Where are
you from? Originally from Shannon, Ireland, I’ve been living and
attending school in the Atlanta, Georgia area for the past five
years.
Tell
us a bit about A
Stranger in the Family.
It tells of how I met my
husband, Colonel Yuri Takeda of the United Russian Republics Special
Forces, and our struggles to move past the nasty polarization that
comes from working on opposite sides of the conflict our world finds
itself embroiled within. As both of us are engineers at heart, Yuri
and I desire to leave the military and its headaches behind to work
together on a truly new fighter that can take this planet to the
stars. But our families are determined to keep us apart for purely
political reasons. In our case, the enemy of my enemy is my true
love.
What
did you think the first time you saw Yuri
Takeda? My first thought on meeting
Yuri after a conference at the Georgia Institute of Technology on
gyroscopic engines, an important component of space going vehicles,
was that he was tall. Given that I’m almost six feet tall myself,
it was a relief to meet a man I had to look up to in order to
appreciate.
What
was your second thought? My second thought
was he’s a world-class asshole. And he still is, at times. It took
a while to figure out that the coldness and distance was only a way
of protecting himself from the outside world. We’ve both grown up
in families that put duty to country before family, which left us
feeling very alone. That shared life experience, along with our
passion for flying, also helped us overcome the initial awkwardness
in our conversations. Though we both travel quite a bit for our jobs,
text messaging and Facetime calls helped ease the loneliness as well
as gave us time to really get to know each other, our dreams and our
fears.
Was
it love at first sight? I was intrigued at
first sight, but given our relative positions in our respective
organizations it seemed like madness to try and build anything more
than a professional friendship. However, I underestimated Yuri’s
interest in me, and by the time I realized this was more than ‘like’,
we were headed full speed toward a permanent relationship.
What
do you like most about him? Yuri is my
touchstone. He keeps me grounded when things begin to fall apart.
He’s always thinking five steps ahead, which served us well once
our relationship was exposed to the press, and we had to make a run
for our lives to escape military tribunals for fraternizing with the
enemy. Our rough edges mesh well together.
How
would you describe him? Intelligent,
compassionate, calculating, and sexy as hell.
Works
for us; how would Yuri describe you? On a
good day or a bad one? A good day, I’m his every wish come true. On
a bad day, I’m an Irish Banshee.
Good
one! What made you choose the military for a career? My
step-father wanted me to marry for political reasons. The only way to
assert my independence and escape a loveless marriage was to join the
Allied Forces. Given my background in engineering and flying,
Research and Development of Future Vessels was a natural fit. Also,
with really pissing off my step-father was a delightful bonus.
What
is your biggest fear? Being trapped in a life
not of my choosing where I’m a doll to be trotted out for special
functions and ignored or berated for my intelligence.
How
do you relax? I love to swim, I love to fly,
almost any outdoor activity really eases my stress.
Who
is your favorite fictional character? Frodo
from The Lord of the Rings.
A perfect example of how it isn’t the size of the hero, it’s the
size of the heart inside that hero. The smallest mouse can bring down
the mightiest elephant.
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received? Live
your own truth. Nothing else will feel natural, and the falseness
will eat away like a cancer.
Thank
you, Lyric for taking the time away from your career, married life
and the new baby. [oops, spoiler alert!]. We'd now like to talk with
Nancy.
What
movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? All
the books I’ve read have had an impact on my writing. My mother was
a librarian, so I grew up among the stacks and card catalogs. Every
story fed my imagination, allowing me to grow my own fantasies. As
for movies, the ones I enjoy the most are the ones closest to the
actual books. There have been several series where the movies
disappointed as they varied so wildly from the books.
What
event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and
how do you feel it impacted the novel? My
father was an Aeronautic Engineer, and a flight instructor in the
Army Air Corp during WW2. After the war he worked for United Air
Lines for more than 35 years. I took my first flight at the age of
three months and have loved flying ever since. The careers of Yuri
and Lyric are in honor of him, and our shared love of the open skies.
Tell
us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what
influenced your decision to submit to them? My
publisher is The Wild Rose Press, and I ADORE them! My first fantasy
series was published with a small company and I wasn’t terribly
happy with the results. I asked several of my friends who have been
published by several houses and got their input based upon what this
series is about and the books themselves, and the overwhelming
response was TWRP. I love my editor, who is so so patient with me,
and has really worked hard with me to help the texting messages in
this book show up as this encompasses a large portion of the romance
between the main characters.
What
book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? Every
year I re-read The Lord of the Rings so
they stay on my pile. Lately I been reading a lot of fan fiction
online, mainly to get out of my own head and clear out the cobwebs.
Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect
to see it on the shelves? The
next book in the Family Devlyn series, “The Family Business” is
ready for my final editing and should be to my editor within the
month. I also have a Paranormal I’m finishing titled “Urban Wolf”
about a pack of Lycan’s who live in a high-rise downtown.
To learn
more about our feature author, go to:
Email: nancyreece62@gmail.com
Website: www.NancySReece.com
To
purchase A Stranger in the Family, go to:
Amazon.com
BN.com
Great interview! Good luck with the book.
ReplyDeletesounds like a great read!
ReplyDeletegood luck and God's blessings
PamT