Deehabta’s Song follows the life of a woman that must retrace her past to discover who she really is. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

Actually, the original inspiration for the book did not have Krissa as the main character. That developed as I put together the outline for the story. Originally, I wanted to portray the Roman Empire’s conquest of Gaul and Briton as a sci-fi story set on different planets. But there had to be a central character through whom the effects of this conflict were seen. More and more Krissa’s experience became the focus of the story.

Readers get to know Krissa at the ages of 30 and 60 as she pieces together the clues of her life. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

In Krissa’s character I wanted to convey a goodheartedness and sincerity that comes through even when she is cantankerous and difficult in her sixties. She helps many people with her martial arts skills, both by defending them and by being a dedicated instructor. Her fearlessness and ferocity when she is younger, however, leads her into a confrontation with the empire. As a deeply troubled person in her sixties, her persistent self reliance makes it difficult for her to let her roommate Jo help her. The real reason for her inner strength and the belief that she can take on the empire by herself is of course the mystery that the story unravels.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

There is the theme of fighting for freedom, drawing from the Britons’ resistance to the invading Roman Empire. The main character combines Caratacus and Boudicca. Boudicca almost defeated the empire until her rebellion was crushed and she died. Caratacus was defeated but he became assimilated into the Roman world and lived out his life. The book looks at the impact of forced assimilation. There is also the idea of what determines our identity. Our self image is a powerful force in what we conceive is our identity. In our world self image is elevated to being the only determining factor of identity. I suppose the term “identity” involves an image. But when all the images of ourself are stripped away, what are we? Nothing? Is there a core identity that is not determined by self image?

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

My next book is a sequel to Deehabta’s Song that I am titling Deehabta’s War. It goes into her beginnings in greater depth and the new conflict she faces. I hope I can have it done before the end of the year.

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