Interview with Norah Wilson

Added August 12, 2004

Sharyn: I recently had a chance to chat with newcomer author Norah Wilson. Norah's novel Lauren's Eyes hits bookstores this month. A delightful western paranormal filled with emotion, this is one amazing read and I was delighted to have an opportunity to interview her.

Norah, hello and thanks for joining me. I'll start with something very basic. When did you first start writing?

Norah: I started on this path almost ten years ago, but in the early days, I was very much in the closet about writing romance. I've figured out a few things since then, both about the craft of writing and about the value of romantic fiction in particular. Now I'm proud to stand up in any forum and say I write romance.

Sharyn: Who or what influenced you to become a writer?

Norah: I've always loved writing, particularly the challenge of persuading a reader to suspend disbelief and come along with me. However, I've always had 9-to-5 jobs that let me flex my writing muscles somewhat. It wasn't until I was 30 that it occurred to me that writing novels is what I was supposed to be doing. (I can be a little dense that way!)

Sharyn: Would you describe your road to publication?

Norah: It's been a long one! As I alluded, I do work full time, which elongated the learning curve for me. For a while, I toiled alone and privately. But in 1996, I discovered the Romance Writers of America through a nearby chapter. Just realizing there were other people like me relatively nearby was very liberating. I went on to form critique relationships and enter contests, which were invaluable to honing my skills. Eventually, I finalled in RWA's Golden Heart contest in 2001. Of course, I was sure agents would rush to sign me and editors to buy me! Alas, that didn't happen. But I kept my nose to the grindstone and managed to final in the Golden Heart in the next two years, with two different manuscripts. The string of contest finals opened lots of doors for me, but still no one was ready to commit to me. Finally, at the urging of one of my critique partners, I entered Lauren's Eyes (my 2001 Golden Heart finalist) in the New Voice of Romance contest sponsored by Dorchester Publishing in partnership with Romantic Times BOOKClub. To my shock, I actually won that contest (or rather, co-won it; a tie was declared between myself and Kathy Richards, writing as Kate Lyon).

Sharyn: I have to ask, what is like being a Dorchester author? Dorchester is known for putting out some amazing books, especially paranormals.

Norah: I am incredibly proud to be counted among Dorchester's Leisure/Love Spell authors (or Lollies, as we call ourselves), particularly after just coming back from the RWA national conference in Dallas. It seemed to me there were countless Lollies nominated for an incredible number of awards -- the Rita, Golden Heart, PRISM... Some incredible talent there. And yes, Dorchester is very strong in paranormal, fantasy and futuristic romance. If you're an author writing in this vein, I think they're an extremely important market.

Sharyn: When you heard Lauren's Eyes had been accepted, how did you celebrate?

Norah: Since I literally won my publishing contract (that was the prize for winning the New Voice in Romance contest), I didn't get what we think of as the conventional "call". In fact, my call came not from the acquiring editor (Kate Seaver), but from my friend Julianne MacLean, who stood in for me at the award luncheon at the Romantic Times convention in Kansas City in October 2003. That's where the New Voice winners (myself and Kate Lyon) were announced, with the dramatic unveiling of our covers. Julianne (a USA Today best-selling author of historicals for Avon) accepted on my behalf, and was deputized by Kate Seaver to make the call. It's a telephone conversation I'll never forget!

Sharyn: Now you have another novel, Haunted by Dreams, published by Hard Shell Word Factory. What are the differences have you noticed between E-publishers and traditional publishers like Dorchester?

Norah: Distribution is the big difference. Though my Hard Shell title is available in print, it's available in trade paperback format, on a print-on-demand basis. The up side is that it can stay on the virtual shelves indefinitely. The down side is that the trade paperback format is more expensive, and it's not widely stocked in bookstores. Readers have to make more of an effort to procure it than they do a mass market paperback. But Hard Shell has to be commended for the amazing, extensive markets they've been able to open up for their authors. And like Dorchester, they do have a great website from which they promote and sell their authors' books.

Sharyn: Would you recommend one over the other?

Norah: I don't think it's a case of one over the other. They really are very different beasts. I think writers are well-advised to pursue both avenues of publication, for the cross-pollination effect. It pleases me to think that as I build a fan base in the coming years, those fans will always be able to search out my Hard Shell title and buy it, in a wide array of formats.

Sharyn: Would you tell us a bit about your available novels?

Norah: Haunted by Dreams is the Hard Shell title. I think my writing has evolved since I wrote it, but I still love those characters (Cassandra Ashe and John Deadmarsh). It's a bit outside the box in that both the hero and heroine are Native, and the setting is also unusual (my home province of New Brunswick, Canada). It's very much a story about second chances. I would describe it as bittersweet and poignant.

Lauren's Eyes is a contemporary romantic suspense with a paranormal edge. It's set on a guest ranch in Alberta, where psychic Lauren Townsend has come to try to prevent the murder of a woman whose identity she doesn't know, by a man whose identity is equally shrouded. Cal Taggart has opened a guest ranch in a last-ditch effort to hold onto his cow-calf operation, which is floundering in a severe market downturn. Lauren quickly discovers the would-be victim is Cal's ex-wife, whose sexual indiscretions have created an abundance of possible suspects, including Cal himself.

Sharyn: One thing I really enjoyed about Lauren's Eyes was Lauren's gift. It was so completely different from other paranormal devices. How did you come up with that particular gift?

Norah: This was the best part of writing a paranormal -- I got to make up the rules as I went! Seriously, I wanted her to have visions of the murder that were vivid and horrific enough to compel her to action, but I also wanted the murderer's identity to be shrouded. So I gave her the gift of vision through the murderer's eyes. She feels like she's in the murderer's head, that the hands she sees choking the victim are her own. I also wanted to give her some vulnerabilities, so I gave her debilitating headaches to presage her vision, followed by total paralysis of her limbs while she endures the horror. And the business of her being able to pick up on the vibes of animals just evolved organically out of the writing process.

Sharyn: Describe a normal writing day for you.

Norah: Actually, there's no such thing as a "normal" writing day for me. Or not for long! I tend to go with whatever works. When I'm very busy at my day job and come home mentally exhausted, I don't try to do too much in the evenings. In that situation, I reserve blocks of time on weekends and holidays for writing. But when things are a little calmer at work and I can preserve some creative energy, I try to write every night. Although I can't write late into the evening. When I do that, my characters keep me awake for hours, and I don't work well with a sleep deficit going on. I also change up my writing environment, as the situation demands. Often I'm most productive in my home office, but if I'm having trouble getting into the zone, I take my Alpha Smart and hit the coffee shop. There's something about all that background noise and bustle that really helps. I think throwing the barrier up to keep the distractions out helps me focus in on the story.

Sharyn: To plot or not to plot? What's your opinion?

Norah: I started out as a seat-of-the-pants writer, but quickly decided I needed something to keep me on course, to ensure that the final product had the right shape and structure. I now work with a loose plan. I don't try to plot it in great detail, but I do need to know the characters, their internal and external conflicts, the beginning, the major turning points, the black moment and climax. Sometimes roughing that out is the biggest challenge! I think if I tried to go any deeper into the detail in that plotting process, I would feel as though I'd already told the story and would lose interest in writing it. Plus, this loose outline gives me lots of room to let the story gather its own momentum.

Sharyn: Any chance we can get a sneak peak at a new work?

Norah: I'm hoping to sell a series of interconnected romantic suspense Golden-Heart finalling stories (very yummy heroes in blue) set in Canada. I'm currently working on another paranormal, this time a vampire story. I have to say, I'm already under my dark hero's thrall. :-)

Sharyn: Vampire? I will certainly be looking forward to reading it. Now that I've picked your brain, how about some fun. What is your favorite way to relax?

Norah: Great question! This time of year, I love to garden. There's nothing like getting down and working the soil, or weeding, or deadheading flowers, and feeling the sun beating down on you as you work. I think it also helps me work out plot problems, although it's all happening on a subconscious level. The physical activity itself is great for keeping the conscious mind empty. And when I'm done, there's the reward of sitting back and admiring my beautiful beds and nicely trimmed lawn. If only I took the same delight in bringing order *inside* my house...

Sharyn: LOL. Life with teenagers. Interesting or hair-pulling? And what do they think about their mom writing romance?

Norah: Another great question! It's a little of both. Lots of interruptions, due to their busy social schedules. Thankfully, my eldest son now has his driver's license, so that burden has eased somewhat. As for the writing, I think they're both very proud, although it's hard to tell with my son (strong, silent type). My daughter actually got away with doing a novel study on my Hard Shell title in school last year. She got very high marks, but then again, she had an inside track.

Sharyn: Favorite vacation place?

Norah: There's a cottage on Magaguadavic Lake, here in New Brunswick, that we go to almost every year for our summer vacation. It's right on the lake. There's nothing like going to sleep with the sound of the waves lapping the shore and the loons calling. I've also done a lot of writing at this cottage, and I can feel a very strong echo of those characters when I go there.

Sharyn: Tell us a bit about life in Canada. As a Southerner, I'm fascinated by places where snow is considered an normal occurrence. *g*

Norah: I'm in Atlantic Canada, and I have to say we get all extremes of weather. In the winter, the mercury can dip to -40 Celsius (which is the same as -40 Fahrenheit). With wind chill factored in, it can easily reach -50 or lower, meaning exposed skin will freeze almost instantly. But in the summer, we can reach temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), with plenty of humidity. So climate control in our house is a big issue, no matter the season. Fortunately, we don't get a lot of other extremes (earthquakes, tornados, etc.). We get *lots* of snow, but rain in the winter (ice storms) is a much bigger peril. Politically, it's a very different terrain than the US. For instance, there are no parties in Canada far enough to the political right to suggest dispensing with socialized medicine, while no political party in the US is far enough left on the spectrum to advocate for it. And yes, we do love our hockey and our Tim Horton's coffee!

Sharyn: Last thing of the day...describe your ultimate hero.

Norah: Oh, yum! My favorite question. My ultimate hero has to be strong (tough-minded, as well as physically strong), intelligent, compassionate, protective (but not overly so), and flawed. It's even better if his flaw is actually one of his strengths, taken to the extreme. And I do love a dark, tortured hero in need of redemption.

Sharyn: Norah, thanks again for talking with me. I had a great time.

Norah: Thank you for having me. And thanks for the fun questions! It was a total pleasure.

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