Tess Farraday is the author or a variety of romance novels.  Her charmingly innocent hero Gordon in Sea Spell is a selkie and the matchmaker of Shadows in the Flame is a ghost.    It would seem that Tess can turn her hand to any type of romance and since many of her novels are served with a touch of magic she has a welcome place at this site.

It is therefore a wonderful pleasure to be able to interview this talented author for the Magical Romance Website....
 

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

TF    Bio:  Tess Farraday is the author of four historical romances, and magazine articles on topics from birthing rooms to bats. SEA SPELL and SNOW IN SUMMER mark her entry into the world of contemporary romance.

Tess lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains on the California-Nevada border, where she shares a one-hundred year old farm house with two children and her husband, an award-winning journalist.

Tess' work has won Heart of the West, Romance Communications and Phelan awards. She has a Masters' degree in Journalism and entirely too many pets, including an heroic collie, a German Shepherd and a bossy feline named Sherlock.
 

LB    You have written a wide variety of novels (ghosts, selkies, historical) - which of these was the most enjoyable to research and write and why?

TF    I love the variety of writing romance and if Fate and my editors cooperate, I'll never settle into a rut. While I was researching my historicals, I rode horseback for ten days across Nevada's Black Rock desert, helping to drive a herd of cattle. That trek taught me more about the true natures of horses, cattle and cowboys than a library full of books.

SNOW IN SUMMER's hero is a bitter Elizabethan ghost, but the story has a very '90's villain. In addition to tapping a lifelong love of Shakespeare and his world, I delved into macabre death rituals (the bad guy has a collection of such relics) and the criminal use of date rape drugs.
 

LB    And which was the most difficult to research and write - and of course why?

TF    The most difficult research of all was tough on my heart -- not my head.

Kind readers and reviewers have said SEA SPELL has a longing quality and that Grey Gallows, the small beach town in which it's set, seems real.  I'd guess that's because my family made a number of trips to the shore that summer -- without me. I stayed home alone, writing the book.
 

LB    What do you like to read for inspiration?

TF    For inspiration, I read contemporary poets and non-fiction. Among my favorites:  Terry Tempest Williams, Shaun Griffen, Teresa Jordan and Cathy Luchetti.
 

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

TF    I'm at work on two projects. BLUE RAIN is a story which blends contemporary crime -- the unsolved murders of hundred of the West's wild mustangs -- with Native American magic.  It will come out in November.

Right after BLUE RAIN, I'll have a Christmas story published in an anthology.  I was honored when I was asked to share STAR OF WONDER with three authors I admire.  Along with Jo Beverly, Alice Alfonsi and Kate Freiman, I help tell an end-of-the-millennium tale of a necklace imbued with the power of everlasting love.
 

LB    As visitors to my site can see, you have done some interesting research with baby seals, could you tell us about this experience?

TF    The  cuddly-looking creature on your site is Midori. While I was at a San Francisco area marine mammal rescue center, researching SEA SPELL, Midori was found on the beach. A three-day-old orphan, she would have starved if someone hadn't managed to get her to eat from a bottle.

She fought fiercely against all human contact, but for some reason, was less violent with me. After about two hours of coaxing and struggling, Midori began making little sobbing sounds, like a babe about to cry itself to sleep.

It was then she began to suckle from the bottle. That moment was one of the most rewarding of my life.
 

LB    Do you have any other interesting research experiences to share with your readers?

TF    One of my most exciting research adventures was riding in a Pony Express re-enactment. Every year, riders gallop over the route of the Pony Express, actually passing a leather bag of letters as they did in the old West, trying to move the mail as quickly as possible across the U.S.

In spite of the equestrian skills of my heroines, I am only an adequate rider. Still, this sounded too great to pass up, until my mount -- a sweet little mare named Bubbles -- pulled up lame.
The horse I was offered as a substitute was a very tall (17 hands high for those who know horses), Thoroughbred-Arab crossbred named Gin Fizz.  According to his owner, Fizz would do just fine, as long as the weather wasn't too windy.

When we pulled into our desert relay point, such a gale was blowing, we could hardly open the doors on the truck. Although we put on quite a show -- both Fizz and I survived our leg of the relay -- and finished in record time.
 

LB    What do you believe you would be doing if you were not writing romance novels?

TF    If I weren't writing, I would be teaching literature (like Miranda in SNOW IN SUMMER) , working in theatre (like Beth in SEA SPELL), writing as  a news reporter (like Kasey in BLUE RAIN) or perhaps even practicing midwifery (like Molly in SHADOWS IN THE FLAME). Actually, I was set on studying veterinary medicine until I ran up against university math requirements...so perhaps I'll have a vet heroine some day.
 

LB    Do you have any tips for would be romance writers out there?

TF    My single tip for romance writers is: give it all you've got.  Too many struggling writers are saving their best characters, plots and ideas for "breakout" books. If you have wonderful ideas now, you'll have more later.  Don't be stingy with your readers.
 

LB    Do you have a message for your readers?

TF    My message to my readers is a selfish one. Few things are as satisfying as chocolate, but one of those rare items is hearing from readers. I work in such solitude (except when the family is home -- then I work in chaos!), that is a delight to hear what you think of my characters and stories. Please email me at : tessfarrdy@aol.com  I promise a speedy response!
 

Well I don't know about everyone else, but I certainly don't think that your message is a selfish one.  Everyone likes to feel their work is appreciated and when there is no supervisor or boss to give you the praise you deserve then I am sure that all the readers out there will accommodate.

I would like to take a moment to thank you for agreeing to take part in this interview and for the wonderfully detailed responses to all those nosey questions.  I look forward to adding more of your novels to Magical Romance.
 

Links to  Online Stores

Books by Tess Farraday :  Sea Spell, Shadows in the Flame, Tumbleweed Heart and Snow in Summer

Visit Tess Farraday's Website.