We asked MFRW Author Margaret Fieland a few short questions. She gave us a few sweet answers. Read more about Margaret and enjoy an excerpt from her 2013 release.
Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Her poems and stories have appeared in journals such as Turbulence Magazine, Front Range Review, and All Rights Reserved. She is one of the Poetic Muselings. Their poetry anthology, Lifelines, was published by Inkspotter Publishing in November, 2011. She is the author of Relocated, Geek Games, and Broken Bonds, published by MuseItUp Publishing , and of Sand in the Desert, a collection of science fiction persona poems. A chapter book is due out later this year.
Why did I decide to write romance novels?
I didn't *decide* to write one. I wrote a sci fi novel with no intention of writing any sequels, and lo and behold, my characters kept poking at me to answer questions and write more. One of the characters in my first sci fi novel is living alone at the time of the first novel in my Novels of Aleyne series, and I wondered why. I ended up writing a sci fi romance with him as one of the characters in a four-way M/M/M/F relationship.
How much of your life experience ends up in your writing?
An awful lot. For one thing, the things I'm passionate about -- art, music, poetry, politics, computers, relationships -- are things that inform my novels, and then, too, various bits and pieces make their way in. A couple of my father's old World War Two army stories made their way, suitable modified, as incidents in my sci fi romance, ""Broken Bonds.""
What kind of research do you do for a book?
Whatever I need to. I need to know enough about whatever it is to picture my character moving through the scene. For the novel I'm just finishing up, the fourth Aleyne novel, I picked the brains of my middle son, who was in the army for seven or eight years, as the main character is a colonel in theTerran Federation Guard, and I needed a fair amount of detail about army procedures and the like.
Tell us about your latest book?
My latest book is the fourth in the Novels of Aleyne series, and it does not yet have a real title. I've been calling it ""Rob's Book,"" after the main character, who is a colonel in the Terran Federation Guard. He is posted to Aleyne to arrest Major Brad Reynolds, the main character from ""Broken Bonds,"" for treason. The opening scene occurs in ""Broken Bonds,"" but here it's told from Rob's point of view, and goes on to chronicle his trials in attempting to help negotiate a new treaty between the Federation and Aleyne.
What motivated it?
The characters kept poking at me. I rewrote ""Broken Bonds"" a couple of times, and in one of the versions, I have a meeting between Brad and Rob. That got cut out, but I by then I had Rob and his two wives and their dicey family situation in my head, so I ended up putting them into their own novel. The politics is the main thrust of this book, but there is a strong romantic sub-plot as well.
Where did the idea come from?
Good question. From the characters and their situation and my desire to know what happens next.
What is my writing routine once I start a book?
I'm fairly linear, so I start writing at the beginning of the book and write through to the end. At that point I have the first draft, and I know the arc of the book, the characters, really what the story is about. Then I go back and revise. I do have a plot outline and a good idea of where I'm going and the major plot points, but not how I'm going to get there.
Does my family know not to bother me?
Not really, but I have tunnel vision when I'm writing. I tend not to notice interruptions, and when I do, I jump and bark, ""What?"" It tends to lead to relatively few interruptions.
What do I do to relax and recharge?
Walk my dogs, listen to music, pull weeds, do dishes, play music -- I play the flute and the piccolo. And read. I'm a book junky. If I don't have a large stack of reading material, I get very anxious.
Connect with Margaret...
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/margaretfieland/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/margaret.fielandAuthor
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/madcapmaggie
goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417476.Margaret_Fieland
Margaret Fieland released Broken Bonds, Novels of Aleyne Book 2, a GLBT Sci Fi Romance, with MuseItUp Publishing in July 2013.
When Major Brad Reynolds is assigned to head the Terran Federation base on planet Aleyne, the last thing he expects to find is love, and certainly not with one of the alien Aleyni. How can he keep his lover, in the face of political maneuvering and of Ardaval's feelings for his former partners— and theirs for him?
When you bend the rules, they may snap back and hit you in the face.
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REVIEW
I loved this book. Marvellous. I devoured it in a day.It was so nice to be able to go back and visit with this cast of characters. Aleyni is such a unique place. The scenery there, never ceases to amaze. Ardaval was still my favourite character, there is just something about him that continues to fascinate me. But it was nice to get a window into more of the other characters past and present. Broken Bonds, surprised me. It's a science fiction romance, but it gave me so many things to think about. Poetry, love. relationships. spirituality, family, right and wrong.I think that's what I love most about this series, it's not a heavy book/series but it's not fluff either. I can not think of any other book I could relate to this series, it's so unique and refreshing.
5 stars, can not wait for more from the series!
Posted by Amazon Reviewer
EXCERPT
Brad took a deep breath of cool night air, inhaling the nutmeg scent of the flowers planted around Ardaval's front door. Before Brad could knock, the door opened and Ardaval stood in the doorway. Brad hesitated before putting out his hands palm up.
Ardaval placed his hands over Brad's. ""My heart, my home, my hearth.""
""My hearth, my home, my heart,"" Brad murmured in response.
Smiling, Ardaval directed his gaze at Brad's eyes; it evoked the same curious flutter in the pit of his stomach as the last time they'd met. Ardaval held open the door and gestured for Brad to enter. ""You've come to discuss Gavin.""
""I have."" Brad followed Ardaval into the front hall where tiles of local stone sparkled on the floor and a padded bench stood under a window. Through a doorway on one side, a glance revealed a kitchen furnished with dark wood cabinets, clean and a bit bare.
""Come."" Ardaval gestured toward the back of the hallway where a doorway led into a center courtyard, open to the cool night air, and motioned to a small table. A red-leafed tree in the center spread its leaves overhead. Brad sat, and Ardaval sat beside him.
Brad needed to talk about Gavin Frey's political views. Views that, as far as he could tell from the records, were the opposite of his own. A breath brought him the scent of Ardaval's skin, musky, with a hint of clove. Was it duty or cowardice keeping him from reaching for Ardaval's hand and kissing the palm?
Ardaval clasped Brad's hand in his. ""Tell me more about why you were posted to Aleyne.""
Should he remove his hand? No. He enjoyed Ardaval's touch and what was the harm, really? When he glanced up, he found Ardaval regarding him with evident amusement.
""I recommended that a man who used psi to save his squad be given a dishonorable discharge."" Brad hesitated. ""Although the soldier deserved a medal rather than a court martial, he was a fool to admit he caught a thought.”
Ardaval nodded.
""About Gavin Frey. Is he your shan?"" The thoughts slipped out.
Ardaval stared into Brad's eyes for a a second or two before he replied. ""As you surmise, he is my son; my shan, because I didn't raise him.""
Might as well ask this, too. ""His mother never told you about him?""
Ardaval shook his head. ""No, she didn't. He spent six months here after she died. Then we disagreed over a matter of ethical principal and he left.""
Given what he understood about Frey, Brad would have been surprised if they hadn't.
""He married, but his wife died. He has a son who is now fourteen by Terran Standard years.""
""His mother possessed a strong psi talent.""
""She contacted you?"" Brad's eyebrows rose to his hairline.
""She did. I suggest you keep an eye on the boy.""
""Do you believe he has gazal?"" If the boy developed Aleyni mind speech abilities, he'd need careful watching. Brad's own family had been fairly accepting but how would Frey react if he discovered his son possessed gazal? And what about the terrorists, who might try to exploit Keth's talent?
Ardaval nodded. ""I do, though of course we've never met. Gavin doesn't, or at least if he does, he keeps his mind so locked down it's the same thing.""
Brad sighed and rose. He'd completed what he'd said he'd come to do.
""It happens this way with us, at times."" Ardaval paused for a moment. ""We'll meet again.""
Brad turned to leave. He couldn't ignore this connection, wish it away, any longer. Only Ardaval's assurance kept him moving out the door.
