Constance O'Day-Flannery is the author of numerous time travel romance novels.  Her latest novel ANYWHERE YOU ARE announces the return of the Queen of Time Travel Romance to the genre.  Her readers have welcomed her back to the genre and it is now my turn to welcome her to the Magical Romance Reading Website and thank her for agreeing to do this interview for all the visitors to my site.
 

LB    First of all could you tell us a little about yourself as an introduction to the visitors to my site.

CF    As an introduction, I could begin by saying that I am the author of 13 novels but that is only scratching the surface.  As with most women our bios include various job titles.

I am the mother of two grown children, and it was when my son was ready to enter kindergarten that the most outrageous idea came to me. I was recovering from a hysterectomy and reading a romance novel when I heard this inner voice whisper, “Why not write your own?”  I was shocked and laughed at myself yet, once acknowledged, the idea persisted and so I sat down and wrote the book I wanted to read, but couldn’t find.  And I wrote it for myself. . . so there were no rules.  I wrote what I wished someone else was writing.  I was truly shocked a year and a half later when I finished and was quickly signed by an agent.  When that book sold, the publisher wanted two more as soon as possible and so, without having planned it, I had a career.  Since then I have been writing one book a year and this year I have written two.

When I started writing, my books were part of my weekly budget, just like most of you.  I never attended college, nor have ever taken a writing course.  It’s only on legal forms that I call myself a writer.  I consider myself a communicator and am honored that I am able to somehow communicate with my readers. I never take that for granted.
 

LB    Your new book, ANYWHERE YOU ARE, has just hit the shelves.  Would you like to tell us a little about it?

CF    ANYWHERE YOU ARE is a story of love and hope.  Mairie Callahan has left her life back in NJ when her brother is diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease.  She and Bryan take off like middle aged hippies to have an adventure and to live every moment he has left.

While sitting in a small plane, suited up like a space man, ready to hurl herself into the universe, Mairie is convinced she’s nuts.  Sky diving is crazy and she’s terrified as she watches her brother jump.  When it’s her turn, she practically has to be pushed from the plane.

Expecting to land in the desert outside Las Vegas, Mairie is shocked to find there is no city and when she meets Jack Delaney she is stunned when this disillusioned veteran of the Civil War tells her she is living a hundred years ago.  After intense denial, Mairie eventually discovers love, hope for her brother and heals the wounds of her own past.  While writing this book, I laughed, cried and discovered some things about myself.  Like, Mairie. . . I walked through fears to find they were really illusions.  Mairie and Jack were a fun couple and showed me true partnership between a man and woman is not only possible. . . it’s our birthright in relationship.
 

LB    The release of ANYWHERE YOU ARE has been hailed as the long awaited return of the "Queen of Time Travel Romance".  How do you feel about having this title?

CF    When my publisher told me they were going to put that title on my book, I kind of cringed for a few moments.  Even though several magazines and reviewers had already tagged me with Queen of Time Travel, I still am not comfortable with labels.  I didn’t invent time travel.  I merely kept writing it in the romance genre when no one else was.  In fact, when I wrote that first book for myself, I didn’t even know it would be labeled a time travel.  My first publisher did that.  Now that I’m titled, Queen of Time Travel, I am honored some might see me as that yet, to me, the most important part of writing is being able to communicate with you, the reader.  A title is merely words.  What you are left feeling after reading one of my books is the reason I sit down to write.
 

LB    I understand you have been writing in the contemporary genre while vacationing from time travel.  Would you like to tell us a little about that work and why you decided to break from time travel?

CF    I wrote two contemporary books, SEASONS and SUNSETS.  After writing ten books of time travel, I decided to take a sabbatical since many were now writing time travel and the reader had a greater choice.  I also wanted to explore the wonder of female friendships and the complexities of familial relationships.  It was a wonderful experience and it also gave me a fresh perspective when I returned to my first love. . . time travel.
 

LB    Now you have returned to time travel, are you planning on staying with the genre for a while or do you intend to branch out in another direction again?

CF    I plan to write time travel and other ‘new reality’ subjects, such as angels and twin souls reuniting.  I have always been fascinated with the unusual.  Maybe because I tend to push the edge of the envelope so often in discovering new ways to express what I consider to be the most important energy we as humans can know.  Love.
 

LB    What current projects are you working on and what can be expect to see in the stores over the coming months?

CF    I have just finished my 14th book, ONCE AND FOREVER.  This one was a real challenge for me as it was the first time I had ventured into the Renaissance and the historical research was like taking a college history course.  It was while doing the research that I came across some very interesting facts and in this one there will be some real surprises in the way we view history.  In this book Maggie Whitaker is really down on her luck when she is sent a birthday present, a ticket to London to visit her aunt. . . who, through years of letter writing to her niece has revealed some far out theories about life, love and the universe.  Maggie figures she will put up with her aunt’s weird metaphysical mumbo jumbo to have a week of peace.  What Maggie gets is a trip to a Renaissance Faire by Stonehenge and the adventure of any lifetime, as she travels back in time and swears everyone is an actor at a modern Renaissance Faire.  She immediately meets her twin soul.  Here’s the way the synopsis begins:

 What if everything you knew as modern and normal disappeared in the blinking of an eye?  What if you found yourself face to face with the most incredible man, who reveals a historic truth that makes you question everything you have ever believed and you discover that this gorgeous human being who seems to fill every corner of your soul has been waiting his entire life for you to show up?  What if time were an illusion and this was happening right now, as you read this?  Could you suspend your disbelief long enough to enjoy the adventure into a timeless love, and a reunion that transcends all ages?

ONCE AND FOREVER will be released later this year, probably in the summer, by Avon Books
 

LB    I understand that it was a skydiving experience that prompted you to return to time travel.  Would you like to tell us about this experience?

CF    I am laughing as I type the answer to this one!  I had always read the last chapter to my daughter.  Even when she lived in London for 2 years, I would call her and read it.  If she laughed and was moved to tears, I knew I had done my job.  When she returned to the States, I had just finished a book and she was in my office as I read her the ending.  After getting the response I had hoped, she wiped her eyes and said, “Mom, I think it’s time you walked your talk.”  I stared at her, knowing exactly what she meant. . . about walking through fear.  I write about it so much because I am working on it myself every day, as are almost all human beings-- for I think it takes courage sometimes to walk through this adventure of life.  So I looked at my daughter and said, “Okay, what do you suggest?”  She didn’t say anything, just got up and picked up the phone book.  Minutes later we both had an appointment to sky dive!  I looked at her like she was crazy and told myself I could never do it.  I would rather walk over hot coals on the ground!  Anyway, I decided to be a grown up about it and just see if I could walk through this intense level of fear, knowing if I did I would have broken through an immense barrier and this illusion of fear would be lessened.  I’m not frightened of heights.  I was frightened of throwing myself out of a perfectly good airplane!  For me, this represented all my fears wrapped up in what felt like an act of madness.  But I did it, and it changed the way I look at life and gave me a terrific idea for a book, my return to time travel with ANYWHERE YOU ARE.
 

LB    Which of your novels have you enjoyed working on the most and why?

CF    In all honesty it’s always the book I have just finished.  If I didn’t think it was the best and the most enjoyable to work on, I wouldn’t be able to write it.  I guess that’s why I’m glad I don’t write straight historical novels, for with ‘new reality’, there’s always something different and new for me to discover and each time I have to delve deeper into my own mind to find a fresh approach to this mysterious subject of time.
 

LB    You are known as the time travel romance novelist who sets the standard for the genre.  How do you feel about this and where do you look for inspiration while others are looking to you?

CF    How do I feel about it?  Deeply honored, and I think with ANYWHERE YOU ARE and ONCE AND FOREVER I have raised my own standard.  You see, when I sat down to write that first book, I considered myself a fairly intelligent woman and when I sold that book I wondered if you, the reader, would also enjoy it.  I hold my readership in high regard.  I have always respected their intelligence, and can get highly annoyed when someone denigrates romance or those who read romance for I delve into some pretty serious subjects in my writing, especially the relationship we have with ourselves and our growth as women.  I also am honored that I write about the most important subject in the universe. . . love.

Where do I look for inspiration? I have only read one other time travel and that was after my first book was sold and not yet published.  My editor at the time could not believe I hadn’t read Jack Finney’s “Time and Again”.  I felt a bit ignorant, so I picked up that classic and was totally intimidated.  I highly recommend it.  Since then, I have never read another’s time travel, only because I don’t want to be influenced by another’s ideas.  I go inward for my inspiration, since I write first from a reader’s point of view.  I still write the book I want to read, but can’t find. . . and I write it for myself.  I am thrilled so many seem to like the same kind of books I do.
 

LB   Do you have a message for your readers?

CF    First of all, I am deeply honored that my readers suspend their disbelief and allow me into their heads.  I never take that for granted, and I really appreciate that they have held my hand as, together, we have had some pretty wild adventures into a few mysterious subjects.  Many have written to me saying through reading my books they feel as though they know me.  The best reader letter I received said that reading one of my books was like inviting me over and sitting at the kitchen table sharing a pot of tea and a great story.  I loved that, for that is the connection I have while writing.  I’m telling a friend a story.  I am grateful our friendship has lasted since 1986.  It’s one I treasure and will nurture as long as I write and long afterward. . . for the memories are precious.   Thank you for helping me to do something I love.  Create.  And thank you for accepting me for a brief time into your mind and into your heart.  I look forward to many more adventures with you.  It’s been a wild ride, yet my seat belt is unbuckled, for to have an adventure you have to throw away all your perceptions of safety and just trust yourself and your choices.  Thanks for choosing to read this interview, and to all who have read my work in the past, shared my books with others and have written me such beautiful, articulate letters. . .  I would like to extend my kindest regards.  Who knows where we’ll venture next?
 

I would like to thank Constance O'Day-Flannery for giving such a great interview for the Magical Romance Website.  It has been a pleasure.

Since Ms O'Day-Flannery does not have a website as yet she has kindly given permission for me to include her e-mail address here for all those who would like to drop her a line.

The address is afmp54a@prodigy.com

Thank you again, it has been a pleasure.
 

Links to  Online Stores

Books by Constance O'Day-Flannery:   Time-Kissed Destiny, Time-Kept Promises, Once and Forever and Anywhere You Are.