It's a pleasure to welcome author, Marsha A. Moore to my blog today...
Hi Marsha, Welcome to Anna's Book Blog! I'm glad to have here. To start off can you tell the readers a little about yourself?
I live near Tampa, having moved here from Toledo, Ohio, officially during the summer of 2009. I stayed the previous winter helping my mother get settled into her house in a neighboring community. Who wouldn’t want to escape winter in the Midwest? I’m still feeling like a little kid, learning and loving all the wonders of life in a sub-tropical place. I LOVE the beach and can’t possibly be there too often.
Otherwise, I’m a yoga enthusiast and do routines in classes or at home five days a week. The other days I’m out bicycling or kayaking. I recently purchased a used kayak—my favorite new toy! We live on a large saltwater lagoon and taking it out for an hour or more is a real treat. It’s just the coolest thing to be able to kayak during winter. I always exercise as part of my daily routine and have for at least a decade. It gives me so much. It clears my mind, so I my writing time is considerably more focused and effective. Also, it takes me on journeys inside my mind or outside in nature that bring me an endless supply of new writing ideas. I write fantasy romance. Those journeys supply a wealth of magic.
Tears on a Tranquil Lake is your newest release, can you tells us a little about it and the series?
Blurb:
What a surprise for a young woman, to find herself suddenly transformed into a mermaid.
Ciel’s first thought – track down the merman who changed her and make him reverse his magic. Unable to find him, survival in her new world becomes paramount. She eagerly accepts help from a dashing pirate captain who takes a fancy to her, lavishing her with finery.
When her merman does show up, he competes for her affection. One look into his eyes makes her life more complex -- he is her soul mate.
Which man will she choose – pirate captain or merman? Which life – human or mermaid? Caribbean adventures and dangers chase Ciel as she searches for decisions and the key to her happiness.
Warning: This book contains Haitian vodou, sultry wenches, foul-mouthed scalliwag pirates, overindulgence of fine Caribbean rum, and amorous encounters on deserted beaches.
What is your writing day like?
A typical day for me is getting up around 8 AM, reading mail and keeping up with my networking/promotional work. Then I exercise. After that, my afternoon is all about household chores and editing. I’m a night owl and do most of my focused writing after dinner, usually staying up until 2 AM.
What type of research did you do for the book?
During the winter of 2008-9, I moved my mother from NW Ohio to Tampa. It didn’t take much to convince me to stay through the winter to help her get settled before I moved my own household the following summer. My first Florida winter inspired me to write my book Tears on a Tranquil Lake. I enjoy folklore and legend, and sought interesting local tales. When I learned about the annual Tampa Gasparilla Festival, the celebration of famed pirate Jose Gaspar’s invasion of the Bay area, I was captivated and a pirate captain, a mermaid, and a merman became the characters of my book.
What are 3 things that are "must haves" for you when you sit down to write a book?
I usually need to connect with nature. My very best writing days are at the beach. Conveniently, I live south of Tampa and can easily find many lovely beaches nearby. Even if I can’t get away to the beach, I often create new drafts outside in the backyard on our dock on a large saltwater lagoon. The brown pelicans have a lot of personality and make great writing companions!
Also, I prefer to exercise to clear my mind before writing. Then, I seem to be better able to put aside daily annoyances and manipulate plot layers.
Third, I need a longer expanse of time to write productively, at least an hour. Some writers effectively use 15 minute segments, but I cannot.
What inspired you to write about mermaids?
(see above about research)
If you could be any paranormal or fantasy creature what would it be?
I would love to be a phoenix bird. I’m enthralled with their mythic process of death and rebirth, usually for the cause of some good. Not only that, they are so beautiful, brightly-colored with tail feathers dripping flames. I often include magical birds in my works. Tears on a Tranquil Lake features a brown pelican who befriends my heroine, a mermaid named Ciel. The sequel will include a magical parrot. Another work out on submission, The Enchanted Bookstore: Seeking a Scribe, has a magical owl, as well as my favorite--a phoenix.
When you’re not writing what kind of books do you like to read?
I like to read classics or books in my own genre, fantasy romance or straight fantasy. I like paranormals, but tend to avoid vampire and shapeshifter themes, since they seem overdone to me. I look for characters having unusual magical abilities, especially those not so well-defined, so the author has more creative license.
Which Authors have influenced you the most?
I’m a huge J.K.Rowling fan. I admire the complex layering within her Harry Potter series that was designed and carried out to appear so deceptively simple.
In my formal literature studies I spent much time reading classics. The romantic period of literature captivated me. I’ve read the entire Thomas Hardy catalog. I spent years engrossed in reading George Elliot, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, James Fenimore Cooper, and Washington Irving. I love how they elevated setting to the level of importance of a main character. Their richly textured settings inspire me enormously. The influences of those works infuse my own writing.
What is up next? Is Tears on a Tranquil Lake the beginning of series or will you move on to something else?
My next MuseItHot release, Sea Glass and Sand Memories, a short story, will be available June, 2011.
I just finished the sequel to Tears on a Tranquil Lake, and then I’ll write a third with those same characters. I have a time travel fantasy romance, Illusions of Intimacy, half done, that I intend to finish before the end of the year. Also, part two in my fantasy romance series, The Enchanted Bookstore, will definitely be written in 2011. Lately, I’ve had a few pesky, but wonderful, new characters pop into my head. They’re chasing me around with plot ideas for a dark paranormal novel, so I may have to fit them into my schedule. That’s plenty to keep me happy and busy for a while!
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Tears on a Tranquil Lake
By: Marsha A. Moore
Out Now!
ISBN: 978-1-926931-29-6
What a surprise for a young woman, to find herself suddenly transformed into a mermaid.
Ciel’s first thought – track down the merman who changed her and make him reverse his magic. Unable to find him, survival in her new world becomes paramount. She eagerly accepts help from a dashing pirate captain who takes a fancy to her, lavishing her with finery.
When her merman does show up, he competes for her affection. One look into his eyes makes her life more complex -- he is her soul mate.
Which man will she choose – pirate captain or merman? Which life – human or mermaid? Caribbean adventures and dangers chase Ciel as she searches for decisions and the key to her happiness.
Where to Buy:
Marsha's Links:
