A warm welcome to our special guest today, author Skhye Moncrief, here to share with us the details on which author she’d love to eavesdrop on and what she requests a horse for…
We’ve been talking about muses around here lately… Do you have one? If so, introduce us to him, her or it. How does your muse help you?
I’ve been through the desert on a muse with no name… I really never have chalked my productivity or creativity up to anything. *wide eyes* I hope that isn’t terrifying! Let’s just blame it on astrology, the twins. My rising sign is Gemini. Throw in my sun sign, Cancer, and I have no problem.
What inspired you to write romance? What romantic genre do you write?
I started writing romance because they said pick a genre, and I read romance. Isn’t that normal? Although, my first works were literary. I blame that on my specialization in anthropology in grad school. Let’s just say I was trained to see things a bit differently… So, yes, my work often has a philosophical thread woven into its romantic weave. I’ve tried to trash that “deep” thread. But it’s stuck to my shoe like a piece of annoying bubble gum.
My work is paranormal-deities, psychic phenomena, the inexplicable, time travel, magic,… All that is my story fodder. My Time Guardians spans the gamut of paranormal. If you’re into how all paranormal things can be interconnected like in The X Files, you might find my Arthurian-legend-meets-The-X-Files-speculative-fantasy romance intriguing. After all, a happily ever after is a happily ever after!
What did you want to be (when you grew up) at the age of 6? 13? 20? Now?
At 5, I told my father I was going to be a paleontologist, an archaeologist, or a horse rancher. I’ve studied the first two. I don’t have enough money to fund the third. 🙁 But I can pretend in writing fiction… Maybe I should write a Western????
What is a typical day like for you?
My typical day is keep the 4-yr old busy. J I might get to do some writing, promoting, or blogging after checking my e-mails.
Have you ever created a villain or killed a character off who is based on someone you know? (We won’t tell.)
OOOOOOOOOOH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! That’s called therapy.
If you could possess the body of a historical person for 24 hours, who would it be, when would you choose to do it (in their time), and what would you do?
It’s impossible for anyone who has studied archaeology to answer this question. We’re fascinated by the past. I’m into everything from early humans to the present. But if I had to pick one person, I’d like to be John Dee-the conjurer for Queen Elizabeth I. He was a mathematician when math was considered sorcery. He was a Renaissance Man in his studies. (I’ve been classified as one, myself, in a personality test for perspectives in problem solving.) And I use him as the father of Post-Modern Alchemy in my Time Guardian series. He’s much more to my Time Guardians. So, I’ll shut up before I spill the beans… I’d definitely use his worldview to see what numbers say about my life in the present. 🙂 They warn curiosity kills the cat though!
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and would you use it for good or evil (or totally selfish personal gain for at least 24 hours)?
I’d love to be able to heal people. 🙂 Somebody zap me now. I’m tired!
Pretend they are making a Made For TV movie of your life. Tell us the details on it: Will this be an ABC Family special, a Lifetime movie or Comedy Central flick? Who stars as you? And if this is a romance, who stars as the hero?
CERTIFIABLY GEEK starring the fantasy-romance author Skhye Moncrief as herself airs tonight. Crack the ancient mystery of what’s worn under the kilt while the fiddle reels viewers into a horse-drawn carriage for a romantic interlude with a Gerry Butler clone! And things are looking up. Gerry’s topless but sporting in a kilt. 😉 And if that’s not enough, you won’t want to miss an evening with Skhye as she unwinds with the latest episode of The History of Concrete. I kid you not. What would be geeky about this show without concrete? Besides, every historical romance author needs to know which culture invented concrete. Fear not if you know not the answer. Skhye blogs about reference books she’s accumulated since her college days of specializing in geology and archaeology. If you can’t catch CERTIFIABLY GEEK, just visit http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com. Skhye loves to talk to folks. Swing by. Leave her a comment. Since her critique partner says Skhye reminds her of Bones, it might be interesting to visit!
I’m sending you on a date with the hero character from ANY romantic entertainment – book, movie, TV show. Who would you want to go on the date with and what would you do (err, PG rated)?
Jay Tavare from INTO THE WEST. His captive is a very lucky lady. Besides, isn’t everyone into Native Americans?
If all the romance authors in the world were to work in one building, in cubicles (like a normal job) who would you want sitting on either side of you? (Because you know we can hear everything that goes on…)
Oh my goodness. Methinks, I’d like Sherrilyn Kenyon on one side and Karen M. Moning on the other. I’m fairly certain there might be someone on a third side. So, let’s say, just in case there’s a third side, Emma Lai. Her link’s on my blog!!!!
Because this IS Happy Endings, I have to ask: What is your favorite fictional romantic happy endings — either from a book, a movie or TV show. Why that one?
I’m into the riding off into the sunset angle. With a horse please.
THANK YOU, Skhye for visiting with us today. And be sure to check out Shkye’s website and latest books out:
Skhye’s works are available at www.thewildrosepress.com
www.timeguardians.com
www.skhyemoncrief.com
“Arthur is a masterpiece…” He of the Fiery Sword’s King Arthur ~Diane Mason; The Romance Studio
“The Spell of the Killing Moon offers the best of spine-tingling suspense. The setting is perfect… Moncrief’s ability to wield magic and emotion are without compare. Her words twist together emotions and visuals until you experience this tale as if the trap were set for you. Some lines blend a kind of poetic magic: “Moonlight wove a special kind of magic, a spell so vacillating that a person never knew if reality were anything other than a dream.” Darkness and premonitions and deadly intent fill these pages… a unique blend of mystic Medieval Gothic and romance…and a true blood-curdling thriller. 5 books” ~Snapdragon, LASR
“Intense, original, suspenseful, and dramatic… an unpredictable topsy-turvy romance… the suspense builds with every page in SACRIFICIAL HEARTS. In a world where symbols mean everything, magic is the way…” ~Snapdragon; LASR
22 comments
Shhhhhhh – One of my characters in Heart of the Sorcerer is based on my boss – even used a different spelling of his name. Hee hee. I love the “been through the desert.”
Patsy
What a fun interview! Loved your response to the TV movie of your life. 🙂 Having learned about your absolute love for research on your blog, I’ve suspected you were a geek, but now it’s completely confirmed. History of Concrete? And yes, I can get into Native American’s if they all look like the guy above.
Hey Skhye, Great post.
LOL, PL. Therapy makes the world go ’round!
Stacey, RJ watches stuff like the history of concrete. We chuckled about that one Tuesday chat. Or was it Rhonda mentioning RJ and I had that in common? I always claim to be certifiably geek. It’s like a warning label. LOLLL
Thanks for stopping by!
Skhye – & Jeannie! Good morning, guys!
Great interview. Skhye – re: the history of concrete? My hubby’s in the masonry biz. Talk about an industry that has barely changed in hundreds of years! lol. We love the history channel shows that talk about how things are made/built/constructed — and once watched a whole show about the Hoover Dam.
*sigh* us anthropologists will learn about ANYTHING. Won’t we?
Great interview. Glad to see you’re doing well! My kids are still sleeping after a busy beach day yesterday! better get some writing done!
~Ash
Yes, don’t waste that valuable time! LOL
Well, Ashley, I attribute my fascination with concrete to geology. 😉 That’s true geek-dom at it’s best. But when in Rome… Literally! Thanks for stopping by.
My daughter loves digging through my rock collection. I highly anticipate, with school starting, being dragged to classrooms to discuss rocks again.
Last year, I kept a classroom of 40 4th grade kids at rapt attention for an hour! that was a trick.
I need to get her a rock testing kit for Christmas. She’d LOVE it. Do you think 5 1/2 is too young?
Talk soon, and hope all’s well.
Loved the interview! Thanks for the mention…I’d sit next to you any day, Skhye. I’d also watch the History of Concrete with you. I don’t think I’ve caught that particular episode though. You’d definitely have to star in your own sitcom…that would be a hoot!
Emma, could you see me boring the world to death? LOLLL
Hi, Beth! Thanks.
Ashley, 4th graders are still open to everything. My nephews always loved rocks. They would stuff my mineral collection (or coin collection) into their backpacks and drag the loot to the door. Of course, it was obvious what they had done. So, I’d just make them put the stuff back. My daughter loves rocks too. It’s never to young to nurture a naturalist or scientific perspective! I bought books on both. And it’s just exposing kids to something and feeding their curiosity. You know, that I just blab and blab about whatever she’s into (trucks, airplanes, tractors, snakes, death, decay, etc.) and she GETS IT. She repeats everything when at her little class. LOLLL My conclusion, buy the rock-testing kit. 🙂 That money will not be squandered!
You know, I think it’s an absolute travesty that the History of Concrete wasn’t nominated for an Emmy. Just sayin’!
Great interview, Skhye and Jeannie! I have books from both of you in my TBR mountain and computer. So many books, so little time!
And if a kid shows an interest, let them explore. Mine is a self-proclaimed history nerd (and working on a combined BA/MA in Museum Studies). The fact that her dad was a history major and my area of “expertise” is Liberal Arts (Jill of all subjects, mistress of none!), she was condemned. It’s in her genes. 😀
The picture of Jay Tavare alone was worth the price of the blog visit, LOL.
And lots of interesting questions and answers. Bonus!
Who doesn’t want to work in an old musty museum??? I remember the PhD running the department asking me why I wanted to study paleontology because I’d just work in an old musty museum! The horror I felt in having my fantasy slapped! I have taken a Museum Curation class in the anthropology department… That’s almost the Dewey Decimal System. 🙂
Yes, Jennifer, Jay is eye candy. 😉 Thanks for stopping by.
Skhye – I love musty old museums, as you know. Too bad we didn’t do our undergrad together. We could have had such a blast! My first job in college was assistant exhibits preparator at the Tucson Children’s Museum. SUCH a blast. We did the dinosaur exhibit – with the animatronic dinosaurs?
Dusty museums are where dreams are made. 🙂
Musty old museum? YOU mean ALL museums don’t come to life like Night of the Museum? Hmpfh. Well, in my imagination they do. *g*
I can’t say that I’ve watched the history of concrete, but now you’ve got me curious. LOL I remember being fascinated by rocks as a child, too — I would gather interesting and unusual ones and had a rock collection. Of course, I also had a collection of glass figurines at one point, Teen magazines at another, Ricky Shroeder posters, marbles, picture frames (unfilled, just thought they were cool) and…well, yeah, I like to collect things. LOL Now my collections include Disney music boxes and Dalton dolls (porcelain.) So I’m not sure it was the rocks that fascinated me, but probably more the collecting of them. *g*
And I’m with Jennifer R. on that pic…yowza.
Jeannie, m’dear, porcelain is made from clay–a mineral. 🙂 Voila! You are a closet geologist with a rock collection.
Yes, Ashley, we would have had fun jacking with the kiddos using the mechanized tyrannosaurus. Raaaaawwwwwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I interned one semester at a small local city museum. I had loads of fun rearranging everything and making labels. They thought I was doing something fabulous. When, really, all I was doing was digging through their cool stuff. I had no idea Jell-O had been around as long as it had… until that internship. The children’s books used to be painted on fabric. VERY COOL! And I’m psycho nuts about transferware. Mom started me off on that kick. Then my friend, the art-historian, is who I jokingly refer to as the bead lady. She set me off learning the history of beads/buttons. There is really no end to the addiction of making economic connections between cultures. Archaeologists do have to love to study everything.
🙂
Very nice interview! If we’re all being honest, can I just say that the one and only time I based a character on someone I know happened in an upcoming paranormal. I needed a real witchy “princess” type woman so I used my little brother’s girlfriend, you know, the high maintenance, future trophy wife type? Which was good because he broke up with her shortly after. The irony? She’s back. I considered revising the scene to kill her off then thought, no, too much work LOL
@Skhye LMAO!!! So it would appear I haven’t moved that far from my rock collection as a child after all! Too funny.
@Sandra. I had to laugh at your witchy princess…the villain in my current book (SOMETHING ABOUT HER) is named Thomas…he’s blond, pretty and ohhhh so charming on the surface. And wouldn’t you know that aptly describes a guy I had a HUGE crush on in junior high school, who was much the same sort of charming on the surface (and blond and oh so handsome)…but a jerk underneath. Funny how that works…. *g*
On the flipside, I have a character in my mystery/thriller WIP named Stephanie…she’s a kickass sort of woman, strong, willing to do whatever it takes for her children, and aptly named after the Stephanie closest to me. 🙂
🙁 Boo on trophy wives! You know I can think of really cool titles dealing with trophy wives… Sandra, I just might have to name that horse that’s hoofing me through the endless barren sands of the desert of writing SANDRA! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Great post Skhye. I love a person with a good sense of humor. I like concrete too, there are a lot of stories in concrete. Ha!
Well, Mary. There are also a lot of stories in clay tablets (cuneiform), on stelae (carved rock), on hides (buffalo), painted on caves (cave art), pecked into rock (pictographs), carved into or painted on pottery, stroked onto canvas, pieced together with tiny pieces of ceramic or glass (mosaic), etc… But I bet the ones in concrete are by far the most superb mysteries. 😉 Thanks for stopping by, m’dear! (Never bait someone who took 80+ hours of anthropology.) ~Skhye
Hi Skhye, I’m definitely tuning in for “Certifiably Geek!
Good to have you there, Susan! LOL Although, I’m starting to worry people might tune in to psychoanalyze moi!