Background Information

Hey everyone! I'm in a day long chat with other Champagne authors over at Love Romances (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe) We're having a lot of fun sharing excerpts, information on our books and excerpts as well.

In one of my posts I mentioned I'd explain where the idea for my elemental desires series came from. I told them I'd share this story here on my blog. Well, here goes:

Every month or so all the women in our family (on my mom's side) get together to go out for lunch or dinner and we spend a couple of hours catching up on our lives, laughing and bonding. We tend to get a little loud and quite rambunctious, but it's a lot of fun.

One day we all grabbed Chinese food and invaded my Nanny Ann's house. We crowded around her table, stuffed our faces with the wonderful food and spent the evening having a blast.

I was sitting there watching my mom and her sisters interact with each. The love we all share was so plain in their faces and the fun they always have, despite their differences and thought man, I'd love to write something about them.

Then it hit me--sisters, four elements--magic powers--oh yeah! This could work!

Now my mom and her sisters are NOT witches, that's not the inspiration for the characters. It's the way they interact with each other, the way they view the world, and a few of their personality quirks and traits that lent them to my girls.

I told them about the series the next time we got together and for months I made them wonder which witch was which sister. At Thanksgiving that year I sat them down, made them guess and then revealed it to them.

Jo is Maryna. My aunt Jo and I are the closest in age and we spent alot of time together when I was younger. She loves to swim and she is the most mischievous of them all. (Yeah Jo, admit it, you really are--hehehe)

Mom is Storm. Mom's sensible and she is the one all the others turn to for advise. She's loving and caring and always there when they need her. She always looks out for her little sisters, but she knows how to cut loose and have fun as much as they do.

My Aunt Marty is Ember. Ember is the witch of the fire element and it so applies to my aunt Marty. Spit fire...fire brand...fired up...those all apply to Marty. She's a wonderful person to be with and I adore her dearly. She's fiercely loyal and extremely protective. She also has her cantankerous moments (don't we all?!?!) but she's definitely the one who fits my Ember's personality.

Finally, is Tara. The gentle earth mother type. That's my aunt Judy. See Judy is different from the rest of us. She doesn't get mad quick at all! She's got this never ending fuse that's almost impossible to light. She's the quietest one of the bunch. I've only seen my aunt Judy riled once and I tell you what, she's like a little bundle of dynamite. Once that fuse does get touched off and it reaches the end, LOOK OUT!

I was once asked where I fit in. Honestly? I don't. If you ask my aunts, mom and cousins I'm sure they'd all say that I'm on the extreme edge of each of them. People come to me when they want to be told bluntly and abrasively what I think they should do. I have the shortest fuse, the easiest lit, I don't back down, tell it like it is.

Too much information? LOL

Well, I've got to get busy, edits for Chase just began trickling in and I have to get busy on them.

See you all soon!
Hugz!
Donica