DT, Your featured book Love's Captive , is being re-released at New Concepts Publishing, would you tell us about it, and was the main characters based on someone from your past?
MN, Rhamus is based partially on my husband, Simon, who I use as an inspiration/model for all my heroes. Sometimes I pick certain personality characteristics and use them in different ways. For example, Rhamus is very serious and dedicated to his job. So is Simon.
But the closest I've come to depicting Simon's character is through Eric in Heart of the Dragon . My husband also has a humorous side and loves to tease me - which is a major personality characteristic in Eric. I also incorporate Simon's Alpha male qualities into my heroes, tempering them with sensitivity and caring so they don't come out obnoxious.
I use Simon for the physical part of my heroes. He is a handsome body-builder, a soldier, and a 2 nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He helps me with my fight scenes, fine tuning and putting in more details.
In fact, Simon also helps with me in the writing dept. He volunteered to edit Love's Captive for me. I was happy for his help. He is a perfectionist, so he's very good at catching sentence structure errors, misspells, etc. Before I started writing the book, Simon told me he would help more around the house to free up my evenings. I worked full-time back then and was really concerned about the time issue. Simon kept his promise by doing all the dishes. I always cooked, but that helped tremendously.
Also, after that, he has edited every one of my books. I know I could not have gotten as far as I have without his encouragement and help.
As far as Serena, I had no one particular in mind. I'd say she is a compilation of people I've known. Whereas Nicole is almost an exact copy of my best friend in NC, which is strange since Nicole was created before I met Rhonda!
DT, I read that you stated one source for your ideas come from your dreams. I myself am a big believer in dreams and that they can guide a person in many ways, is that how it works for you?
MN, Dream. No, I'm not guided, I think, in the sense you mean. My dreams work by unlocking my unconscious. I dreamed Love's Captive all in one night. It was like a video playing in my mind. That was the first time I realized I could dream a story and jot down any interesting ideas after I awoke.
Since then I've learned how to plug into my unconscious to solve storyline problems. When I was trying to come up with an idea for the 3 rd book of Volarn, I was having difficulty. How to create another romance story and solve the war on Volarn, which I wanted to do in this book? I couldn't do it consciously. But when I decided to see if my unconscious mind could help, I was astonished. That night I dreamed The Princess and the Barbarian , which I am currently working on. It combined a lovely romance, which would help bring peace to Volarn.
I feel very blessed to be able to use dreams to come up with unique stories and solve storyline problems.
DT, I have to ask this question for sure. How did you come up with the character Serena, a six foot two inch wrestler? Is her character based on anyone you know in particular?
MN, Serena is not based on anyone specifically, but a compilation. Where did I come up with her being a 6'2" wrestler? There were 3 purposes I wanted to serve by Serena filling these characteristics.
One, I needed her to be tall, since all the warriors on Volarn are 7' and over, and they wanted women at least 6'. It made sense to me that a very tall, attractive woman might attract the attention of a wrestling agent while she attended a match.
Two, I wanted Serena to be a fighter. An important scene is when Serena fights Kasha and beats her. She wins the warrior princess' respect and it was the start of a friendlier relationship between them.
Three, Serena has deep emotional issues, which make her desire self-punishment. She works in a profession she doesn't like and which is looked down on by many people. Serena's self-guilt and anger are at the root of her choosing to be a female wrestler. She wants absolution, but does not resolve her issues until the elders mind-meld and heal her.
It's funny, but when Love's Captive first came out, one lady refused to review it. She said she couldn't do the review because it bothered her that Serena was a female wrestler, and even suggested I change her to a martial arts or fencing expert. I wondered if she had even read the whole book, for she missed the important points I made above. If Serena had been an expert in swords or martial arts, she could have beaten Kasha. But the whole issue about her self-punishment would have been lost, because those two are very respectable fighting techniques.
DT, Tell us about your new release from Ellora's Cave, As You Wish? Can you also tell us where the idea/inspiration for this book came from?
MN , it is a story about a genie and a playboy, with lots of humor. I'm not sure where/when the idea popped up. I know I loved watching "I Dream of Jeannie". I like writing about all kinds of fantasy characters - mermaids, shapeshifters, etc., so I guess it is just natural I would write a genie eventually.
I wanted Amira to be mischievous and play tricks on her Master, but also have a sadness due to her being condemned as a djinn for eternity. Her wish is to win her freedom. Nick, her Master, is a playboy. He is bent on his own pleasure and thinks he has everything he wants in life. Once he finds Amira, he revels in the sexual wishes at his disposal. But soon, he finds there is only one woman's love he desires - his genie's.
DT, Heart of the Dragon is the sequel to Love's Captive , was it harder to write and will there be more sequels to this story? I for one hope so, I was in tears when I finished reading Love's Captive and I can't wait to read the sequel.
MN, Heart of the Dragon was easier to write. For one thing, once you write your first book, you understand the process better and it just flows easier after that. Also, Kasha and Eric's story is full of humor. I had so much fun writing their story it just flowed like magic between my fingers.
Yes, there will be a sequel. The Princess and the Barbarian is the 3 rd book in the Volarn series, which I'm currently writing. The heroine is Sasha, Serena's daughter. Vork, Serena's son, will play an important secondary role. I want to keep the hero's (the barbarian) identity a secret. Their love will bring about peace on Volarn. In the excerpt at the back of Heart of the Dragon , readers will see that Sasha and Thoric have been thrown into very unusual circumstances.
They both are kidnapped by unknown persons and beamed down onto a very hostile, savage planet. I got this idea form Enemy Mine, which is one of my favorite s/f movies. Sasha and Thoric will have to rely on each other in order to survive.
Note: Heart of the Dragon should be out in print in March, if not, hopefully soon after.
I have had numerous fans tell me they fell in love with Jarvic and ask if he had a story. So, I decided he must have his own book. In the back of the newly released Love's Captive I have a very hot excerpt from Bonds of Love - Jarvic's story. It's going to take one special lady to bring this charming playboy to his knees. I plan on writing this 4 th book in 2005.
DT, Would you welcome personal mail from your readers?
MN, Yes. I love to receive fan letters. If you are having a bad day, a fan's note can brighten it up a lot. Sometimes you can even get ideas for other stories - like Jarvic's. J
I would like readers to know I have two different web sites. My New Concept Publishing books are highlighted on www.myranour.com , while my Ellora's Cave books are on www.myranour.com/erotic/ . Each site has excerpts, the first chapter of each book, review snippets, comments from readers, contests, and purchasing links.
I have an individual newsletter which can be joined at: http://www.myranour.com/newsletter.html
I am also involved in a group newsletter, Femme Fatales of Romance, with 3 talented EC authors. They are Delilah Devlin, Ashley Ladd, and Cricket Starr. Readers can join at: femme_fatales-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Back to Interviews
