The last thing that I wrote was an entry for this blog. The first and last book that I wrote is So Faithful a Heart: The Love Story of Nancy Storace & Wolfgang Mozart. I'm not sure, but I think that the first thing that I wrote that I still have is my master's thesis, but there was a lot more before that, obviously.
2. Write poetry?
No. I am not a poet, but as a singer I am an interpreter of poetry.
3. Angsty poetry?
Doesn't interest me.
4. Favorite genre of writing?
Right now it's historical fiction, but that could change.
5. Most annoying character you’ve ever created?
Elizabeth Storace isn't so much annoying as she is infuriating.
6. Best plot you’ve ever created?
Although So Faithful a Heart's plot was already laid out by virtue of the fact that it is based on real historical events, I had to fill in a lot of blank spaces with information that historical documentation doesn't provide. The scenes at the Baroness' estate after Nancy is nearly beaten to death by John Fisher, I think are some of my best "plot-fillers", as well as the scene when Nancy goes to the theater critic, Count Zinzendorf, to appeal to him to ask the Emperor to commission her brother for an opera for the Burgtheater stage.
7. Coolest plot twist you’ve ever created?
History records a period in Nancy Storace's career when she collapsed on stage and "lost her voice" for four months. Through research, and putting two and two together, I surmised that she had a nervous breakdown and went almost completely catatonic during that four-month period and I wrote that into the plot.
8. How often do you get writer’s block?
I don't know that I've ever experienced writer's block, although I've not written enough to really say.
9. Write fan fiction?
No.
10. Do you type or write by hand?
Type on my desktop computer.
11. Do you save everything you write?
Yes.
12. Do you ever go back to an abandoned idea?
Actually, So Faithful a Heart was resurrected from a story I began when I was in high school. I started a story about two people who fell in love in the 18th century but he was married. She became pregnant with his child and miscarried. I find it very compelling that I discovered this true-life story, years later, that mirrored what I had written when I was a teenager.
13. What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written?
So far, So Faithful a Heart, but who knows, perhaps there will be others that I will like better.
14. What’s everyone else’s favorite story you’ve written?
So far, I've gotten great reivews on So Faithful a Heart, but it's the first thing that I've written that has had a wide readership.
15. Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?
Not really - So Faithful a Heart, is a romantic love story, but I wouldn't call it a romance novel per se. It's more of an historical fiction based on actual historical events.
16. What’s your favorite setting for your characters?
I love writing about the 18th century. It's such a colorful, opulent, and elegant period in history.
17. How many projects are you working on now?
Right now I'm marketing So Faithful a Heart and have ideas for two more books brewing.
18. Have you ever won an award for your writing?
Not yet.
19. What are your five favorite words?
opulent, delicious, pert, charming, indignant
20. What character have you created that is most like yourself?
I put a great deal of myself into Nancy Storace.
21. Where do you get your ideas for your characters?
They are largely composites of people I know.
22. Do you favor happy endings?
Only if the story calls for one, otherwise it's not necessary.
23. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
Not when I'm doing my initial writing. It's when I start doing my 2nd drafts and rewrites that I get picky about grammar and spelling.
24. Does music help you write?
Always. I usually listen to the music of the period of which I'm writing.
25. Quote something you’ve written. Whatever pops in your head.
Mozart loved the look and smells of the theater backstage. The aroma of dusty velvet mixed with sawdust, human sweat and stage make-up captivated his innate sensuality, and the thick, red velvet curtains reminded him of the draperies that hung in the bordellos he'd visited once or twice. Perhaps it was also because of the many clandestine encounters he had witnessed between so many actors and actresses, backed up against the walls or hiding behind heavy, velvet curtains, unashamedly indulging their heated passions between acts. Whatever the reason, being backstage always aroused him, especially when he was in the company of a beautiful woman.
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