Listen With Your Heart & Interview w/ Barbara Scott

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I'm talking to Barbara Scott about her historical romance which is partially set in Ireland. Barbara, please tell us about yourself and your books.

BS: I grew up wanting to be a writer, but wound up earning a living in my "fall back" career, teaching. Still, when I finally finished the novel I began in high school, I found I couldn't quit until I'd written a trilogy. It took me twenty years to write that first one and three months each to write the other two. Now, I'm retired from teaching and am in the educational consulting and textbook writing business with two friends and fellow retirees. My first published novel, TUG OF WAR, a YA historical, was a Golden Heart winner. HAUNTS OF THE HEART, the first of that trilogy, is a Civil War ghost story. LISTEN WITH YOUR HEART is my Irish historical. And CAST A PALE SHADOW, a romantic suspense, will be out in June from Triskelion Publishing. I'm working on a Western historical now. I know I should specialize in one subgenre or another, but I continue to follow my heart.

VS: You've had several books published. Please tell us about your Irish set historical.

BS: LISTEN WITH YOUR HEART begins in 1871 at the Chicago fire, moves to the streets of New York and finally to the wild, dangerous coast of Ireland. It tells the story of Daniel Connolly, a popular Irish tenor, and Morgan Gable. She first loves him from afar then, in a twist of fate, agrees to a marriage of convenience. Daniel needs her to save him from deportation or worse, the treacherous political legacy of his late wife, a supporter of The Fenian Brotherhood, an early version of the IRA.

VS: Do you have a review you could share with us?

BS: "A rousing tale... impeccably researched" Shirl Henke, author of The Texas Viscount.
"The talented Barbara Scott has crafted an engaging, heartwarming romance in Listen With Your Heart. If you love a story with a charming Irish hero, an intrepid heroine and a wee bit of mystery, don't miss this one!" Carol Carson, author of Fortune's Treasure.

A CAPTIVATING MUST READ
Reviewer: A reader on Amazon.com
"Listen With Your Heart pulled me in by the end of the first page. I was unable to set the book down until I was done with it and now I'm ready to read it again. I was captivated by the poetic writing and descriptive language. I became the character in the story! It is one of the best romantic books that I have read in a long time. I can't wait to read more about these characters!"

VS: What is it about Ireland that draws you to want to write about it's landscape and people?

BS: I'm of Irish heritage and my father was born on St. Patrick's Day. So I grew up with a romantic yearning for all things Irish. I'm inspired by their history and their struggle and by the incredibly beautiful land so many of them were forced to abandon. While writing, I surrounded myself with photos and travel posters and regularly visited websites such as http://sneem.com/skelligs/skelligsmain.html

VS: Who is your favorite character in the book and why? How does he/she grow and change over the course of the story?

BS: Though I loved my hero and heroine, I had to be careful that Brian Falkner, a defrocked priest, Fenian, and murder suspect, didn't take over too much of the plot. When we first meet him he is in hiding as a footman for the villainess. He does some terrible things that wind up forcing Morgan into Daniel's protection. But, in the end, he puts himself in danger to rescue Morgan and Daniel. I may wind up with a sequel for Falkner someday to complete his redemption.

VS: Sounds fantastic! Barbara, thanks for being my guest here! Please visit Barbara Scott's website at http://www.barbarascottink.com/ for excerpts of her books and more.