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This week I finished reading the charming book Enchanted No More by Robin D. Owens. The author has set her story in a magical world of the fae. It's beautifully written, making the reader feel as if they are there with the characters, whether they are eating luscious chocolate truffles, fighting off the enemy, taking a shower in an elegant fae bathroom that never runs out of hot water or making love to a Treeman.I loved Enchanted No More for it's melding of fantasy and romance. The characters came alive for me as I read the story, and I was holding my breath for the outcome of the battles, both physical and emotional. This was truly a special read that lifted my spirits and inspired me to be more creative in my own writing.
I emailed Robin, asked if she would be so kind as to answer a few questions for me. I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did.
Brenda: Robin, I loved Enchanted No More, especially many of the small details such as food the characters were eating and their reactions to its taste, or the descriptions of rooms, homes etc. When you're writing, do the details come out right away in the first draft, or do you add things later as you go back in? I imagine you had fun writing the descriptions, especially when it came to the brownies.
Robin: I did try and think what each character would prefer and what they'd like at the time, but I believe that I added the details of most of the meals later. As for rooms and homes...I do rough sketches so that I can see the layout. Most of the time, if I really track down what the rooms look like, I've based the view on a memory. It might just be something I saw in a catalogue or online, but it's there. As for the brownies, I've been writing Familiar Animal Companions in my "Heart" series for quite a while, and the brownies (like the Fams) come easily for me.
Brenda: Another of my favorite things about the book is how it revolves around family and forgiveness. Can you tell us just a little about why this was an important theme for you?
Robin: Again, I often write about family (and have recently realized it's a main theme). The forgiveness part was very hard. I had the idea for Enchanted No More for several years, and I had to rewrite the actual pages and rethink the story because it was seriously flawed. I believe we can be both blessed and cursed with our own natural families, and I think we can make families of friends. Also, I think that we are usually too hard on ourselves and that we must recall that we should forgive ourselves for whatever faults (or acts of commission or omission) we have.
Brenda: How long did it take you to plan and write Enchanted No More? Can we look forward to a second book in the near future?
Robin: Like I said, I had the idea of the book for a while. I sold it, and I wrote it in about nine months. I sold three "Mystic Circle" books (based on the magical cul-de-sac where Jenni lives), and Enchanted Ever should be out next year at this time. More brownies who are again focused on chocolate -- and candied violets.
Brenda: I thought your book was such a perfect mix of classic fantasy and urban fantasy with paranormal romance thrown in the mix. Did the thought of genres enter your mind as you were writing, or do you simply write and let that fall where it may?
Robin: I wanted something more contemporary than the Heart series (which is set in the future on a planet called Celta with descendants of Earth colonists). I am not an incredibly hard-edged writer, or with a lot of blood and guts, so I did the best I could with Urban Fantasy ;). Luna books usually focus on a primary female character and her growth, with a romantic subplot, so that's what I try and deliver.
Brenda: Thank you so much for answering my questions, and for writing Enchanted No More. I hope it's wildly successful:)
Robin: Thank you. And, as they say, from your lips to God's ears.
ENCHANTED NO MORE
Author:Robin D. Owens
Softcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Luna
Released: 1/1/2011
Available from Amazon
You can visit Robin and read excerpts of her books here:
http://www.robindowens.com/
~Brenda
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