The Gypsy Witch by Mariah LeGrand

INTERVIEW OF MARIAH LEGRAND
by Diane T., Editorial Assistant to The Romance Studio

DT: The Gypsy Witch is a very interesting story, would you tell us something about it?

ML: about a woman that hides in a barrel to escape the persecution going on in France at the time, only to be captured by a handsome privateer when he attacks her ship.

DT: What inspired you to write a story about the war between the Catholics and the Protestants in the early days of France?

ML: My uncle had our family traced and there really was a girl that escaped France in this way. The writer in me just got carried away and said what if?

DT: I understand you live on Fidalgo Island and that it's a very beautiful place. Does living on an island help to inspire your stories and have you ever thought about writing a story based on the history of the island?

ML: No, it had never entered my mind. I guess I live too close to it. Ha!

DT: I know that historical stories are your favorite, but you also mentioned in one interview that there are some time-travel stories you like as well. If you could travel in time, where would you go, what year would you choose and why?

ML: I would go back to the medieval period, when the castles were moderately new and it would have to be Scotland, my favorite.

DT: Mariah, what would be the best advice you could give a new writer just starting out?

ML: To continue to write no matter what. I let life interfere and quit writing for about 20 years before I picked it back up in 2002. I should have continued on.

DT: Mariah, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions today. There is one last thing I'd like to ask. What is the one moment that stands out in your memory to be the most important event in your life?

ML: Other than my marriage and having children and grandchildren, I would have to say when I got the letter from Lorraine Stephens at Wings that she wanted to publish my books.

INTERVIEW OF MARIAH LEGRAND
by Tamia Dawn Osburn

1) Can you tell us a little about your book, The Gypsy Witch?

The Gypsy Witch is about Danielle Rochette escaping religious persecution from France in a barrel on a ship, only to be captured by Privateer Scott Dominion.

2) Can you tell us a little about your main characters?

Danielle has learned to do everything a man would have got to learn. Shooting, Fencing, riding astride. Lucky for her it will all come in handy on her adventures. Scott, a bastard son of a Frenchman has grown to hate the French until a beautiful woman appears on his ship in a barrel with a French accent. He may have to change his way of thinking.

3) Why did you choose France as the background instead of England?

My uncle had our genealogy traced and one of my ancestors really did hide in a barrel to escape France. I just thought what if?

4) What made you decide to write romance books?

I have always loved romance books for as long back as I can remember. The old nurse romance books, or Barbara Cartland. I have read other books but always came back to romance when I wanted a relaxing read and good ending.

5) Who's your inspiration when writing about the men as your characters?

I would have to say Kathleen Woodiwiss. She always wrote a hero that was nice. I hate the heros that have no heart.

6) Does home life interfere with your writing?

It did when my children still lived at home, but now I have the freedom to write whenever I would like.

7) Can you tell us a little more about your writing? Are we prepared for more of your gypsies?

The Gypsy Witch is not really about gypsies. It is a nickname he calls her.

8) Have you written anything else besides historical?

Yes. I have written a few contemporary Harlequin types but they rest in the drawer where they belong. Ha!

9) Do you write under other names besides Mariah Legrand?

NO.

10) What are your plans for the future?

I have a new contemporary and another Scottish historical in the works. Hope to get them done before too long.

The Reiver's Passion by Mariah LeGrand

Log Line:
At a time when Scotland is under England's rule and is trying to crown their own king; From two waring clans, Candelinn Comyn and Sir Angus MacBaron find passion and happiness together.

INTERVIEW OF MARIAH LEGRAND
by Joanna Challis, Wings author.

JC: Hi Mariah! Your book sounds fascinating. Tell us a little about it and what inspired you to write it?

ML: I have always loved anything about Scotland. And the ancient law that if they said they were married they were, intrigued me.

JC: Is THE REIVER'S PASSION your first book?

ML: No. I have written other novels. This is just the first one to get published. Ha!

JC: What do you like most about Scottish history? I love your heroine's name!

ML: The fact that the Scots worked so hard to be independent from England. If they would have stayed banned together they could have made it. But they were just too busy fighting their opposing clans. They survived such hardships only to lose in the end.

JC: . How did you find the road to publication? Smooth / rocky, long / short?

ML: Very long. I have always written things down, but finally got serious into writing novels around 1978. It was the era of the Avon authors that took us all by storm. Kathleen Woodiwiss, Rosemary Rogers, Laurie McBain etc. I had written a couple of novels during this time, and started sending them out. I used to say I got wonderful rejections. The editors would write me nice letters instead of the pre-printed form letter. Ha! Then in the early 1980's I got too busy with life and raising my chldren to keep it up. I gave up in other words. Also my husband and I were running three different businesses and there just was not enough time. I didn't get back into my writing until 2000. I became disabled and had plenty of time to go back and do what I loved best. Writing. A fellow author (Irene Pascoe) talked me into sending to Wings Press. And I haven't looked back since. Lorraine Stephens and her crew are wonderful. I am so lucky to have found her. I call Wings Press a publisher with a heart! I will never write for anyone else.

JC: What kind of books do you like to read?

ML: Romance of course! Ha! My favourites are historical, and I have a few time travel I love. But my favorite shelf is filled with Scotland historicals.

JC: How long have you been writing?

ML: I started writing contemporary novels (like harlequins) 35 years ago. I still have them stuffed in my drawers. You never know when I may dig them out and work on them. Ha!

JC: Do you undertake a lot of research in your books?

ML: Absolutely! The real history of the country can add so much to the story.

JC: What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most: beginning, middle, end?

ML: The end of course. It is such a feeling of accomplishment to finish typing that last page.

JC: Do you outline your books first or are you a seat of the pants writer?

ML: I am definitely a seat of the pants type writer. When the characters take over and say let's do this, it is a surprise to me and I love it. It is like reading someone else's story as it unfolds.

JC: Can we expect a sequel to THE REIVER'S PASSION and if not, what are you working on now?

ML: I have another novel, THE GYPSY WITCH which will be released in September 2004 from Wings. And I have started another Scotland story called PRIDE'S PASSION. It is not a sequel but it is during the time of Bannockburn when 5,000 Scots beat 20,000 English to win the day for freedom.

Favorites and Fun Questions
From Romance Junkies

RJ: Congratulations on the debut of REIVER’S PASSION. Getting “the call” that it was sold must have been very exciting! What were you doing when you found out?

ML: I was so excited when I got the e-mail from Lorraine Stephens at Wings. (I was sitting at my desk.) I recall doing a lot of screaming and dancing around the room. Ha! Running into the living room to tell my husband. He has always been so supportive of me so we had to hug over it.

Brooke Wills interviews Mariah LeGrand

RJ: Hi, Mariah and welcome. I am so glad you could join us here at RomanceJunkies. To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current projects?

ML: One of the books is another historical called PRIDE’S PASSION. And one is a contemporary that I have wanted to write for years.

RJ: With two books coming out, and two more in the works, you have been very busy, and obviously have had the storylines in your mind. How did you decide which book to write first?

ML: I actually don’t remember which book I wrote first. It was never published anyway. I had numerous Harlequin-type books written before I got the urge to write a historical. The first one of those I wrote was THE GYPSY WITCH which will be coming out September 1, 2004 from Wings Press, too. My uncle had our family history traced and there was an ancestor who hid in a barrel to escape France on a ship. Her family was trying to get away from religious persecution that was going on in that country at the time. When I read that, I thought…what if…(as all writers do) she got out into the English channel and a handsome privateer just happened to capture the ship she was on and took all the barrels in the hold to his ship. And the rest is history. Ha!

RJ: Tell us what your writing space looks like. Do you have a view? Do you have music playing in the background when you work? A favorite snack or drink by your side--that could possibly splash onto your keyboard?

ML: I am lucky that I have an 11x13 room. I have a nice big desk and a floor to ceiling bookshelf where I put my favorite authors, etc. My desk is next to a sliding glass door so the view is looking out over a 1/2 acre lawn to a row of trees in the back. There is a little deck out the door with container plants all blooming at this time of year. I have no music going as I find I can only write in silence. I either have coffee or a big glass of water nearby. And luckily I haven’t spilled it on the keyboard yet.

RJ: When you first started writing, what was the most uplifting comment you received; the one that still gives you pleasant feelings today?

ML: A friend read my draft and told me she thought I should send it in to a publisher; that she thought I wrote as well as the other romance books she had read.

RJ: What grows in Mariah’s garden?

ML: I don’t really have a garden. I have flowerbeds. But my husband plants tomatoes in containers and we love reaping the harvest of those later in the year.

RJ: How did you get turned on to playing the bass? Can you sing, too?

ML: My husband was playing in a band with another couple and they got orders (they were navy) to Hawaii. She (the wife bass player) came to me and said, “You have two weeks to learn to play the bass.” Well believe it or not, I did it. I am lucky to have a great memory so I memorized each song and how to play it. Of course I had to learn about 50 songs and could not play a new one for awhile. I gradually learned.

RJ: Where was the most memorable place you’ve traveled in your motor home? Ever have a breakdown or flat tire? Do you get to drive, or does your husband take over the wheel?

ML: Probably the most memorable place we have gone in the motor home was an extended trip across to OK and then to AZ and then to NV and to CA and then back up to WA. It was very enjoyable. We did break down once in our old motor home. And it irritated my husband so much that we bought a new 33 foot Winnebago Brave real soon after that. I got to drive the new one once for about 5 minutes so my husband could use the bathroom. Ha! He is very stubborn when it comes to letting anyone else drive.

RJ: You’ve had quite a few varied careers. Which is the one you liked the best? Which is the one you are glad you are retired from?

ML: Actually I have loved all my careers. I enjoyed working in any capacity I guess. I didn’t really retire, I got cancer and became disabled. There is a huge difference. I wish I was still out there in the work force doing something. I am a people person and miss that a lot.

RJ: How did you and your husband meet? Was it love at first site? Or did it take a bit to know he was the one?

ML: I first met my husband when he was just getting ready to get out of the navy. He came to our house with his chief to visit my brother-in-law. I thought he was the most handsome man I had ever seen but figured him for a conceited sailor. So I tried to ignore him mostly. It worked for a little while, until he kissed me. That did it!

RJ: What is this romance writer’s idea of the “perfect date-night” evening?

ML: Now that is a hard question. I like to do all types of things. A walk on the beach, a nice dinner in a nice restaurant, or going dancing to a good band.(I like old rock and roll.) I don’t think the place matters as much as who you are with.

RJ: How do you describe Mariah LeGrand? How does Mariah LeGrand’s husband describe her?

ML: Uh-oh another hard one. I guess I would have to say a slightly overweight grandmother who loves make up. I have a writer friend in NY who told me (after I had e-mailed my picture) that I looked like an older Mary Kay. I’m sure because of the make up. I never go out without it. Ha!
My husband wrote out the request as to how he saw Mariah LeGrand. I think he is a little partial though. Ha!

My wife is the most loving, caring person I know. She always thinks of others instead of her self and she has always set her goals in life very high and pursued her dreams no matter what life has dealt her. A beautiful Lady inside and out.

Mariah LeGrand's husband,

Ed

MORE FUN…

RJ: What is the one food you hated as a child that you love today? Which one does your family hate that you love?

ML: I don’t remember ever hating any food. If I had to choose I would have to say avocados. Being raised in OK I had never tasted them until I married a man from CA. I thought they were tasteless. He told me it was an acquired taste. And he was right, I love them now. Fried liver and onions is a favorite of mine but my husband and sons never liked it.

RJ: Fidalgo Island is such an awesomely beautiful place. What do you like best about it? Do you have a bat house to help keep those mosquitoes in line?

ML: Here on Fidalgo Island we don’t really have a problem with mosquitoes. Thank heavens. This island is a beautiful place to live. Lots of evergreen trees, small lakes, and a small town. Great, friendly people, and it is close to the ski areas or the big city. The best of everything.

RJ: Eh, eh, eh, Mariah! A nasty summer storm is coming your way. Lightning, thunder, and rain will pitter patter everywhere and make you take cover on higher ground. What is the one possession that you must take with you?

ML: First of all, I love those types of storms! If I didn’t have to go to higher ground I would probably just either go out in it or watch it from the window. But if we are having a flood and I have to take action, I would probably take nothing but my family and animals. They are the most important things to me.

RJ: What is the best appliance ever invented; the one you will defend its worth to one and all? What is the one that should have just stayed on the drawing board under a pile of papers?

ML: Probably a freezer. You can have lots of food on hand and you don’t have to go to the market every day. There are lots of new appliances out there today that I think are unnecessary. ie. Rice cookers, tortilla makers, spaghetti makers, food dehydrators, etc. I am a lot old fashioned I guess.

RJ: And lastly, no interview of a writer would be complete without this question: what is your favorite comfort food?

ML: Another hard one. I love food! I guess I would have to say Mexican or Oriental, or southern fried chicken or hot barbeque ribs (like in the south), or Lobster. See what I mean. I could go on forever. Ha!

RJ: Oh my goodness, now I am hungry! Mariah, thank you so much for spending a bit of time with us. It has been wonderful! Best of luck with both REIVER’S PASSION and THE GYPSY WITCH.

The Romance Studio Interview with Mariah LeGrand:

TRS: Mariah, tell us about your fascinating new historical romance, Reiver's Passion.

ML: Reiver's Passion is in 1305 Scotland. A time when England ruled and they were trying to find a king. A couple from two opposing clans are attracted to each other but because of the times can not have a normal relationship. Until Laird Angus McBaron decides he is going to take Candelinn Comyn like a common reiver and keep her as his own.

TRS:What gave you the idea for this story set in such a turbulent time for both England and Scotland?

ML: I have always loved Scottish tales and at the time my sister was living there.

TRS: What sort of research was required to bring this story to glorious life with such rich details?

ML: When I got involved with researching the history of Scotland I found this time to be very interesting. The research of Robert the Bruce era was easy to find and jumped out at me to write the story.

TRS: What is your favorite memory of writing this book?

ML: I think building the characters within and using some real life people that helped aid the story. (Robert the Bruce, and the woman that represented the house of Fife.)

TRS: What advice would you give to aspiring writers, Mariah?

ML: To write. To rewrite. To read. To study the markets that you are interested in writing. Never quit.

TRS: Would you like to hear from readers?

ML: I have always loved to hear from readers. How can I better myself if I don't listen to their likes and dislikes.