Frequently asked:
Q: Does Torsten Lucas Furst exist somewhere out there or did you invent him? A: I think it’s one of those things where it’s more fun to let readers speculate. I’m sure there are women who would enjoy thinking of Torsten out there somewhere. I know that I would.
Q: You spent a lot of time on some of the supporting character; Jonas Koertig in particular.
A: He is so unexpected. He is just so off the wall. He was great fun to write. He would do whatever I wanted him to. He was not held back by convention. There is actually a term for the type of personality that Jonas exemplifies … highly creative, eccentric, and very successful. It’s Cognitive Dishibition. If there was a whole planet of these individuals, Jonas would be their leader.
Q: You said that Jonas was fun to write. Could he maybe come back as the main male character in the next book?
A: He definitely likes to hog the page. He’s the main male character in Book 2 - MAXIMUM YIELD, which is already in development. I don’t know how much more outrageous he can be, but who knows – maybe he’s not done yet. And maybe we will also see another side of Jonas too.
Q: Isla Duncan seems to have emerged as a favorite for a main female character. Like Ela, Isla also appears to be your alter-ego.
A: Isla is also my alter-ego … there is no denying that. She even has some of my idiosyncrasies. She seemed like a good match for Jonas, so she is my main female character in Book 2.
Q: Will Ela and Torsten make an appearance in the next book?
A: Definitely. We’ll want to peek in on them, to see how they are doing. And, the lives of these 4 people are inextricably intertwined anyway. Ela and Torsten will recede into the background in Book 2; leaving centre stage for Isla and Jonas to occupy, but their presence will still be felt.
Q: What about Isabel Vega and the mysterious man she knows only as Xander? It feels like their story is not finished, but these characters are a bit of a departure from your main characters in the first and second book. Will they be the main characters in Book 3?
A: Their story will be told in Book 3 – MASTER CLASS, which is also already in development.
Q: Are you going to end the series with Book 3?
A: Actually there will be a Book 4 - LATE HARVEST. The main male character in that one is Émile Delacroix who readers will get to know in Book 1. The female character, Brenna Ryan is new. After that, I don't know. Maybe I'll start another series.
Q: So the stories in Books 2, 3, and 4 all come from Book 1?
A: Yes. There could be some minior reference to something in Book 3 from Book 2 for example, but the important connection for each of the books is always going to be to Book 1.
Q: It sounds like you might have been writing the 4 books simultaneously?
A: Sometimes, I would get an idea for Book 2 and Book 3 because of where the story was going in Book 1, so I would write notes for the other three books.
Q: Isabel Vega is not the same physical type as Ela and Isla for one thing. Also, she is quite a bit younger when we are introduced to her and she has made an unusual career choice … Do you see her as your alter-ego like the other two women or is it something quite different?
A: With Isabella, I diversified. I took more risks writing her, but then I do like to push the boundaries. I didn’t intend to develop her into such an important stand-alone character. Suddenly, there she was and I had to write her story. She has some of the same qualities and strengths as Ela and Isla when you get down to it, and she is working towards a goal where she can begin a whole different chapter, pardon the pun, later in her life. Though she is 25 when we are introduced to her, Isabel is 30 in Book 3 … and she is in love with a man who, when their story begins is 43 and 48 in Book 3. So with both, I am staying true to writing main characters that are 30 and over. I should mention that I never intended for Xander to be anything more than a reference to add credibility to one of Jonas’s schemes and he turned into something I never expected … a force not to be denied … and his connection to other characters, especially Isabel, well … I just had to go with it. When there are these kinds of people living in your head, it’s best to just hear them out … because they won’t go away anyway.
