Interview with Ann Gimpel, author of 'Magic's Daughter'

Ann Gimpel is a clinical psychologist, with a Jungian bent.  Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing.  A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Several paranormal romance novellas are available in e-format. Three novels, Psyche’s Prophecy, Psyche’s Search, and Psyche’s Promise are small press publications available in e-format and paperback. Look for two more urban fantasy novels coming this summer and fall: Fortune’s Scion and Earth’s Requiem.

A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.

Her latest books are Magic’s Daughter & Dancing in the Flame.

Visit her website at www.anngimpel.com

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Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life!  Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process.  Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning?  Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

This book had its humble beginnings as a short story for a publication which was trolling for gothic fantasy. From there, it grew into a romance and gained another twenty thousand words and a few more plot twists and turns. I’ve always liked plot elements which double as characters. In this story, there are the requisite creepy old mansion, an African Gray parrot, and of course a black cat.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

Writing is a multi-faceted process. There’s the creative part which is very right-brained. That’s when the story flows. The thing which turns writing into something salable, though, is polishing which is definitely a left-brain activity. To respond to your question, it’s easy for me to create, but it takes me far more time to edit and polish than it does to write in the first place. The best advice I have is to find a critique group where they’ll tell you the truth. It doesn’t do you any good for your best friend to squeal, “Oh, I love it.” That doesn’t tell you where your plot holes are, or why one of your characters comes across as a caricature.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

My publisher for this book is Liquid Silver Books. I met one of the editors at a writers’ convention. We struck up a conversation and she invited me to submit. They didn’t take the first thing I sent them, but they’ve accepted the next nine! I love working with them.

Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

Other than the acceptance letter? Seriously, I’d had a number of short stories accepted for publication. Psyche’s Prophecy was my third novel, but the first one to be contracted. I was thrilled when Gypsy Shadow Publishing emailed my acceptance letter and then a contract. They published all three of my Psyche books.

Q: Can you describe the feeling when you saw your published book for the first time?

All three of my Psyche books are available in print and e-formats. Despite the fact that print books don’t sell well, there’s nothing quite like holding one of your own books in your hands. It’s way better than looking at a pdf file on my monitor. The feeling is a mixture of pride and incredulity. I have two more novels coming this summer and fall. Fortune’s Scion from Desert Breeze Publishing and Earth’s Requiem from Musa. I’m sure they’ll both find their way into print format.

Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

I have three more contracted paranormal romance novellas from Liquid Silver Books: Alpine Attraction coming in late May, Roman’s Gold coming in June, and Alice’s Alpha coming in July. As noted above, Fortune’s Scion, a “new adult” urban fantasy romance will be available in July. Earth’s Requiem, an adult urban fantasy with strong romantic overtones will be available late in the fall. I’m finished with its sequel, Earth’s Blood, but I’m waiting to get it back from my beta readers before I sub it to Musa.

Q: Fun question: How does your book contribute to making this world a better place?

I don’t write about perfect people. All my story characters are flawed, just like real people. If there’s a meta-message in my stories, it’s that you don’t need to be flawless to carve out happiness. In my psychology practice I saw so many patients who were waiting for this or that, for conditions to be perfect. Well, they never are. Sometimes, you just have to engage in a leap of faith and go for what you want. I hope my story characters provide a role model for that carpe diem approach to living.

Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

Magic’s Daughter is about facing adversity, finding out who you are when the chips are down, and understanding love doesn’t always wear the face we expect.

Q: Thank you again for this interview!  Do you have any final words?

Thanks so much for hosting me. It was great to be here and spend a little time with your readers.