CHRW Meet The Member:

Lyn Horner

How long have you been a member of Celtic Hearts?
Hmm, I think I’ve been a member for about four months give or take. I can’t recall exactly when I joined.

Do you belong to any other RWA chapters or writing groups?
Yes, I belong to Yellow Rose RWA. I joined this group less than a month ago. It’s a small chapter but very friendly and supportive. I’ve agreed to judge three entries in our Winter Rose Contest, my first time judging in several years.

In what genre do you prefer to write and why?
I enjoy writing western historical, but with a paranormal twist. My series, Texas Druids, features three psychically gifted siblings who are descended from a line of Irish Druids. I’ve completed two books in this series plus a novella introducing two of the Devlin siblings. The third full length novel will, I hope be ready by late 2012 or early 2013. After concluding the trilogy I plan to jump to a different setting. Several years ago I started a book set in 18th century Ireland. It made it into the semi finals in the Orange Rose Contest and received an editor’s attention. I hope to finish it and either resubmit it to her or publish it myself.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favorite author is Diana Gabaldon. Others favorites include Iris Johansen, Linda Howard and Judith Ivory. (Haven’t seen a new Ivory book in years. I recently read that she’s been dealing with back problems.)

Have you ever been to Ireland, Scotland, Wales etc? Tell us about this trip and what you came away with afterwards.
Yes, my husband and I went on a whirlwind tour of Scotland and Ireland about seven or eight years ago. It was exhausting but wonderful. We flew into Glasgow, toured the Highlands by bus (a group tour) and spent a day in Edinburgh. I loved seeing the site of the tragic Battle of Culloden, taking a short boat trip on Loch Ness, staying in a hotel where Charlie Chaplin often stayed, and touring Edinburgh Castle. Most of all, I enjoyed the misty, beautiful land we passed through. It gave me a melancholy feeling, making me daydream about what it must have been like to live there in bygone days.

Ireland was very different. Dublin is a big, bustling city. The castle is interesting but I was a bit disappointed because so much of the original has been replaced over the centuries. From Dublin we headed over to County Kerry, stopping for tea and homemade scones at a sheep farm along the way. We also visited Blarney Castle. Hubby climbed the narrow winding stairs to the top and kissed the Blarney Stone while I, meanwhile, shopped in the Blarney Woolen Mills Store. Then on we traveled to Killarney. We spent two nights there, did more shopping and visited Montrose House, a beautiful mansion surrounded by spectacular gardens, where weavers turned out gorgeous fabrics. Leaving there, our bus driver/guide drove us around the famous Ring of Kerry. Such beautiful sites, just as green as advertized and dotted with yellow gorse bushes.

My biggest regret is that we didn’t get to visit Northern Ireland, where the first half of my Irish book is set. I hope to go back one day and see that part of the island.

Do you have any pets?
Yes, I have four cats. At one time we had six. In fact, I wrote a memoir titled Six Cats In My Kitchen. It’s not your typical cute kitty book, though. Rather, it tells the story of six special cats and the role they each played in my family during good times and bad.