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Interview
with Jackie Ivie featuring
... The Knight Before Christmas
Set
in 1455 Scotland. The wintry Scottish Highlands is the setting
for Jackie Ivie's magical new novel of a man and a woman who
battle the elements and each other to learn that the season's
greatest gift is love...
interviewed by Romance Designs
What
was your inspiration for The Knight Before Christmas?
Oh,
I was dreaming.Of an absolutely stunning, gorgeous, brawny,
muscled, man...in a kilt! Oh my. I had my mind’s eye on a hybrid
from the very beginning; formed from Duane Johnson (The ROCK)
from the Scorpion King movie – combined with Arnold Swarzenegger
from the two Conan movies. That was Myles Magnus Donal.From
the get-go. I had him in my mind. He was always right there
- in front of me.I was actually stunned when I saw my cover
for the first time – since my editor got him perfectly just
from my description. The brawn, the hair, the dark eyes, the
handsome looks...the kissable pout. It was like she’d channeled
him!
The Knight Before Christmas is a sweet tale of Myles and
Kendran who take refuge in the same small croft when they
become lost in a snowstorm. What part does fate play in the
circumstances that bring them together?
Ah,
fate. That most unexpected and odd thing – that NOBODY can
control. That’s the underlying thread in THE KNIGHT BEFORE
CHRISTMAS – and I’m so glad it got noticed! Fate is what brings
these two together, and it’s what makes their love such work.
Myles
Donal is a hard warrior that readers will love. Tell us a
little about this reluctant groom?
What
can I say? I absolutely adore Myles. The entire time I was
writing him, he was just there – right in front of me. He’s
larger than anyone, more handsome than possible, and totally
honorable. If I just could find this guy! Oh my.
Lady
Kendran is a spirited woman fighting against her father’s
order for her to marry. What can readers expect from this
wily character?
Kendran
is that woman who isn’t going to just accept what fate dishes
out for her – regardless of how it’s directing her every move.
I’m a “seat-of-the-pants” plotter andMyles started my story.
I had fleshed out this massive hero, going against all odds,
and by the time I had him succumbing to his injuries and illness,
I knew exactly what Myles needed: and I knew exactly what
she’d be like. Strong personality. A fighter. A woman who
may keep losing at every little game they set up (just like
her life so far), but she just won’t accept it. She’ll regroup
and come right back, inventing another game so she can win.
Kendran
and Myles are stranded together by a snowstorm and each sees
something in the other as soon as they meet. Do you believe
in love at first sight?
Well....I
know the first attraction HAS to be there. From the first
moment. They either bother the heck out of you (my husband
was this kind of male), or they make your heart stutter the
moment the eyes meet. It’s got to be there.
The Knight Before Christmas has a number of magical creatures
from Rafe the horse to Waif a wolf, what gave you the idea
for these animals with great personalities?
That’s
the strange thing about the way I write. I really didn’t come
up with them. They just flew off my fingers and into the keyboard.
I was watching the story unfold and having a ball doing it.
I couldn’t believe half the things that were happening, either.
It’s only after I get a scene written that I go searching
for if I’ve messed up historical data too much.
Myles
vows to marry Kendran by the Yule. What do you think is so
romantic about a Christmas wedding?
Well...just
about everything.It’s the season of giving, loving...of warm-hearts
and fiery passions, and cold just about everywhere else.I
live in Alaska – and this is especially true here! Plus, I’m
almost a Christmas baby (Dec. 19th), so the entire
holiday season just has a great loving undertone to it.The
scent, the food, the caresses, the mulled wine, the crackling
fire...warm blankets. Oh my!
Kendran’s
sister Lady Sybil, a magical woman, play’s a big part in the
story. Tell us what motivated you to create her?
I
wanted so much to have a little know-it-all behind the scenes,
one that could speak for me (since I’m living this whole story
as I’m writing it and can see all the mistakes being made).
It was just a hoot to write Sybil.
Will
we meet Lady Sybil again?
Oh
– this one is already in the works!She really needs her world
rocked. So...I started writing on it the moment I finished
THE KNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.It’s still in the beginning phases,
because I’m waiting to hear if my editor wants it. (Sybil’s
got her gorgeous hot, blond Highlander from the Donal clan
all tied in knots by page 8, and she didn’t even have to touch
him!)
There
are plenty of colorful secondary characters that readers enjoy
in your books. In The
Knight Before Christmas we meet the young lad Beggin and
assorted knights from Myles honor guard. How do you develop
such deep and fun characters?
I
wish I had an easy answer to this wonderful question, too.
I don’t flesh out and story-board any of my characters. This
lad, Beggin? He was talking almost faster than I could type
– and he started up the moment Myles wakes. I truly couldn’t
stop the banter.And then there are those Honor Guard fellows...I
had such fun with that disgraced bunch of guys!
What
type of research did you do for The
Knight Before Christmas?
Not
a whole lot at the time I was writing, actually. I read non-fiction
voraciously when I’m not writing or raising teenagers, or
dogs, or working my day job, or any of that other stuff. I
have a thing for history books:Weapons. Castles. Clothing.
And I have a large personal library. I rarely crack them open
when I’m writing. I don’t want anything to interrupt the flow.
One thing I do know – I love to write in the medieval period.
There’s nothing else like it.
When
did you first decide that you wanted to write historical romance?
What drew you to writing about the medieval time period?
I
discovered historical romances in my teens, and from that
moment on, there wasn’t any other type of fiction book for
me. There still isn’t. I live, eat, sleep, breathe, dream,
write, historical romance.It’s the most wonderful escape there
is. And I found something out the moment I started writing.It’s
even more fun than reading it! About the medieval time period?
Oh my. There’s clan war and blood, and death, dishonor, honor,
grimness, joy.Chivalry, romance, lust. And there’s just something
about a hot Highlander in a kilt! Wow. I can visualize really
well. That must be it. Heehee.
Where
did you grow up and where do you live now? How does that influence
you as a writer?
I’m
a born Utahan – transplanted Wyomingite, and now a re-planted
Alaskan.I guess you could say I’m not a fan of urban sprawl.(g)There’s
so much wide open space to the Western states I’ve lived in
and visited.Space. Time. Tranquility. Nature. Wonder. You
have to see Alaska to believe it, by-the-way. There’s something
about long, really long summer days, followed by dark, cold,
snow-filled really long winter days that just speaks to the
writer soul in me. That must be it. I’m not the lone one.
We have an Alaska chapter of romance writers, too!
What
are some of your favorite books and how did these shape you
into the writer you are today?
Just
about anything pre-1982 written by Joanna Lindsey, Kathleen
Woodiwiss and Jude Devereaux. They were my trio of favorite
historical romance authors - and I suppose they still are,
since I don’t read anymore. (There was an unfortunate side
effect to starting writing. I no longer enjoyed a good read.
I’m one of the odd writers. One that isn’t a voracious reader.)
How
did you get your first book published?
The
old-fashioned way. Totally. I hadn’t been to a writers’ conference.
I wasn’t a member of RWA. I was writing and submitting query
letters to agents and publishers, and writing some more.And
writing some more. I started out in spiral notebooks - writing
longhand, graduated to a manual typewriter, then an electric
typewriter, and then an electric with auto-correct feature
(I was in heaven!). Mid 90’s, I moved – with the times - to
a word processor, and finally a real computer! I was always
writing. More and more stories, more and more history, loves,
traumas, joys, births, deaths...ah! To me, writing historical
romance is one of the most enjoyable things on the planet.
(We probably all know what the most enjoyable ones are – heehee)
And then in July of 2002, I wrote LADY OF THE KNIGHT. Every
December 31st, for a lot of years, I would go out
and buy a copy of Publisher and Agent names/addresses, pick
out 100 of them and send “boiler plate” query letters out.
(Not a bright idea, BTW.Lots of wasted money and effort).
In 2002, I did something different. I only picked out ten
agents that were looking for historical romance authors and
were open to new writers. I wrote 10 query letters. It was
a straight-forward, odd-ball query letter. It had three one-line
paragraphs. The first one was the opening sentence of my novel,
LADY OF THE KNIGHT. The second paragraph was: So begins my
historical romance.The third paragraph was: I’m enclosing
a SASE. And would you believe I got ten yes answers within
a week? I didn’t either. But that’s what happened. And then
I had to decide which agent was right for me (since they all
wanted an exclusive look). I selected Elizabeth Pomada out
of San Francisco and I’ve never regretted it.
What
advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Finish
the book!So many writers that I meet are writing a book. They
have it started.Like a jigsaw puzzle. And then they re-write
the beginning. Sit on it. Re-write some more. And there they
are, with a great novel started. But not a whole novel. Do
whatever it takes to finish your book and before you’re done,
you’ll find your style – the one that makes you unique. Don’t
pay a whole lot of attention to every class you take. And
take every rejection for what it is. A piece of paper that
says your book isn’t the right fit at the right time. Period.
Heck, I was told once that: (and this particular letter is
burned into my memory probably forever.) “The entire agency
feels you have talent, but with your butchery of the English
language, it’s impossible to spot.” What can I say? I probably
still butcher English. It’s my style.
How
can readers stay informed about your future books and appearances?
Check
out my website! www.jackieivie.com.
I keep it updated monthly. Well, I don’t, but I have a super
web-mistress who does. Sometimes more often if really neat
stuff happens. I’m also a member of the Romance Unleashed
group of writers – and we BLOG all the time. www.romanceunleashed.com.That’s
a spectacular place to visit as well. Thank you so much for
your time.
To
learn more about this fascinating author and her wonderful
stories, be sure to visit Jackie's website at: http://www.jackieivie.com/
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