Leap into the Knight by M.J. Schiller: Interview

Book One in the Romantic Knights Trilogy (Romantic Realms Collection 3)
Published: Kissmet Publishing
Release Date: November 1, 2014
Length: 125 Pages

Sir Darius Lee is a Knight of the High Order.

But when Darius discovers a stranger in his room in the middle of the night, and the intruder turns out to be a beautiful woman, he begins to question how he is meant to live his life.

Princess Megan of Bethyea is being held captive.

But when two knights help her to escape and bring her back to her home planet, she finds the home she knew no longer exists.

When The Council of Twelve questions Darius about his relationship with Maggie, she tries to flee from The Academy of the High Order to prevent him from losing his knighthood.

Will Darius and Orion find Maggie before she leaves Albion? And if they do, how can they face the decision of The Council? And what about the feelings Orion has developed for the princess?

  

Author Bio

I was born in Overland Park, KS, grew up in St. Louis, MO, went to school at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and moved to Bloomington, IL fresh out of college.  I worked as a high school/junior college teacher, personnel recruiter, office manager of a jewelry store, and, for the past ten years, as a lunch lady.  I  like to karaoke and attend rock concerts.  I’m also actively involved at church and spend too much time on Facebook.  I am  the mother of a seventeen-year-old, fifteen-year-old triplets, and have been married to my husband, Don, for over twenty-four years.

I have been a writer all my life.  My first book, which was co-written with Mary Ellen Murphey in second grade, was titled The Black Cat, and was written on blue hotel stationary, hole-punched, and bound by white yarn.  I believe it is currently  out of circulation.

When I turned forty, I had an epiphany of sorts. I realized those bigwig publishing houses in New York were now probably run by people younger than me, so I shouldn’t be intimidated by them.  At about the same time, I was watching one of those award shows, and Jaclyn Smith got up to give a posthumous award to Aaron Spelling.  She credited him for encouraging her to go into acting, saying something brilliant like, “Reach for your dreams.”  Nothing new.  Almost even seems a little Jiminy Cricketish.  But, for some reason, it struck me that night.  When Aaron Spelling was thirteen, he was probably just like any other acned thirteen-year-old.  But he worked to achieve his dreams, and became a household name.  So, I  began to write.  Once I finished my first book,I wasn’t able to stop.  I would rather write than do just about anything else.  After all, I get to make people (characters) do what I want, and design their happy endings. What power!  And what a  privilege.

Facebook     Twitter

Interview 

Please welcome Leap into the Knight author M.J. Schiller to Diane’s Book Blog. 

What is your favorite part of LEAP INTO THE KNIGHT, Book One in the ROMANTIC KNIGHTS TRILOGY? 

Several come to mind, but the first is the opening scene, when Darius meets Maggie. I also like a scene where the pair our sitting by the pond, and Maggie is describing what happened the day she was kidnapped.

How long did it take you to write LEAP INTO THE KNIGHT?

A month, maybe. Much of it was part of a reoccurring dream, so the material was all there in my head.

Who or what inspired you to be a writer?

I’d have to say my dad, who was a statistician and wonderful storyteller. Very left brain/right brain balanced, I guess. When we were little he used to tell us stories about the Bedtime Band, led by brothers Horatio Marcedes, Marcedes Marcedes, and there was a third brother, whose name I can’t recall. We would each get to choose which instrument we wanted to play in the band and there was even a Bedtime Song, which had no words but went like this, bum-da- dee-deedle, deedle, deedle, bum-da-dee-deedle, deedle, deedle, bum-bum-bum- bum-bummer, bum-dee-la-lee,  bum-dee-la-loo, bum-bum-bum-bum… It went on for quite a while. My dad was also very supportive of whatever I did and that helped me to have the confidence to seek publication.

What books have most influenced your life?

THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE, by Rick Warren. Warren talks about how using your God-given talents is what brings you happiness and that is what started my pursuit of writing. I tried to inventory my strengths. I was in charge of our family Christmas letter, and had been asked to write several eulogies for family members. People would often say, “I enjoyed your letter. You should write a book.” So writing ended up heading my list.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

R.T. Wolfe is not only a friend, but one of my favorite authors. I think it is her style more than anything else that I am drawn to, which is a lot different from my own. She writes very abbreviated, direct sentences which are well suited for the romantic suspense stories she writes.

What is your typical day like?     

Ha! Not very interesting, I’m afraid. I’m up at five, working out with my husband (we do P90X, Combat, and T-25). We get ready for work and leave the house shortly after seven. My husband is legally blind so I drive him to work, but I don’t start until eight-thirty. I will typically go to the grocery store after dropping him off. I am fortunate in being able to take what I buy into work and store it in the refrigerator or freezer because my day job is working as a lunch lady. I’m off around one and usually come home and take a nap. It is a little divider between my day job and my “real” job, writer. I will typically work on my writing all evening--editing, marketing, taking courses, reading other writers’ work, etc. If I’m lucky I might find some time to slip some karaoke in or some TV time with my kids.

          

What book are you reading now?

I just finished A FOOL AND HER HONEY by Katy Lewis, which was excellent. If you like deadpan humor and colorful characters (meet Velveeta Marconi!) then you will love this book! Plus it has an intricate suspense plot and recipes after each chapter. I also started CHRISTMAS IN WHISTLER by Kim Hornsby and look forward to getting back to it. 

Giveaway