Today I’d like to welcome Judi Lynne to Fallen Angel Reviews. Thanks for being here today Judi.

Thank you, Tammy. It is a pleasure to speak with you.

To start, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m in my late 40s, really late 40s. I live in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, 60 miles from Washington, D.C. I have been teaching for 27 years and hope to retire in 5 years and devote more time to writing. I teach in the same school I attended and live in the same town in which I grew up. I have been married for almost 27 years to my strongest support, my husband Rich.

How did you celebrate selling your first book?

I’m not really much on huge celebrations. A called a few people to tell them of the great news. My husband surprised me by cooking a nice romantic dinner and then cleaning up afterwards. The evening concluded with a relaxing foot message and bubble bath.

Have you ever had an embarrassing moment at a book signing?

Oh my, yes. Being an employee in the education system, I’ve always tried to keep my writing career separate from my teaching career. But I don’t live in that perfect world. At one of my first book signings, I looked up to see one of my previous honors English students who had graduated from college a year before. She handed me a book to sign. My first thought was “My gosh, she would be reading the love scenes in my book.” That idea caused me to turn various shades of red. I don’t quite remember what I said, but I do remember checking back in the line for other students. I thanked her for coming to the book signing and wished her well. All I can say, I’m glad it wasn’t one of my former male students.

Can you tell us about your upcoming book Aidan’s Chance?

Aidan’s Chance is the first book in my medieval Scottish trilogy. In the book the Rothirfordes and Wakefields have fought for years on the border between Scotland and England. Aidan Rothirforde, a Scottish laird, doesn’t know how to care for his daughter. A baron’s daughter, Kaitlin Wakefield, is caught trespassing on Rothirforde holdings and must serve her punishment caring for the child. Because of the strained relationship between the two families, Aidan is determined to keep his distance, but strange twists of fate give him one true chance for love. Woven throughout the book are threats of murder, a suicide, and a friendly little ghost light, all of which will entertain the reader.

How much do you spend doing research for a story?

I’ll spend a good six months to a year doing research for an historical novel. This book, along with the two that follow, took a bit longer since they span a century of changes in clothing, language, and political history.

How important is research in your writing?

Research is extremely important whether writing historical or contemporary novels. My job as a writer is to transport readers to a place where they can be immersed in the story. The world can be modern day Hawaii or medieval Scotland. No matter what the setting of the story, a writer must do research. When I set my characters in another world, I want the reader to experience that world through all her senses. What did they eat? What did the material feel like on their clothes? How warm was the castle in the winter? The worst thing a writer could do was have a reader suddenly yanked out of the story because of historical inaccuracies. But the hardest part about including the historical information, is how much is too much. I strive to have enough to make the story real, but not drenched in pages and pages of historical facts.

Where did you get the inspiration for the Rothirforde Trilogy?

From my husband’s genealogy. I had already written and published a family history book on my father’s surname. My husband and I were looking up his mother’s maiden name and found that the Rothirforde family lived on the borders of Scotland. There was a Nicholas who lived in the late 13th Century about the same time as William Wallace and others were beginning the fight for their freedom from Scotland. This gave birth to my question of what would happen if an English person was found on Scottish soul. And what if it were a young woman? Especially a young woman of a sworn enemy. From these questions and many possible scenarios came Aidan’s Chance, the first book in the trilogy. The second book is Kylee’s Revenge, and the third one is Fate’s Temptation.

What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

I also enjoy doing cross stitch and chair caning. My favorite part is looking at the end product and being happy with the way it turned out.

Almost every author at some point or another suffers from writer’s block. Have you ever had that problem? How do you deal with it?

I have experienced writer’s block. Sometimes it has been a week and sometimes even up to a month of not writing. I don’t quit working on my writing career. I’ll use that time to research, send out promotional material, do interviews, and critique other writer’s work. Another method I use to cure my writer’s block is to walk away from that manuscript and work on another one. I usually have two going at the same time. I have also watched movies from that time period, like First Knight. Finally, I sometimes just take the time off and relax. A good vacation is always a cure for anything.

You currently write historical romance. Is there any other genre you would like to try?

I think I would like to try contemporary romantic suspense. I have one I’m working on at the moment. I enjoy mystery and intrigue when I read a book.

What’s the most interesting obscure fact you know?

The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." uses every letter of the alphabet. I learned this a long time ago when I first took typing. That was back before electric typewriters.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to thank Fallen Angel Reviews and Tammy for a great interview. Also, I would like to mention that readers should check my website often for contests featuring great prizes. I will be having a super contest in February to celebrate the publication of Aidan’s Chance. Mark your calendar for its release on February 28. It will be available to order by mid-March from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other online and retail bookstores.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today, Judi!

Interviewed by: Tammy