FAQ’s
Okay, so maybe these aren’t
“frequently asked questions”, but they are some that I have come across. So there. We’ll start with the big ones…
Q: What’s up with the
title?
A:
I’m just glad it finally HAS a title!! I struggled with naming it practically
since it was written! Okay, okay, but the title refers to the phrase “lightning
never strikes the same place twice”. Well, in Ailís’
case, lightning DID strike twice—in life, in love, and in her career. And,
lightning fits in so well with the Storm imagery.
Q: Where did you get the idea for this novel?
A: I was inspired by a vivid--and short--dream. This was
one of those dreams that I dwelled on, mostly because it was so vivid, and also
partly because of the "forbidden" nature of it. Go read it.
Q: Why did you write the novel?
A: The more I thought about it, the more intrigued I
became...and there went my creative juices. I started coming up with scenarios
that could lead to such an event. Before I knew it, my mind was crying out for
a release from this obsession. One night, I sat down and just started typing
exactly what was going on at that moment: “Celtic music blared out of a small
set of speakers…”
Q:
How long did it take you to write the novel?
A:
From beginning (not including the dream and the stewing in my mind) to
end—actual sitting at a computer, typing—it took me almost exactly a month.
Part Five took the longest (about a week), since I had to rewrite half of it.
Q:
Okay, so if you were done with it in May 2003, then why did it take so long to
get it out to the public?
A:
It’s this little thing called “polishing”. Most authors don’t just write
something, sit back and say “it’s ready for publishing!” Plus, when you read
and re-read something over and over (especially something you wrote yourself),
you start to fill in the blanks automatically in your mind. So you wouldn’t
notice a typo or a weird word phrasing. So I had to take a break away from it, then approach it fresh again.
Q: So, you said that Storm rising was based on Gaelic
Storm. Who is based on whom?
A:
|
Fictional Character |
Band Member |
Common Characteristics |
|
Peter |
Nationality: Irish Instruments: Harmonica,
spoons, accordion Misc info: Single |
|
|
Tucker |
Nationality: British Instruments: Acoustic
guitar, bouzouki Misc info: Single (technically, Twigger
is not single-just not married either) |
|
|
Stan |
Nationality: American, Instruments: Didjeridoo, bodhran Misc info: Wife and baby girl |
|
|
Rob |
Nationality: Indian
descent, most of life in Instruments: Fiddle Misc info: Wife and daughter |
|
|
|
Nationality: American, Instruments: Drums Misc info: Youngest member, single |
|
|
Tim |
Nationality: Canadian Instruments: Bagpipes Misc info: Runs sound, long-distance girlfriend |
Q:
Why couldn’t you be more creative with your naming process?!
A:
Hey now! Don’t pick on the author! I wanted Gaelic Storm fans to be able to
pick out easily which character was which bandmember.
In the cases of other characters, I usually use middle names—except in the case
of Anna, Ailís’ little sister; she was a composite of
both of my younger sisters (Carmen and Bethany).
Q: Hey, WAIT a minute!! I’ve met Gaelic Storm, and
this Storm Rising group isn’t like them at all!
A: When I started on this novel, I had only seen the
band three times total. I had met some of the guys twice. Most of what I based
their characters on was my impressions of them onstage, the brief conversations
I had with them, and my own brain filling in the blanks.
However, if you meant to point out that the
characters are far too perfect, and Gaelic Storm is not…well…Duh. Storm Rising
is an idealized version.
Q: You’ve said that every character in the book was
based on SOMEONE in real life...how much did you have to change that person when
it came to making the character work in the story?
A: Usually I took one particular thing about the real
person and made that a huge part of the character's portrayal. For example, in
reality, Twigger comes across as shy and sensitive.
So I played that up with the character Tucker, making him more sensitive than
you’d expect in reality.
Q: Who is Ailís based upon?
A: I used to hem and haw over
answering this one. If you want my official, diplomatic answer, she was based
on my friend Sarah, myself, and the rest was made up as I went along...but if
you want my greedy answer, she's ME, all ME!!!!! *ahem* I’m okay now.
Q: Are you Ailís? Come on, you can tell me.
A: Go
away. Er, I mean, see above.
Q: Is Ailís religious?
A: Originally, yes, it was said that she was a
Christian (Sarah and I both are). And she still is—but it's just not really
"addressed". It was mentioned IN PASSING—which I didn't like. I
figured I would have to focus on that a lot, but that would take away from the
rest of the plot.
Q: Why is Ailís so whiny?
A:
She’s not whiny! She’s not! She’s not!
Q:
How old is Ailís?
A:
Best guess—her mid-20’s. Old enough to be done with college, but still unsure
of her future and what she can do with her education.
Q:
Why don’t you describe what Ailís looks like?
A: I
wanted to make her as vague as possible so that the reader could picture her
anyway they want. The only specific description I gave was that she has green
eyes. The rest is up to you.
Q:
How the heck do you pronounce Ailís?!
A: As
I said early on in the novel, it’s like “a leash” to walk the dog. See this page—which
is where I got the name to begin with.
Q:
Why doesn’t Tucker get the girl?!
A:
Can’t please everyone!! I know, I feel bad about that too, but I hope to make
up for it in a sequel or something.
Don’t
see an answer to your question? More can be added when people start asking
me more…