t understand.”
“In the days when Vikings
raided the coastlines of Europe, their most ferocious warriors wore wolf-skins.
They were an elite and ferociously ruthless strike force.”
“Men dressed as wolves?”
Hayden gave her an almost
imperceptible shrug, neither acknowledging or confirming her words. “Their sons
and the sons of their sons carried forward a genetic heritage much like Doberman
Pinschers and Pit Bulls do today.”
“Aggression?”
“Yes and no. The genetic
blueprint is one designed for battle. That is nature. Nurture teaches all that muscle to protect instead of fight.” He
smiled. “This you taught me.”
“You’re saying… what are you saying?
That you are descended from Vikings?”
“Yes.”
She snorted in disbelief.
“Before Columbus, there was
Leif Ericson.” Hayden took a sip of tea. “Five hundred years prior. Leif
Ericson and his Ulfhednar.”
“Ulfhednar?”
“Wolf-skinned.”
“Good God.”
Hayden hummed a ‘no’ while
taking another swallow. “Odin.”
“I’m not buying.”
“Doesn’t make the merchandise
any less real.”
Touching
the Moon
Lisa
M. Airey
Genre: Romantic Suspense with a
Paranormal Twist
Publisher: Aakenbaaken &
Kent, NY
ISBN: 978-1-938436-05-5
ASIN: B00A6GM0X8
Number of pages: 272
Word Count: 89K
Cover Artist:
www.reese-winslow.com
Book Description:
A gifted healer with a genetic
secret and a haunted past, Julie Hastings takes her new veterinary degree to
South Dakota hoping to bury memories of a physically abusive stepfather and
unprotective mother.
Although intending to lead a
quiet life, she finds herself relentlessly pursued by two unwelcome suitors:
the Chief of Police and a powerful member of the Sioux Indian Nation.
The man she chooses shatters her
world-view.
Her stepfather taught her that
not all monsters run on four legs. Now Julie must face another truth—some
beasts are good.
About
the Author:
Lisa has worked in the wine
industry for 20 years, the most recent eight in education with the Society of
Wine Educators and the French Wine Society. In these roles, she has authored
and/or edited wine study manuals and developed or expanded certification
programs for the wine trade.
In her free-time, she writes
fiction...naturally, with a glass of wine at the elbow.
She is a Maryland Master Gardener
and puts that training into practice in her sizable vegetable garden. To assist
her, she has recruited the services of a very helpful staff: two Chinese geese,
two mini-Rex rabbits and 2,000 red wigglers (worms)…all of which are “master
composters”. An adopted feral cat guards the perimeters and keeps the
groundhogs at bay. She resides in Monkton, Maryland.
Twitter: @LisaMAirey
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