A voracious reader ever since the fourth grade, I fell in love with Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and then started devouring the local libraries. Later I discovered Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and the trilogy ignited my life-long passion for epic fantasy. But it was George Martin’s Game of Thrones that started my writing career. I’d just finished reading Storm of Swords and I desperately wanted more, but George takes a long time between books, and I could not find anything on the bookstore shelves to satisfy my craving. So I decided to write my own epic medieval fantasy, something similar but different. The first thing I borrowed from George was writing each chapter from the perspective of one point-of-view character. I love this writing style, the way it lets the reader and the author get deep into the character. It makes the story intimate and very personal, where the reader understands the dreams and fears of every POV character. The second thing I borrowed from George was complex plots and strategies. I wanted to write a big sweeping saga full of twists and turns that would surprise, shock, but also delight the reader, grabbing hold of your imagination and never letting go. But there were some things I wanted to do very differently. I wanted more women in the saga, not just women to bed and/or wed, but women that make a difference. From a sword-wielding princess, to a seductive priestess, to a queen who rules by coin and guile, to a silver-haired grandmother who wields knitting needles and knives, I wanted to explore how women gain, keep, and wield power in a medieval world. I wanted my saga to be a fast-paced sword-wielding adventure, but I also wanted it to be full of deeper meaning, so my saga explores the mechanisms of evil, the overarching theme the books. If the avatars of good cannot recognize or understand evil, then they will not prevail. And last but not least, I agree with George that some characters must die to make the risk real…but not all of them. If you love Game of Thrones like I do, I hope you will consider reading The Silk & Steel Saga. The Silk & Steel Saga is FINISHED! The seven book saga includes The Steel Queen, The Flame Priest, The Skeleton King, The Poison Priestess, The Knight Marshal, The Prince Deceiver, and The Battle Immortal. I've also published a collection of short stories, The Assassin's Tear, including two stories set in the world of Silk & Steel.