Charlotte Boyett-Compo is a writer who has numerous e-books and paperbacks available to readers.

Focusing mainly on futuristic novels she has over 30 novels in print and more in the works.

For those who want to know a little more about Charlee and her novels I am happy to welcome her to the Magical Romance Hot Seat.
 

LB    First of all could you please tell the visitors to the Magical Romance Website a little bit of background about yourself and how you decided on a career in writing.

CC    I was born in Sarasota, FL where my mother had gone with my adoptive parents to give birth to me. They lived in Colguitt, GA, a town of about 500, and thought it easier for her to give me up in Sarasota than in Colquitt. I do not know who my birthmother was and will most likely never know. When my mother and father passed away 4 years ago, they took her identity to the grave with them. It was quite a shock at age 47 to learn you are adopted and your whole life was a lie. The knowledge has changed me in ways I cannot begin to describe to you, but it has helped me to understand why I always felt like an outsider in the families of my mother and father. After my parents' deaths, his family completely disowned me, not even sending flowers or condolence cards for their funerals. I was never a part of them and they made it plain they wanted nothing more to do with me.

I married my high school sweetheart, Tom, right after graduation and we just celebrated our 35th anniversary on July 10.  We have two sons: Pete and Mike.  Pete is married and has two children: Preston and Victoria. Mike is in the looking stage still. At age 30, I'm hoping the looking won't take too long! :)
 
I am also the mother of six temperamental felines who use me as a cushion when I am available. They also use me as their main source of nourishment, their maid, their rubbing post, and occasional medic.

We live in the Midwest now and I would live nowhere else. I love the seasonal changes, the scenery of rolling hills and lush green pastures, and the atmosphere of life as it's been since the 1950s.  It is a terrific place to bring up your children.

I decided to write my own stories when I couldn't find the kind of books that I enjoyed  reading. I'd come close with a couple of authors but their vision and my vision didn't exactly mesh. Either the writing was too sappy or too dark. The characters were too predictable and the storyline was, too. I wanted tortured heroes but I didn't want the spunky heroine thrown in so much it overshadowed his angst.  I didn't want the formula: Take one girl, one guy, give them a misunderstanding that will keep them apart for most of the book, throw in the required 3 steamy love scenes, shake up the mix with a secret or two, stir in a mean villain then pour the story into a Happy Ever After ending that will make the reader toss flour and water in her face, sigh, then serve up a batch of crispy rice marshmallow treats.  I wanted a romance with a bite
to it that would keep my readers on the edge of their seat and give them a twist or two they could never have expected.
 

LB  You have a lot of books that are available, some are e-books, some are paper books, some are available in both formats. All have appeared relatively quickly over a short period of time, at least compared to most other authors. However did you find the time to produce so many high quality books in such a short space of time? Or were many of them already written and merely waiting for the publishing world to
appreciate them?

CC    With the exception of In the Wind's Eye, The Prince of the Wind, and the short story from Twilight Obsessions, Taken by the Wind, the other novels were written already. I wrote The Keeper of the Wind while my sons were still in high school and by the time I'd finished three years later, the manuscript was over 3 feet high. I looked at it and thought perhaps I should whittle it down a foot or two. As I was going through it, I began to realize I had an
entire series there and if I cut it in strategic places, I'd have a cliffhanger ending for nine novels. I named it the WindLegends Saga. There is a tenth book in that series, btw.

In the Wind's Eye and The Prince of the Wind, both with publisher DLSIJ Press (http://dlsijpress.com) started out as a chapter a week on two different websites. I was doing In the Wind's Eye in sequel form before either Douglas Clegg or Stephen King did theirs so I was a pioneer in that field. The Post-Civil War novel was being published on a Southern website run by a high school friend of mine and originally started out to be used in print form in a new Southern newspaper. When that fizzled, Jack put it up on his Home of Southern  Country website. The Prince of the Wind was pubbed on a mailing list started for me by a fan named Goldie Thomas. Both books are now available in their entirety for download from DLSIJ Press and In the Wind's Eye is also available in trader paperback.

As for the other novels, between July of 1991 and July of 1998, I wrote BloodWind, NightWind, WindFall, WindChance, In the Teeth of the Wind, In the Heart of the Wind, and about ten others I have yet to contract for.

I write nearly every night when I get in from work and all day on Saturday and Sunday.  At any given time, I'm working on two books at once. I seem to work more productively that way and bounce ideas back and forth between the storylines. That's mainly how I manage to put some interesting twists into my stories.

LB   Almost all of the books you have written are part of either a saga or a trilogy. Could you explain what the different sets are about and whether and how the books tie in with each other?

CC    There are ten books in the WindLegends Saga: The Windkeeper, The Windseeker,
The Windweeper, and The Windhealer are available now. Coming up in the next two years...beginning in January of 2002...are: The Windreaper (my favorite of all my books), The WindDreamer, The Windbeliever, The WindDeceiver, The Windretriever, and The WindSchemer.  These books have the same continuing characters in them. They are all the same time period. (Note: Readers think this is a medieval setting for the Saga. Actually it is, but not in the sense you think.  The series takes place after WWIII when the world has
reverted back to medieval times. In the books, I call that war the Burning War and you
will see it mentioned in nearly every book.)

There are three novels in the HellWind Trilogy that began with NightWind (available now). The other two are WindSpawn and DemonWind. These are horror novels about an incubus and the human woman by whom he is obsessed.

There are also three novels in the WindTales Trilogy: WindFall and WindChance are available and are prequels, though loosely based, on the WindLegends Saga.  By that I mean there are generational characters from the series the reader will recognize. In WindChance, the Outlaw Syn-Jern Sorn is the hero and he plays a significant role in one of the WindLegends Saga novels in explaining history.  WindBorn is the third in that series but it hasn't been released
yet.

In the Teeth of the Wind and In the Heart of the Wind are parts of the WindTorn Trilogy. Those books are out now and have won several awards between them. At the moment, I'm working on the third novel, In the Arms of the Wind.

In the WindDemon Trilogy, there are BloodWind, DarkWind, and EvilWind. BloodWind is available now in download and trade paperback and DarkWind will become available in November.  BloodWind has won a couple of awards and it is my second favorite book. I recently sold the foreign rights to it as well as NightWind and In the Heart of the Wind.

To find out about the order of each of the books and series you can also visit Charlee's website at http://www.windlegends.com/order.htm
 

LB    Of all the books that you have written which is your favourite and which character has touched you the most?

CC    My favorite is The Windreaper because there is so much pain for the hero in that novel. He has gone through a transformation that has nearly destroyed him, but he has survived only to find he has lost the one stabilizing factor in his life: the woman he loves more than life, itself. It is his sorrow and loneliness that makes this book so unlike the others yet it has a ending that
readers will need at least a box of tissues to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this book and had dreams for months on end after the last page was typed.

I think the character that has touched me the most is the one I am writing now.  This is a man who has walked through hell to get back to the woman he loves only to realize he can't let her know he's alive. The tragedy of what put him in this state of being and the terrible loneliness that follows has turned him into a creature he doesn't want to be.  Add to this another man
vying for his lady's hand and you have the mix for a character that will haunt your dreams each night and for whom you can't wait to begin writing the rest of his story the next morning.  I am completely immersed in Adrian Cree at the moment. :)
 

LB    A some of your unpublished books are part of one continuing series or a not yet completed trilogy, which installment are you working on now and which books are planned in the future?

CC    Those planned for the future are: EvilWind, SpawnWind, DemonWind, The Veil of
the Wind (beginning of the WindStorm Trilogy),  Windborn, and WindBroken (beginning of the SouthernWind Trilogy), Windraven Pass (a vampire western trilogy called the  WesternWind Trilogy), and Lord of Wind, Lady of Flame (start of the Winddestiny Trilogy). There are no Eastern or Northern Wind trilogies planned. :))

Right now, I am writing BlackWind, a paranormal romance adventure, and In the Arms of the Wind, a mystery thriller, now. BlackWind will be released in chapter installments from the RFI West website at  http://www.rfiwest.com beginning in September and upon completion will be released in trade paperback. We plan on having a contest and other exciting promotional
things relating to the release of this book.
 

LB    You have likened the hero of BloodWind to DarthVader and described him as an anti-hero. Why did you choose this type of man as a lead character instead of the more typical romance hero? And would you describe any of the other characters in your novels as an anti-hero?

CC    I think most romance readers are tired of the sameold/sameold hero who has the
sameold/sameold characteristics as every other romance hero. You can only write that kind of character so many times before readers find him boring. I wanted a hero who was bigger than life but with enough flaws that a female reader would want to know him and spend time with him. Darth Vader was an enigma in the first few episodes of the Star Wars original trilogy.
With the black outfit, mask, and powerful physique, you wondered what was hidden beneath his uniform.  What made him so powerful, so evil, and so mysterious?  Aided by James Earl Jone's mesmerizing voice and the air brake sound effects of Vader's breathing, I was  completely engrossed in watching him on screen.  I couldn't have cared less about Luke Skywalker or Princess Honey Buns head. Han Solo was intriguing in that bad boy way, but Vader stole the show. You knew when he appeared something exciting was going to happen. When I developed Kamerone Cree, my Prime Reaper of BloodWind, I wanted him to have the characteristics that would make the reader THINK and PONDER about him.  I wanted him to be powerful, somewhat evil, and with a strength that could not easily bem defeated...although the love a woman brought him down completely to his lowest denominator and stripped him of much of that evil power.  He is an atypical hero who kills, who hates, and is perfectly capable of doing little things that would endear him to women who put aside their fear of him. At heart, he's a little boy desperately seeking the love of the mother he never had and in need of a little TLC.

I think all of my male characters are anti-heroes: Conar McGregor, Syntian Cree, Syn-Jern Sorn, Kaelan Hesar, Aidan Cree. They don't fit the stale old romance mold and all of them could be described as tortured. Each has a portion of their lives from which they have experienced devastating pain and loneliness, grief and loss, tears and turmoil. The greatest compliment I've ever received was from a reviewer who said: "Nobody does tortured heroes
better than Boyett-Compo". I was thrilled with that assessment of what I do.
 

LB    As mentioned above, a number of your books are only available, at present, in the e-book format. For those of us who have not got suitable facilities to read e-books and are restricted to paperbacks, which of your books are available in paperback at present and which are likely to be released in paperback in the foreseeable future?

CC    At the moment, The Keeper of the Wind, In the Wind's Eye, and BloodWind are
out in paperback. You can order them from Amazon or BETTER YET!!!!!...from
their publishers.  The bad news is The Keeper of the Wind CAN ONLY BE
PURCHASED AT AMAZON.COM AND NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.

The good news is that RFI West is releasing ALL of my novels (except The Keeper of the
Wind) in trade paperback. This will include any novels coming out in the future through RFI West. Also, I have signed contracts with Kripgans Books and they will also be released in the German translation in trade paperback.   Spanish, Dutch, and Swedish publishers who wish to contract foreign rights for all my novels in their language have contacted me. Hopefully beginning in September or October, at least four of my RFI West novels will be available in
trade paperback.  I have also contracted for the audio rights for all of my novels.
 

LB    Your novels are set in a world created by yourself that bears very little resemblance to any other setting. Would you please describe the worlds you have created and let us know where you got the inspiration for them?

CC    Serenia is the main country in the fantasy series. This is a large country dominated by the McGregor clan. It is a mixture of English, Scottish and American features. The capitol is at
Boreas Keep but there is three other sub-capitols at Eurus Keep, Norus Keep, and Zephyrus Keep. Each of the sub-capitols is ruled over by sons of the King.

Oceania is an island country ruled by the Wynth Dynasty. It closely resembles a cross between Hawaii and Greece. The capitol is at Seadrift Keep.

Chale IS Ireland! The family who rules Briarcliff Keep at Meiraman is the Brell clan. Expert swordsmen and loyal friends, the Brells play an intricate part in all my books.

Chrystallus could easily be compared to Japan. The Shimota family in the Binh Tae Palace at Nyotoka rules it.

Necroman was patterned on Africa and is headed by the Taborn Dynasty.  Its capitol is Lionheart Keep at Jhakar.

Ionary is a cross between France and Spain and ruled by the Montyne Family.

Ravenwood Keep is the capitol at Derbenille.

Virago would be likened to the Northern countries of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway and is a windswept, cold country with tall mountains and deep fjords. The Hesar clan at Tempest Keep on Haelstrom Point rules it. Another prime piece of real estate in Virago is Holy Dale Manor, a mansion that plays an important part of both WindFall and WindChance.

Diabolusia is another hybrid, combining Mexico, South and Central Mexico. The Sabina family rules it. Devil's Nest Keep is located in Deseo near Hieaj.

Rysalia was patterned after Egypt. The country has three sectors, each ruled by a Sheik. Though the Ben-Alkazar family is not the ruling family, they are the predominant one in Rysalia. The middle section houses the infamous Abbadon prison.

Labyrinth: Think Ayers Rock in Australia and you can picture this infamous penal colony.
 

LB    Following on from the above question, what is the most difficult part of creating a new world on paper?

CC     Keeping locations straight in your mind. You can't have Virago in one place this book then move it to another location in the next. I have a three-inch thick compendium of  characters, locations, ships, drugs, horses, even taverns from which I can research the world I've created. Every country has a capital, a primary keep or castle, a family who rules that country, a villain who is trying to destroy it from within. All that information is vital to keeping
timelines and plot points correct. It helped to have an artist who does graphics for video games to draw my world for me. That way, I can look at where Oceania is in relation to Diabolusia and know I have a river here or a mountain range there when I'm setting a location for a scene.
 

LB    Have you any plans to turn this into a companion book to go with your novels that is available to your readers?

CC    Yes, we've talked about doing a companion for the WindLegends Saga series and a graphic artist is drawing a map of the world I created.  Hopefully that will be something RFI West's new team will want to pursue.
 

LB    A number of your e-book novels are set to be released in audio format. Which novels are in this particular pipeline and do you know when they are expected to hit the market?

CC    Each of the novels that are available right now is in the pipeline. I wish I could tell you exactly when they will be released, but I haven't been given that information. I do, however, have two other companies who are waiting in the background should those contracts fall through.
 

LB    You do a lot of work yourself to promote your work. How difficult do you find it is to do this and what has been the biggest hurdle to getting the word about your novels?

CC    It really isn't difficult at all. What it boils down to is being willing to take time away from your writing to promote yourself. Professional writers understand this. Professional writers include self-promotion in with the other things they know will have to be done if the book is to sell. Some newbie writers feel they shouldn't have to be bothered with this sideline.  They truly
believe the publisher should do it for them. I'm afraid that doesn't work even with the big print houses. Authors are expected to promote their work. There aren't enough hours in the day or people at publishing houses to promote every author. The responsibility falls primarily on the author's shoulders to get the word out about their book.  The way I feel about it is I would rather do it myself the way I think it should be done rather than leave it up to someone who might do it in half measure.

The biggest hurdle is simply finding the time to research new websites and avenues for promotion. A major part of this is belonging to mailing lists that may or may not help you find those potential markets. Sometimes you have to wade through flame wars to find anything of value and that is depressing...and counterproductive! You have to ignore the socializing and look for the business end of the digest: the part that may help you rather than depress the hell outta you. You have to have a plan in mind before you start and that should be something to which you strictly adhere. Since I write in several genres: horror, paranormal, thriller/mystery, dark fantasy, sword & sorcery adventure, romance, and sf/futuristic, I visit those websites that are oriented to that particular genre. I introduce myself, tell what I have to offer, and invite the webmaster to visit my website to learn more about my work where he/she can find synopses, excerpts and reviews. I offer my books for review (in email attachment ONLY) and ask if they are looking for authors to interview or to write writing-related articles for them, to keep me in mind. I'm not pushy with it; I don't make demands; I am polite and if they write back and say thanks, but no thanks, I thank them for their time anyway.  If they write and ask for more information, I do my best to provide it for them. On the average, I send out at least one of my books every week for review. Some of those reviews I never see and don't know if they were ever done, but 95% of them wind up on my webpage under that particular book.
To date, I have well over 100 reviews up for potential readers to see.  If a website asks for an interview, I am always thrilled and very appreciative. I try to get the interview back to them within a day or two. Their time is just as...if not more so...valuable as mine and I don't like to keep people waiting. (A pet peeve of mine, I'm afraid).  I always thank a reviewer for a
review even if it isn't one of which I can be proud. They are entitled to their opinion and I respect that. I've only had one reviewer (and I use that term in a very loose context) who gave two of my novels a hatchet job and I later learned it was me she was after, not the books. That's okay. She is entitled to dislike me if she wishes. That said, I would also include
this: What good you do to others is returned threefold. The evil you do is returned to you tenfold.
 

LB    Finally do you have a message for all your readers and potential readers out there?

CC    Don't close your mind to what e-books have to offer you. Even if you don't have a dedicated e-book reader, you can download the novels to your home computer or laptop. You can even print them out if you wish.  Eventually, most publishers will release their lists in both download and trade or mass-market paperback so if you just absolutely refuse to even try a book that you can't take into the bathtub with you, you'll finally be able to read some of
the most innovative, exciting and blending of genres in the world. You'll find novels that the traditional print publishers didn't want to take a chance on...much to their regret I've heard. Don't listen to those naysayers who tell you the books are poorly edited or badly written. While it is true some are, the better publishers are striving to make sure their releases don't
fit that description. Go with a reputable publisher and you'll be amazed at the thrilling stories available out there.

And DON'T let the fact that certain authors have had personal troubles with a particular publisher keep you from trying that publisher's books. There are reasons some authors feel the need to trash a former publisher and that reason may have absolutely NOTHING to do with the quality of the books being released.  To make a blanket decision not to try a publisher's wares simply because Betty Jane Zilch went on a list and complained publicly about things
better left between her and the publisher is not giving the other authors at that publishing house the respect they deserve. It hurts people who have no stake in the matter other than trying to put their talent and their writing before you.
 

Well that is all the questions over and done with.  I would like to take a moment to thank Charlee for giving us such a wonderfully detailed interview.  And for the wonderful news about the paperback release of the books.  I for one will be certainly stopping by Amazon in the future to put in my order.

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Read a Review of BloodWind and Blackwind

Visit Charlotte Boyett-Compo's Website