I still hate to read something about myself written in the third person. I'm talking to you, so pay attention. Being the youngest of four born in Key West, FL, I spent a lot of time repeating myself. I lived seven years in Panama, Canal Zone, then moved to Miami. I married my husband and we have two daughters who now have children of their own. When my husband and I retired, it was several years before I started writing. I found myself out in the street facing my house and yelling at the top of m voice "Is there anyone home or am I talking to myself?" I've learned since then that when I shout, its no big deal. No one answered. The Empty Nest Syndrone finally had it's boney hands on me!I wouldn't think of trying to write a "truly historical" novel. No no one should unless you are going to stick to the facts and not tweak history to suit your plot. I use history as wallpaper. It gives the reader a base to envision the time.When I wrote The Lairds of Blackthorn (Laird of Fury, the Laird of Midnight and the Laird of Vengeance), I researched the eleventh century after the Norman Conquest. (If you've forgotten, it was in 1066.) I used William the Conqueror and Hereward the Wake to help readers envision the times. One of William's ideas was to mix Norman blood with elite Saxons. If a Saxon's daughter was married to a Norman, her father wouldn't take a chance on her and his grandchildren's lives by destroying the castle. I requested my rights back from Kensington Publishing and plan to publish them under my own name.For The Raptor Castle Series, I selected the twelfth century because it was filled with interesting happenings. For Book One, Forbidden, I wanted an unusual hero -- a monk forced from his abbey to sire children. Original, right? Ack! Don't suck your teeth. It really did happen. The Macpherson Clan's motto: Touch not the cat bot (without) a glove, always fascinated me. During the reign of David the First, Gillicattan became captain of clan Chattan. After he passed away, his eldest son took over but died without issue. His second son, Murdoch was the Abbot of Kingussie in Badenoch. The duty of leading the clan landed on the Abbot's lap. The Pope granted a dispensation, the Abbot became head of his family and captain of the clan Chattan. He married and sired five sons. Macpherson literally means son of the parson.I borrowed a bit of history and made the hero of Book One, Forbidden. a scarred monk in Scotland's Kelso Abbey. His identical twin dies the day before the twin is to wed. Refusing to lose the bride's fortune, the Chief of Raptor Castle arrives at Kelso Abbey with an army and a special dispensation from the Pope. The Chief demands the monk Ranald will marry. If he refuses, the Chief will destroy the Abbey and all within. I took Ranald's greatest fear and made his personality change, little-by-little, until he was no longer a kindly man but a man of the times.For Book Two, Seduced, I found a rather amazing fact in history. King Henry I is famous for the largest number of acknowledged illegitimate children of any English monarch. He sired 20 to 25 offspring with many mistresses. The records ended with the names of eighteen acknowledged and documented children. He must have had "bed sport" amnesia about the rest! Since Henry I had so many bastards, I gave him one more and called him Julian, the villain of the story.When Stephen usurped England from the Empress Matilda, their struggle resulted in a long civil war known as the Anarchy. Baron Warin de Burgh held Seton Castle, the particular castle Julian coveted. 'Twas the perfect time for Julian to wrest Seton Castle from Baron de Burgh, but he hadn't counted on a woman so determined to save her people as the Baron's wife, Letia. Baron de Burgh never sired a child, so he was in desperate straits knowing his heart was failing. In order to save Seton, his wife and all their people, he had to have an heir.How he solved his problem and finally convinced his wife to follow his plan was the heart of the story. It was a unique plan and a lot of fun to put into motion! Book Three is Ruthless and Book Four is called Surrender.My characters become real to me, and when I'm writing, they tell me what they want to do, how they want to feel, what they will and will not allow. Cheez! Talk about bossy! Sophia