There is a
saying, “Tuscany, like a fine wine, has been some time in the making…
One of the special things about Tuscany is that
our guest calls the region home. Meet Connie Shipley and enjoy her 4Q
Interview.
Today I’m
married and living in Tuscany, with my Italian husband and three dogs. I’m an
avid researcher, always out on the look for new ideas. I don’t quite remember
why I started writing, but it was two years ago, with my first novel
MoonHuntress. I created a series, so now there are three completed books. I
love complex characters and the psychology that surrounds them. I always try to
show the reader how my characters really are, what they think, how they live,
feel, their emotions. I also love fashion, so there’s the feminine side to my
books as well. I hope you enjoy the series.
4Q: You have
a successful series named “MoonHuntress,”
which is also the name of the first novel in the series. How did this series
come about? What inspired the stories?
CS: It
started out as a completely different story about a Sisterhood, but there were
far too many characters, so I began to remove them. Then, after talking to some
military friends and doing some research, I began to write the first draft of
MoonHuntress. Now, as I said before I’ve lived and worked in the Middle East,
so many characters are based on real people but of course the entire story is
invented. I never really know what’s going to happen with the characters, so I
just write as I go. And when I arrived at the end of the first book, I thought,
why not continue, and write a series. So, I went back to the story-board,
talked to military friends with their specific knowledge on tactics, weapons,
strategy, and went from there. There’s also a lot of research in my books,
which I love doing. If you like action, adventure,
and a dash of romance, this is the series!
4Q: In the
second book of this series, SoulCatcher, your heroine is Bina Knopfler. Tell us
about her.
CS: Bina
Knopfler is already introduced and the main character in the first book of the
series. She’s the protagonist. She’s a Mossad agent. She’s beautiful, clever,
and very strong minded and determined (a bit like me, yes). But she also has
her weak side, she isn’t perfect, and she makes mistakes. Life hasn’t been easy
on her, and she pretty much has been a loner. But through the story, she needs
to face the truth, and it’s a hard truth.
4Q: Pleased
share a childhood anecdote or favorite memory.
CS: My
favorite memory is my childhood at the beach. I think I had the best childhood
ever. We used to live in a beach town. So, every summer was great fun going to
the beach with my cousins. Playing in the sand, digging holes, swimming in the
sea. My cousin and I used to have two bathing suits, one dry one, and one to go
swimming, we used to change them every ten minutes, making our mums go crazy.
It was fun.
4Q: There
are three books in the series with the third called The Golden Key and all
sound intriguing. Two have also been translated into Italian. What’s next for
Connie Shipley?
CS: Well I’m
working together with my American editor on an upcoming book, a paranormal
thriller. I’m very excited about this
project. It’s completely different, very intriguing and hope the readers will
love it as we explore a wing of the esoteric world. Plus, in the meantime I’m
working with my Italian editor on the translation of the Golden Key. It’s a lot
of work and it’s keeping me quite busy.
Once I’m
finished with the thriller, I’m going to work on the final book of the
MoonHuntress series. So watch out!!
Thank you,
Connie, for sharing your thoughts and writing and for being our guest this
week.
For those
that are interested in discovering more about Connie and her novels, use these
links.
https://www.facebook.com/ShipleyConnieAuthor/
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