The following is an exclusive Whispers of the Muse interview conducted by Deborah Riley-Magnus with author, Fran Heckrotte.

Muse: Fran, first of all, Whispers of the Muse welcomes you and Warrior Demoness to the site. Tell us a little about yourself. What part of the world do you live in? Tell us about your background?
Heckrotte: First, Deb, thank you for having me here. It’s a great privilege and honor. I live in South Carolina near the ocean and have since 1974. I moved to S.C. from Kodiak, AK and prior to that lived in Maryland. I was born in Kansas. Career-wise my major occupations have been steno-typist, police officer, construction worker, real estate agent and property manager.

Muse: Who are your favorite authors?
Heckrotte: That’s a difficult question for me to answer. I have favorite stories but wouldn’t necessarily consider those authors as my favorites. Quite often other works by them fall short of my expectations. The other problem I have answering that question is because it depends on what time in my life we might be referring to. Growing up I loved Anne McCaffrey, especially a book called Restoree. James A. Michener’s, The Source, was my favorite book for years. Missy Good’s book, Tropical Storm, accompanied me on many a flight as my ‘easy read’. If I were to pick an author today, I’d have to say Jae, author of Backward to Oregon. Jae is a person who can write an epic saga and hold the reader’s interest from beginning to end. Her research is thorough and her command of the English language almost flawless.

Muse: Why do you write Paranormal Fantasy?
Heckrotte: Actually, I don’t consider my stories Fantasy but there doesn’t seem to be a real consensus on what is Fantasy, Speculative, Paranormal, etc. I tend to categorize my stories as Paranormal, with one being Futuristic… about 97 years in the future so not real techie and therefore not Sci-fi.

Muse: What is your writing regimen? How often do you work on a novel? Do you set daily time or word goals? What keeps you meeting your deadlines?
Heckrotte: Normally I write late in the evening, usually between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. I’m an organic writer so I tend to create from inspiration rather than regimen. When I’m on a roll, I’ll stick with it until I’m finished. Many a great idea was lost because I didn’t take the time to write it down. Deadlines? Never! Too much pressure. My best writing comes from why I write not when.  

Muse: Does the way you personally look at life reflect in your writing style?
Heckrotte: Very much so. I write as I see life or as I think it should or would be if the world in my mind was the one I lived in. I also like to give readers things to think about, possibilities to consider and hope their minds will venture beyond my storylines. I don’t believe an author needs to reveal all the answers to all the questions.  Readers have great imaginations.

Muse: What are the creative jumping off points for you? Are you inspired by dreams? Music? Nature? The occasional black nightmare? What triggers your imagination?
Heckrotte: I rarely remember my dreams so they don’t play a part in my stories. I have had Terror Nightmares and hate those. Were I into horror stories they certainly would be incorporated into my writings. My imagination is often triggered by an event (past and present), a news report, a phrase someone might use or something I see. Once I created an entire chapter just to use a quote I had heard.
Brainstorming with my best friend can send my mind into directions I would never have considered and from there it’s a rollercoaster ride to the finish.

Muse: Tell us about your Warrior Demoness. What was your inspiration?
Heckrotte: Warrior Demoness is probably my favorite story. I had created a secondary character, Constance, in Bloodlust and felt I wanted to know more about her. Because of who and what she was, though, it was going to be difficult to tell about her life without coming up with another character that could add a balance.  Sabnock, a warrior demoness commanding the Legions of the Underworld did that.

Muse: What is your favorite scene from the book and why?
Heckrotte: Okay, this is going to be a bit of a spoiler and a possible turnoff for some readers, but it’s a death scene. It’s about love and choices that were made (for better or worse). It’s also about doubt, hope and belief in being reunited … and the story isn’t depressing like I’ve made it sound. If it was my beta readers would have killed me … not to mention my publisher.

Muse: Have you written other books?
Heckrotte: Yes. I have written six others, five part of The Illusionist Series; Bloodlust, Les Gris-The Shadow People, Lilith, Saira and of course Warrior Demoness. Solaria is a standalone, futuristic story.

Muse: Tell us about your other books?
Heckrotte: The Illusionist series is about people, spirits, races, demons and angels, an apparition time-traveler and our shadows.  The stories are about the world we live in and the worlds we may believe in.  They are somewhat deep and a bit sacrilegious … and then there’s the sex that makes it all brain candy.

Solaria looks at the events and technologies of today and moves forward to the year 2097 … not a great leap but far enough ahead in time to see where we might be.

Muse: How do you feel about the current publishing marketplace?