Author Interview – Delia Colvin

Do you intend to make writing a career? Absolutely! I am doing that now and I intend to continue!

What is your greatest strength as a writer? When I read the reviews and emails, the two most common comments are that I am able to paint a scene well and that they love the characters. I don’t think I can take much credit for the characters. They seem to take on a life of their own and seriously crack me up!

Because my main characters typically come to me in a flash of what some may call inspiration, I instantly know who they are. I also know their basic story right then and there. That “flash of inspiration” or whatever one might call it, is a gift to me and I feel a tremendous responsibility to tell that characters story well.

But it seems to me that my greatest strength as a writer (and really probably my only innate skill where writing is concerned) is the ability to feel the flow of emotions in the story so that I know when we need to laugh, when we need to cry and emotions in between.

Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it? I have never, ever had writer’s block. I have had times when I wasn’t certain how I would resolve something especially when I found myself totally out of my league with the Fantasy/Mythology genre.

But a bit of research and a heck of a lot of writing solves a lot of the issues! I can write and think, “Oh that is SO bad!” But then you go back and you find a nice phrase or a concept that allows you to improve. As Nora Robert’s says, “You can’t edit a blank page.”

Can you share a little of your current work with us? Absolutely, I’m currently working on the third novel of my trilogy, called The Last Oracle. It has more mythology than the other two books and more of the other character’s stories.

Book Three answers questions that have been plaguing the major (and minor) characters for eons. One of the things I’ve really loved about writing a trilogy is that the readers know the characters. In Book Three, in addition to resolutions for the main characters, I wanted to resolve issues for a group of oracles called “the family”. Readers can expect to discover some interesting twists with the minor characters in The Last Oracle.

How did you come up with the title? All of the titles in the trilogy have to do with the main character Cassandra who has had various names over many lifetimes but is now called Valeria. She was a sibylline oracle —that means that she received visions for a god, in this case, Apollo.

The second novel is The Symbolon. Symbolon was the original name for soulmates as defined by Plato.

The Last Oracle refers to the fact that Valeria was/is the last of a line of oracles that Apollo sent to earth to make the world a better place. Because of that she was gifted with powers that she has not yet realized.

Can you tell us about your main character? This trilogy puts a new spin on the story of Cassandra of Troy. In The Sibylline Trilogy, Cassandra was one of the most powerful oracles. But she is cursed to die and reincarnates without any memory of her previous existence.

Alex is Cassandra’s immortal soulmate who receives visions of his beloved over eons and although he has failed to save her countless times, he is determined that this time Valeria, as she is known in present day, will survive.

I receive the most letters about Alex—mostly from women but also from men who admire him. Women write me that they are in love with him. He is sexy, brilliant and a gentleman to the extreme who lives for his love. I must admit that I have a bit of a crush on Alex as well…but don’t tell my husband.