The Dog Roses: Resolution follows twin sisters who rule the land with tyranny and chaos, causing their parents to send in their twin brothers to restore order to the land. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

In Book 1: The Dog Roses, the sisters, Danu and Brighid, overcame many physical, spiritual and supernatural barriers and scaled the heights of success. They were hailed as heroes by the people. Their weakness or vulnerability was their personalities. Could they adjust from battle queens to reigning in peaceful times? The answer was no. They had not learned to develop harmonies or that their abilities could augment and reinforce each other. Thus, the strap line became “Sisters squabble. Queens go to war.” The kingdom was torn in two as each queen fought for ascendency. Their personalities dictated the path each would take. Still, do not judge them too harshly. They were human and subject to human frailties and passions. The Dog Roses: Resolution poses the questions: Can the twins be reconciled? What will be the cost? And are they prepared to pay that cost?

The supporting characters in this novel, I felt, were intriguing and well developed. Who was your favorite character to write for?

I will cheat here and say two characters were my favorite for very different reasons. First, Aoife: we first came across an exuberant Aoife as a seven year-old watching Danu and Brighid’s arrival on warships in Eriu. At that time I based Aoife’s personality on my granddaughter, Sasha, whose optimistic outlook and bravery in the face of challenging health issues is a shining light to all who meet her. No matter what was thrown at them Aoife and Sasha refused to let it crush them. The difficulty, however, came in Book 2: The Dog Roses: Resolution when I had to envisage Aoife/Sasha as a fierce eighteen year-old warrior determined to bring justice to evildoers. I think I managed to advance both their personalities quite successfully. That said, I will only truly know in five years when Sasha is at an age to read my books!

The other character is the whore and assassin, Tisiphone. We first came across Tisiphone in Conall V: Retribution. At fifteen, she was a whore working the harbour districts of Massalia (Marseille). Even at that age, Tisiphone was an accomplished spy and assassin who enthralled men with her beauty. In Conall V, I left Tisiphone bleeding out in a back alley of Massalia after defending herself against another assassin but left the reader to judge whether she had died. In the end, I just could not let her go and she appears in The Dog Roses: Resolution as much more complex character, although still an assassin and still a whore!

Are you a fan of the Fantasy genre? What books do you think most influenced your work?

I don’t read as much as I should! Yes, I enjoy fantasy, mostly urban or historical and I’m always in search of a good steampunk novel. Angie Barton is a good friend and I really enjoy her Gothic horror/vampire novels. As to influences, prior to writing historical fantasy I was an avid reader of historical fiction, especially the works of Bernard Cornwell or Conn Iggulden. I’m also a fan of of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. That said, I also read westerns, science fiction and detective novels.

Where do you see your characters after the book ends?

I have been asked this question at several recent author book signings. The honest answer is “I don’t know.” It certainly is possible that The Dog Roses Series will have a third book, probably located in Southern France (Gaul) because Danu and Brighid and their children return “home” to Conall and Morrigan in the closing chapter. It is quite possible that they will join with the characters of The Blood Queen Chronicles who are also homesick for their friends. One intriguing scenario was recently posed to me by a reader who said, since many of the characters were supernatural, then how would they react to being in the 21st Century!

That said, I am already working on my next potential series of at least five books: The Tuatha De Chronicles. The manuscript of Book 1: Dragons, Demons & Demigods has gone through structural editing and will be submitted to my copy editor at the end of the summer. The book will cross historical fantasy with urban fantasy.

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