Road to Romance Interview with Sloan St. James

Today I’m talking with Sloan St. James, author of THE DARK PLAIN, which will be available in October of 2004 from Baycrest Books. 

Sue Waldeck -- Welcome Sloan!

Sloan St. James – Hi Sue.

SW – Ok, first off, congratulations on THE DARK PLAIN.  It’s your first published novel, and according to your website, this story haunted you for ages before it became reality.  Tell us how it came to be.

SSJ – Thanks for the kudos, Sue. 

Yes, the story had plagued my mind for a long time.  Unfortunately, it began after I witnessed a horrific car accident where a mother and small child had been killed.  My heart ached when I thought of the insurmountable grief the father would face. Months went by and periodically that scene flashed into my mind. Then I’d read an article about how the Pagans believed that on the night of Samhain (pronounced sow ween) those that had died during that year walked the earth to travel to the dark plain. I couldn’t help but wonder how that father would feel if he could see his child one last time?  I have to admit my arrogance in thinking I’d write the story, and not the characters, was a difficult three-year lesson to learn.  Once I cleared that hurdle the story took on a life of its own.  

SW – Ok, who is Sloan?  Is she a dust covered author, permanently crouched over the keyboard with cobwebs from nose to fingers?  Introduce yourself to us!

SSJ – HAHAHA  What 59 year old mother, grandmother, and first time author would have enough time to let the dust settle, let alone cobwebs form?  I don’t, that’s for sure. Yet, I do admit that I’ve had a lot of luck in my life. I have an amazing son and a precious granddaughter.  But three years ago I wondered if my luck had run out when I was faced with having a quadruple heart bypass.  As you can see my luck hasn’t stopped and neither have I.   

SW – THE DARK PLAIN is paranormal, with secret villages, curses, ancient rituals.  Where does all this come from?  What fuels your imagination to build an entire world in your mind that you can actually get down on paper, and then invite others into?

SSJ –  I’ve always had a fascination with the unexplained. Yet, my curiosity is never satisfied, that’s why I love doing research.  Sometimes it’s a word or a paragraph that sparks an idea. Once it takes hold, I quietly sit and watch it play out in my head, like a movie.  As I said previously, I’ve learned to listen to the characters and not force the story, but instead I follow it and write down what I see and hear.      

SW – Your reviews have a common thread in their comments – excellent storyteller, talented new author, star on the horizon.  How do you feel about that?  Can you sit back now and go ‘There! I did it!’ Or is this just the beginning for you?

SSJ – I’m honored they would pay me such high compliments, and so very glad they liked The Dark Plain. As far as sitting on my laurels, keep in mind I started my writing career later than most.  So, I’ve no intentions wasting a moment of it.  An author is only as good as their next book, so I’m hoping to offer my readers many more years of reading pleasure.   

SW – Baycrest Books is a new publishing house, and THE DARK PLAIN is it’s premier romance novel.  Tell us about them.

SSJ – They’re small but as their motto is…they’re making waves in the publishing world.  CEO of Baycrest Books, Nadine Meeker stated she started Baycrest with a single intention in mind.  She wanted Baycrest to be a place where authors were treated like people.  You can ask anyone of Baycrest’s authors and they’ll all tell you the same thing.  Nadine has accomplished exactly what she set out to do.   

SW – OK, a bit more personal.  If you could sit and talk to anyone, from any era, about anything, who would it be and what would you talk about? 

SSJ – That’s not a fair question to ask me to pick just one.  OK, Thomas Jefferson.  I’d ask him if he felt our constitution was outdated.  Then I’d sit back and listen to him make point after point how it’s still the most perfect document ever written.       

SW – You have a month off, no plans, no job and the computer is broken so you can’t write.  Someone gives you plane tickets to go anywhere in the world – where do you go?  And what are you going to do while you’re there?  And maybe there happens to be a time travel portal where you’re going – what year do you want to visit?

SSJ –  Now that’s an easy question.  I’d go to Ireland and see if my descriptions of the place came close to matching what is really there.    

SW – What’s next?  What else is churning in your head trying to get out?  Are there other worlds in there? 

SSJ – My next project, tentatively entitled “The Dark Shield”, tells the story of how not only is life all checks and balances, with destiny the only path we can follow, but that applies to the dark plain as well. It’s Conner Wolfe’s destiny to save the orphan children of Belfast, but the price he pays is the life of his soul mate.  However, if one life is taken out from the dark plain, another must replace it.  Who will take her place?

SW – Sloan, thanks for taking the time to talk to me today – I wish you the best of luck with THE DARK PLAIN!

SSJ  - Thanks Sue.  But I’d like to thank you also for giving the romance community this great site Road to Romance, where both readers and authors come together to share in their passion for romance.