Why did you decide to be a writer? What steps did you take that lead you fulfill your dreams as a writer?
I’ve been a huge fan of the romance genre since my teens, but it wasn’t till I got the idea for the Lords of Satyr series that I began writing romance. After I finished Nicholas, the first satyr novel, I went to an RWA conference. That’s where I learned about the romance market and where to submit my manuscript. I submitted to Kensington right away. Six months later, I got a call with an offer for the first three books.
What gave you the idea for your Lords of Satyr series?
I studied art history and archaeology in college, so my choice to write about creatures from Roman mythology was a natural. Since the satyr are the carnal followers of Bacchus (the Roman god of wine), I thought they would make intriguing alpha heroes. It seemed natural to make them winemakers and archaeologists, to set the books in Tuscany and Rome, and to have the brothers engage in ancient rituals. I updated the mythological satyr to fit the 1800s, since I like that era.
Why did you decide to set your series as a historical instead of current times?
I enjoy reading historicals and like the male-female dynamic of the period from the 1820s to the 1880s. I also like the clothing of that time. There’s nothing androgynous about it. Women’s clothing is frilly with underlying corsets. Men wear dark, imposing suits.
What does your daily writing schedule look like?
I write from about ten in the morning till six p.m., plus sometimes at night and on the weekends as well.
Everybody says they don't have a favorite character but, who is the favorite heroine you've written and why?
I used to say I liked Jordan, the heroine in Raine The Lords of Satyr. She’s a hermaphrodite, forced to present herself to the world as male in order to sustain the family fortunes. Yet, she isn’t male. She’s a woman, with a woman’s needs. And she doesn’t apologize for anything.
My new favorite heroine is Silvia, the heroine in Bastian. She’s an ephemeral--a creature who must inhabit the bodies of the freshly-dead in order to live on. In exchange for the use of a body, she fulfills the last wish of her host. She exchanges hosts once a month, and has since she was one of the Vestal Virgins of ancient times. So when she meets Bastian, she inhabits the body of a twelve-year-old boy bent on stealing an important artifact from him. She comes to love Bastian, but he has no idea who—or what—she is. Until she changes hosts yet again.
If the Lords of Satyr could have a man-date with another group of guys from any other series, who do you think they'd like to hang out with?
Ha! What a fun question, Francesca! I think the Satyr Lords would enjoy hanging with J.R. Ward’s brotherhood. There would be plenty of locking horns, but they’d all respect one another.
How much research goes into the books and what's your favorite part of it?
Quite a lot. I’ve been to the Roman Forum and Tuscany, which are the settings for the two satyr clans in the satyr novels. I’ve gone to vineyards and talked with winemakers. I’ve read a bazillion books on these subjects as well as 1800s period clothing. I think my favorite part of research weaving it into the core makeup of these Satyr Lords. Their ancient ties to the land are who they are. Their heritage affects their life choices, and sometimes even their choice of mate.
What's your favorite book and why do you love it so much?
There are so many favorites! Maybe Exposure by Susan Andersen. I love the hero in that book.
Sooooo, two cocks, what inspired you to double the endowment of your heroes?
This is the question I’m most often asked. It’s pretty simple really. The satyr are the sexiest male creatures in all of mythology. I wanted a tangible way to show their dominant masculine sexuality.
Of all your books, which was the hardest to write and which was the easiest and why?
Nicholas was the first Lords of Satyr novel as well as the first novel I’d ever written. It was easy because I was writing it for myself and had no deadline. It was a new, exciting adventure.
Raine was the second Lords of Satyr novel and wasn’t quite as easy. Nicholas had been well-received and I was concerned about how readers would view the unusual heroine in Raine. Luckily, readers stuck with me for the most part. Raine went into a second reprinting within a week of publication.
Which one of your guys would you chose to...
...have one passionate night with? Nicholas (I love take-charge eldest brothers.)
...have a summer fling with? Sevin (He owns an upscale brothel and knows women.)
...marry? Bastian (Again, I love hunky eldest brothers. He’s the head of the Roman clan of Satyr.)
What’s next?
Anything else you’d like readers to know?
I do a monthly giveaway at my e-newsletter group. Click here to join!
Man-gods born to live and love forever, the Lords of Satyr are renowned for their sexual prowess…and unquenchable lust…Call My NameThe forum excavations in Rome go on, directed by the iron-willed, charismatic Lord Bastian Satyr. Out of nowhere, a mysterious, haunting voice calls out to him…and lures him to the site of a long-vanished temple, where vestal virgins once performed rites of erotic surrender. The temple is the find of his career, but his heart is about to face the unknown…Michaela is a pure Ephemeral. She can enter the bodies of others—and become any woman a man might wish to possess. His choice is her pleasure. And the commanding and utterly virile Bastian is the only man she desires…
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