PLEASE MAKE WELCOME THE FABULOUS AND TALENTED AUTHOR, GINI RIFKIN!

I have long been a fan of this talented lady who is way more braver than I am when it comes to experiencing life!  Her books take you up close and personal to places I can only imagine!

Please tell us a bit about yourself!

Hi Faith, and thank you for inviting me to your blog today. I was born and raised in Illinois, but have lived in beautiful Colorado for over forty years. I live on a little patch of land, and I take in abandoned farm animals. Currently my Noah’s Ark is shared by two ducks, a goose, two rabbits, two goats, two donkeys and three cats. Having been raised with only a hamster and a small dog, it’s been quite an amazing learning experience.

How old were you when you knew you wanted to be an author? 

I think the desire was always there subconsciously, waiting to be born. I had diaries as a young girl and wrote poetry almost as soon as I knew what to do with a pencil and paper. I can’t imagine, or remember, not writing.

I noticed that the first books you have had published through The Wild Rose Press are historicals.  Has this been a genre you've always wanted to write?  And if so, why?

In Illinois, we lived near Blackhawk State Park, and I think my love for history started when my folks would take us there. Then as I grew older and began reading romance novels I went for the knights in shining armor. But I find many types of history interesting, so I guess it naturally followed I would begin my writing journey with historicals.

What type of research do you do when you write historical?

I do a lot of it, and I love it. It leads me down many interesting paths, often times offering a twist to my stories I didn’t see coming. I use the internet of course, a wonderful convenience compared to driving to the library, as we did in the old days! And I have a fairly large collection of research books on English history and the American West. My husband and I also did Mountain Man re-enacting for many years so I have hands-on experience for that era.  I was getting pretty good at the frying pan toss and the tomahawk throw.

Where do you come up with your plot lines and your characters?

Just about anything can trigger a storyline for me. The Dragon and the Rose came from a picture on a calendar, Iron Heart because I always wondered who wrote Beowulf, Lady Gallant because I was interested in Florence Nightingale and the Crimean war. And Special Delivery came about when I was asked to write a short story involving a letter. Ideas are lurking everywhere.

Do you have a favorite character from one of your books?

Well now, that’s like asking a mother who’s your favorite child, but I suppose it would be Josephine Posey from Lady Gallant. I hope I would be as brave and resourceful under the same circumstances. And as for heroes, I love them all for different reasons.

And have you ever based a character on a real life person?

My stories offer cameo appearances by William II, Florence Nightingale, Alfred the Great, and Samuel Colt, to name a few, but all main characters are fictional.  Of course, there is a bit of my husband in each hero.

You are now in the process of finalizing the last few details of a new book, that book is out of the norm for your historicals and westerns.  Care to tell us what prompted you to write a fantasy?

No one was more surprised than I. My two medieval romances have a touch of fantasy, however, and the Tarot is featured in A Cowboy’s Fate, so these elements are not unfamiliar to me. It really wasn’t as huge leap as it may seem. I believe faeries and dragons and magic must have commonly existed at some time, or I don’t think we would have all the wonderful tales, myths, and legends to which we cling to today. 

Now, please tell us how you came up with the concept for your Fae Warriors series featuring " Solace" the first of a triplet of female warriors and the character analysis for Solace herself.

It all started when I purchased a statue by Nene Thomas. It features a faerie dressed in armor, carrying a spear, riding a horse, a sleek snow leopard at their feet. She looked the epitome of beauty and strength. Because she was on a horse I pictured her as six feet tall and nobody's flower faerie. Other than the color of their hair, their weapon of choice, and the type of man their looking for, the sisters are identical. I think Solace, the middle sister, is the most in-tune with modern day Earth, so I started with her.

Can your fans expect you to go back to your roots of writing historicals?

Yes, I have one western near completion, and outlines for more.

What type of advice would you give a wannabe published author?

The best advice I received was “as soon as you finish one book start the next.” I’m a learn by doing type of person, each manuscript has taught me something about the craft of writing. Read what you’d like to write, take classes whether in person, on-line, or self-taught. And most of all, believe in yourself—never let age or other people’s opinions determine your dreams.

Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?

Yes, THANK YOU. Fans are a beautiful gift, much sought after and greatly appreciated. Knowing you are out there inspires me to keep writing. 

Visit me at http://ginirifkin.blogspot.com  www.ginirifkin.com