Romance novels are easily set in any time or place. Why did you chose to set yours among Indians?
I chose to write an historical Indian romance because the first fiction I ever read was a novel from Cassie Edward’s Savage series. I read her entire sequel and since most of her books were mostly based on the Plains Indians, I wanted to focus on a tribe indigenous to my area. My series of 5 consists of the original tribes that made up the Iroquois League of Nations here on the East coast.
Where did your love of Indians come from?
I've always had a fascination for Native Indian culture since as long as I can remember. I think it started back when I was a little girl and use to watch all the John Wayne movies with my dad. Even at such a young age I felt they was no justification as to how they were treated by our forefathers. As my passion for writing grew, so did my desire to portray them for who they really were.
I've not done a lot of fact checking about your representation of the Indians of the time but it does seem to "ring true". Where does your information come from? How did you research it?
I spent hundreds of hours sitting upon uncomfortable wooden chairs at the state museum library handwriting notes on multiple legal pads as I researched their folklore, religion, language and culture. I personally feel that if I'm using a culture in one of writings and benefiting from it, it's important to pay tribute to the true essence of who they are as a people. For far too long Native Indians have been painted in a savage light and not the honorable, respectful and reverent individuals they truly were.
Will your next novel continue with the tribes of the north east?
Book #2, "Captive Heart", actually picks up where my female villain is banished to the tribe of the Oneida as punishment. The very fate she has mocked her entire adult life sends her on a dangerous journey that tests the very essence of who she is and the woman she secretly wishes to become.
