I am delighted to be speaking with Vanessa Gilfoy today. Thanks for chatting with us today Vanessa and welcome to FAR!

To start, can you tell the FAR readers a little bit about yourself?

I’m a slightly neurotic coffee junkie with an overactive imagination. So writing fits me like the tortilla of a taquito.

You have two releases out in January from Ellora’s Cave, Guardian of the Onyx Empire and Quest into the Forbidden. Can you tell us a little about them?

They both take place in West New Pangaea in a time after technology was lost and magic evolved. Wizards, elves, and dwarves struggle for power, fueled by desire. Magic doesn’t end outside the bedroom door. Spells are everywhere, including the most intimate of places.

Guardian of the Onyx Empire features a hybrid elf running for her life from wizards. A human ex-love slave can save her, for a price. If she’ll be his and his alone, he’ll reveal the secrets that can restore her birthright.

Quest into the Forbidden follows a human king questing in an elven land. He stumbles upon an elven princess who wants nothing more than ecstasy. If they’re caught, they’ll both be hunted and lose everything.

Is it difficult having two releases come out so close together?

Yes and no. Really tight deadlines, and double the editing make some weeks tough. However, because I wrote them one after the other, the world building was much clearer in my head.

Is it hard for you to balance your life as a writer? How do you manage it?

Ohhh, yes. Between my kids and writing there’s never time for me, but I love both. I don’t sleep much, so coffee, wonderful coffee, keeps me awake.

Where would you say that you get your most creative ideas?

Nightmares and bizarre places. When I manage to sleep, I never have good dreams. They terrify my poor husband. Sharing them makes me feel better so I can go back to sleep, but he lies there in the dark unable to close his eyes.

Sometimes a place will ignite my imagination. While visiting my brother in upstate New York, where he was stationed, I saw a huge number of mutations in one population, including dwarfism. That got me thinking – what if fairytale races could evolve from humans, complete with spells?

What was the hardest part of writing Guardian of the Onyx Empire for you?

Oooh, this is a tough one. I had to chop off the original beginning. People liked the dwarf too much. He’s supposed to be Lizeria’s side-kick, but for some reason everyone wanted them to hook up because of the original opening, when Lizeria saved him from Titan slave-traders.

I rewrote that beginning at least five times so people wouldn’t want to see Gray, the dwarf, naked with Lizeria.

The ending tripped me up a bit, also. I chopped off the original ending to leave Lizeria’s story at a satisfying moment. This tale is the back-story of her mother’s much larger epic. It’s not until after her mother’s tale, that Lizeria can return to finish her quest.

When did you start writing and long did it take you to get published?

I started writing as an escape mechanism when I was a kid. It was easier to solve imaginary people’s problems than my own. As a little girl, I couldn’t win against my abusive father.

I cut him from my life after I graduated from college and my mother divorced him. Writing is like an old blanket I still cling to, even though the need for comfort is gone.

Six years ago, I decided to write professionally, and have five years of rejection letters. I learned a lot from those letters, workshops, and books. Countless rewrites later, I gradually won requests for full manuscripts, and eventually – the coveted first acceptance letter from Cerridwen Press.

Your website says that you collect many things including miniature castles. How many do you currently have and which one is your favorite?

This is where I come across as slightly OCD. I have nine carefully selected miniature castles. When I can find them, I snatch up pewter, sand, crystal, and stone miniature castles. Porcelain and plaster castles are only added if they’re non-pastel and taller than they are wide. Plastic and spun glass miniatures aren’t pretty enough.

My favorite is a gift from my mother. I have no idea how it was made, but the castle is literally sand. A chip reveals no underlying Styrofoam.

I also collect non-fiction books about castles. I just love the solid, timelessness of them.

You have some great book trailers on your site as well. Did you create these yourself?

Thank you. Yes. I used Cyberlink PowerDirector with images and videos from istockphoto.com. They’re a lot of fun to make.

What is the wackiest job you can think of that you would like to do?

Coffee taste-tester for Starbucks in search of that Zen caffeine moment.

If you were a dessert, which one would best describe you?

Blackberry pie – soft inside, a little sweet, and a little tart, with a flaky crust.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

No. Just kidding. I’ve created a gamer-friendly portion of my website, viewable on the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. My trailers and excerpts are in the proper format to download onto both portable gaming systems. There are even tips on how to turn a Nintendo DS into an affordable ereader. vanessagilfoy.com/gamer.html

Thank you for taking time to speak with me today Vanessa. Readers be sure to check out Vanessa’s website vanessagilfoy.com/

Thank you, Tammy. This has been a lot of fun.

Interviewed by: Tammy