Robin D Owens is the author of the wonderful novel HeartMate.  This book has the distinction of being the first futuristic genre book of the Magical Love series from Jove.  It is a wonderful book and sets a high standard for other futuristics in the series to match up to.

Robin has kindly allowed us to interview her for the Magical Romance Website and so without further ado, on with the show.
 

LB    First of all as an introduction please can you tell us a little about yourself and how you found yourself writing?

RDO    I'm single and living in Denver with cats.  All my family is here and we've been in Colorado for four generations now.  I have a degree in International Service and Information Science and a Paralegal Certificate.  Cats --sigh-- if I'd known that all I had to do to get cats was to put out a bowl of food on the back porch, I wouldn't have bought two kittens.  So now I have four, two purchased (who think they're better than the two who showed up and stayed).  Of course the two who showed up got written into the first book, so now THEY think they're better...especially Maddox, The Cover Cat.

Like most writers, I started young and always liked to write.  I think I get it from my grandmother on my mother's side of the family.
 

LB  You say on your site that you found your voice in Futuristic/Fantasy Romance.  Do you intend to stick to this genre for the foreseeable future or are other genres beckoning you?

RDO    Yes, every now and then I get nervous about how small the market can be, but I'm bolstered by hope that I can continue to write the stories that are whispering to me. :)  I think Harry Potter is going to help all paranormal/fantasy writers out A LOT.  Otherwise I'll go back to Regency Historical or try something else.
 

LB    The creation of the planet Celta opens the door for many books to be written about the people, places and politics of that planet.  Where did you initially come up with the idea of Celta and have you any plans for other planets/worlds for novels?

RDO    Oddly enough, the idea of HeartMate was sparked by a bloodstone I bought.  It was a pendulum (for divination), so the idea of divination came to me, followed by T'Ash.  Since he is a tough guy, he'd make the stones himself--so he became a jeweller/blacksmith.  I'd been studying Wicca and love listening to Celtic music, so that all coalesced into a world of my own.

I have many ideas for Celta (about 6 or 7), but stirring around in the back of my mind are a time travel in the days of Mary Queen of Scots, a contemporary stalker book, and a couple of
"contemporary women travel to another planet/dimension" stories.
 

LB    One of the main features of the characters in HeartMate is the flairs that they have.  If you had a flair of your own, what type of flair would you like to have and why?

RDO    Ah, an EASY question, and one I haven't answered before, good for you!  I'm sure we all have different ideas of what we'd like magic to do, for me it's teleportation.  I love to travel, and I admit that sometimes the journey is wonderful and scenic, but teleportation would get me there so much faster --- zip ---here I am in London or at Warwick Castle, or the Greek Islands or the Cape of Good Hope or St. Petersburg or...  Denver is lovely and near the mountains, but being smack dab in the middle of the country means long travel to everywhere else.
 

LB    In HeartMate the cats of Rand and Danith play strong roles in the story.  I understand they are based on your own cats Maddox and Muse.  Can you tell us a little about your cats and which other of your pets can we expect to see in your novels?

RDO    LOL.  You are very brave.

Both Maddox and Muse were abandoned cats.  Maddox moved onto my front porch for a summer and winter before I had him fixed and let him inside.  He KNOWS he's the top male cat, but the true "First Cat" is Diva at about 8 lbs. ½ Siamese with white fur and blue eyes.

Muse is a sweetie, a long furred silver tabby.  She was truly abused and abandoned and found her way to my house.  I tried to give her away, but after a while I couldn't.

Mistral (photo soon to be up on my website) will be Ruis's Fam in Heart Thief, named Samba.  She's snoozing next to me on the left arm of my u-shaped desk.  A fat calico, she weighs in at about 20 lbs. and is very vocal and adventurous.

Diva, as I said, is half Siamese and has that piercing whine down really well.  She will be in the fourth book (hopefully) as Straif Blackthorn's demanding Fam -- something he can only shake
his head at -- a little female cat Fam.
 
 

LB    What book(s) are you working on at the moment and what can we expect to see from you over the coming months?

RDO    I just sold Heart Thief last week!  HOORAY!  Since I'd started it before I sold to a romance house, and the story seemed to tend more toward science fiction or fantasy, I've had a major revision on my hands.  Heart Thief will be coming out from Berkley Jove in June or July of 2003.  Holm Holly's book is about half done, and Straif Blackthorn/Mitchella Clover's book has a couple of chapters and an outline.
 

LB    HeartMate is your fourth completed book.  What are your first three books about and are there any plans for publication of them?

RDO    "The Token" (my first) is a contemporary romantic suspense with paranormal elements; a story of an inheritance and a curse. There is a hidden fortune, murderous traps, a sentient house, and a threatening killer. Though I love the story, the book is very rough and will probably never be revised.

"Shades of Honor" is a historical romance set in Regency England in which a set of identical twins realize they are engaged to the wrong men.  While they are trying to sort out the tangle, the twins' uncle suffers a fatal "accident" and a priceless set of sapphires and emeralds are found missing.  The search for the jewels and the search for true love are intermixed with danger and death before the twins triumph.

"Betrothal and Blackmail" is a historical romance set in Regency England.  A proper widow reluctantly agrees to a sham betrothal to a charming rogue and old friend to foil the hero's
evil great-aunt.  The heroine's abusive first marriage made her vow to never again wed.  The hero must win her trust as well as her heart.  At the house party to formally announce their
betrothal, the aunt is murdered.  The hero and heroine discover the depth of their love for each other while they search for the murderer among a myriad of blackmail victims.

As you can tell, I've used my pitches.  ;)  I think that both Shades of Honor and Betrothal and Blackmail can be salvaged if I have time in the future.  Shades of Honor has a telepathic twin bond that plays a large part in the story, Betrothal and Blackmail has no paranormal bits in it at all.
 

LB    On your site you mention that you are a member of the Lungfish Theater improv group. Are you still a member and can you tell us a little about this?

RDO    Thanks for asking!  Lungfish is having a difficult time of it as many amateur improv groups do in the States.  We will be doing occasional shows, but to be honest I was at the top of my form a couple of years ago.  We specialize in short "games," (for instance we do limericks with ideas thrown out by audience members, songs, etc.) and try our best to be humorous and fun.
 

LB    You have a number of artist exercises on your site.  Can you tell us about these and how they work?

RDO    I'm so glad you mentioned this.  I'm proud of the exercises, and always hope they work, and write them so they will work for any person -- because I believe we are all creative in one manner or another.  I want the exercises to spark inspiration for others, or help people get over, under, around or through whatever may be blocking them creatively.  I used a mixture of formats from Susan Shaughnessy's "Walking on Alligators" and Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way."  There's a motivational quote, an exercise that I struggle to make good, and an affirmation to use to disconnect the "inner critic" we all have with us.  Usually the exercises are very simple and I hope they make you think.  I've done the six senses: SIGHT -- with an exercise to observe and use your observation in your work, etc.
 

LB    What would you say has been the highlight of your career in writing so far?

RDO    Selling the first book was wonderful, and selling the second one last week was great!  I've won a few awards, both when unpublished and with HeartMate, and each one is a thrill.  Right now I'm peacocking around because I'm up for the Romance Writer's of America RITA Awards for Best First Book and Best Paranormal Romance.  These are the BIG awards -- like the Oscars of Romance. The RWA National Convention is in Denver this year!  So my mother will be in the audience.  I anticipate being a wreak.
 

LB    Finally, do you have a message for your readers out there?

RDO    <Waving> I hope you enjoy HeartMate!  Mundane announcement: I have a contest on my website every month.  True wish: Whatever your creative passion is, pursue it.

Thanks for inviting me to speak with you.  I've enjoyed our email "conversations" and your questions.  I like hanging around your websites very much -- they're so informative and colourful and interesting and fun....

And I have enjoyed asking those questions and reading the answers.  I guess I am lucky my own cat does not covet the spotlight.  Very timid and shy.

Thanks for taking the time to do the interview for me.

And visitors can stop by Robin's own site by following this link
 

You can buy Robin's book online.  Here are some links to Online Stores

Books by Robin D Owens: HeartMate, Heart Thief and Heart Duel.