1. Hi, Charlotte. What made you become a writer?
The voices in my head that were screaming to get out. I was born a storyteller, I think, but my Irish grandfather would sit with me in the swing on the front porch of our home and he'd start a story then tell me to finish it. He would always say to me, "Think now, brat. Does that ending make sense?" I'd come up with something else until he would nod and say, "Let's do another." My grandfather was a seanachie (Irish talespinner) of the highest order. He could swap the tallest tales with his cronies and he taught me how to create believable, interesting tales of my own. Of course my mother…his daughter…always said he taught me how to lie with the best of 'em. She looked at storytelling in a different light. When my first book was published my mother was so proud. She gave me a little card that said: "When I was young, they called me a liar. Now that I'm grown, they call me a writer."
2. Is there another author who you admire, and why?
I have always been awed by Anya Seton's writing. Her book, Green Darkness, started me on my quest to write a book about a tortured hero. I love the flow of her words, the way she crafts a scene, and I know of at least fifty authors who feel about her work the way I do. If I could write a tenth as well as Anya Seton, I would be one very happy camper.
3. What’s your favourite genre to write about?
I love dark fantasy because I love to world-build. I particularly like creating new beings and expounding on the myth of my signature Reapers. Most of my books have elements of the tortured alpha male and the strong heroine who isn't too stupid to live.
4. Tell us about your latest book release.
The Emperor of the Wind is a novella and is part of the WindVerse series of books. I've had a ton of emails from readers who wanted to read the Burgon's story. He is the Emperor, the most powerful man in several galaxies and he's a Reaper: a shapeshifting werewolf/vampire creature with amber eyes. Readers have met him through several books and I kept hearing how he should have his own story so I wrote EOTW as a gift to the fans of the WindVerse series. It basically tells of how he and his lady-love come to get married at long last.
5. What other books have you written?
BloodWind, DarkWind, EvilWind, WindFall, WindChance, WindKeeper, WindSeeker, WindWeeper, WindHealer, WindReaper, WindDreamer, WindBeliever, WindDeceiver, WindRetriever, WyndRiver Sinner, Reaper's Revenge, Prime Reaper, Tears of the Reaper, Her Reaper's Arms, My Reaper's Daughter, Embrace the Wind, BlackMoon Reaper, The Prince of the Wind, The Shades of the Wind, In the Arms of the Wind, In the Heart of the Wind, In the Teeth of the Wind, In the Wind's Eye, Desire's Sirocco, Rapture's Etesian, Longing's Levant, Hunger's Harmattan, Pleasure's Foehn, Ardor's Leveche, Craving's Chinook, Dancing on the Wind, WindChaser, The WyndMaster's Lady, The WyndMaster's Son, WyndRaider, NightWind, The Wyndstones, The Windwarrior, DesertWind, BlackWind: Sean and Bronwyn, BlackWind: Viraidan and Bronwyn, Winds Through Time, GhostWind, Hot Georgia Winds, HardWind, Passion's Mistral, Kiss of the Wind, Journey of the Wind, ShadowWind: Shadowlord, Prisoners of the Wind, WyndSheer, Taken by the Wind, Windborn, Seasonal Winds, Spring Wind, Winter Wind, Autumn Wind, WindWolf, Wayward Wind, Summer Wind, WindRush, and Windspectre.
6. Are there any reviews you would like to share with us?
I've got over 900 I'd love to share with you. All kidding aside, I think the greatest compliment any reviewer has ever given me was when she said nobody does tortured heroes as well as Charlotte Boyett~Compo. That made my day. I've won many awards for my books and I'm one of the few authors who have garnered 10 or more Recommended Reads at Fallen Angel Reviews. I appreciate each and every award I receive; they mean a lot to me. That said, I don't enter my works into contests. That's just a personal decision I made several years back. If one of my books wins an award, it is from the readers and reviewers and means more to mean that one I am required to pay an entry fee to have assessed.
7. Where do you hope to be in ten years time, regarding your writing career?
Still writing and still creating tales readers will enjoy. I will continue with the Reaper series of novels and have a couple of more series in mind. I would love to see my work made into a movie or two…what author doesn't…but I sincerely believe I'll never see it in NY. My work is too edgy and too different for that market and I like writing from my heart.
8. Who’s your ideal hero?
He is the always tall, dark and handsome alpha male with a tortured soul. He is loyal to his friends, athletic, well-built, with a cocky grin and amber eyes. He's good with his hands and especially good between the sheets. He has a wicked sense of humor but can be mean as a rattlesnake when crossed. He would lay down his life for his family and friends and walk through hell's fire to be with the woman he loves…whom he treats as an equal and not as an ornament for his arm. Chances are he is of Celtic extraction…in one way or another.
9. And who’s your ideal heroine?
She's pretty but you won't find her primping before the mirror. She's brave and intelligent rather than being too stupid to live. She gives as good as she gets. She can get her man out of trouble and never break a nail. She isn't a simpering mess of bouncy curls, shapely ass, and heaving bosoms. She is a tough partner to her mate and never a liability. She doesn't need rescuing because she's too smart to put herself in harm's way. She may be curious but her curiosity doesn't lead to the villain snatching her up and tying her to the proverbial railroad track. It's more likely the other way around. The gods help you if you mess with her man because she's gonna come after you with everything she's got.
10. Thank you, Charlotte, for sharing your time with us. Where can we find out more information about you?
You can go to my webpage at http://www.windlegends.org/ . There you can find not only synopses, excerpts and reviews of my published books but a large compendium of information regarding my creations as well as a good-sized writers' research area. Be prepared to stay awhile because the website has over 500 pages on it now.
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