Friday, February 10, 2012

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.

15 comments:

Renee Vincent said...

Great to meet you Lyn!!! Thank for allowing us the chance to get to know you!

Rebecca Lynn said...

Texas Druids??? That sounds VERY cool. Wonderful interview!

Vonda Sinclair said...

It's wonderful to meet you, Lyn! I enjoyed reading about your trip and your stories!

mjmuse said...

Wow, druids in TX! Your story sounds fun.

And your trip sounds wonderful!

Thanks for sharing and welcome to the group!

Lyn Horner said...

Hi ladies, it's great to meet y'all. Yes, Druids in frontier Texas. I know, I know, it's a stretch, but I enjoy letting my imagination take flight. I also wanted my stories to stand out in the crowd of western romances.

It's a pleasure sharing my memories of Scotland and Ireland. Glad you enjoyed hearing about my trip!

Paisley Kirkpatrick said...

So nice to get to know you, Lyn. Loved hearing about your trip in Scotland and Ireland. It sounds like we have both been to some of the same places. I love the idea of Druids in Texas. What a contrast.

Pat McDermott said...

Lyn, I enjoyed revisiting Edinburgh and Dublin with you. And four cats? Good woman. My three are busy, mischievous boys when they're not sleeping. Great to learn more about you. Love the idea of Texas Druids!

Dawn Marie Hamilron said...

Hi, Lyn. So nice to learn a bit about you. Texas Druids--sounds like a winner!

Sarah Hoss said...

Nice to meet you Lyn! welcome to CHRW and good luck to you in your future!!!

Victoria Roberts said...

Lyn, welcome to the clan! I love stories about Druids. Sounds interesting. Great interview!

Alexa said...

Wonderful getting to know you, Lyn!

Angela Johnson said...

It was great getting to know you, Lyn. I'm envious. Your trip sounds lovely. I hope you will be able to return to your roots again one day.

Chicks of Characterization said...

Nice to meet you Lyn!!!!

Andrea :O)

Lyn Horner said...

Goodness, where do the days go? I'm so sorry for not replying more often. I've been caught up in rearranging my home office, cleaning out old files, and most important, reading through the proof copy of my book, Darlin' Druid. It will soon be available in print through CreateSpace. Can't tell you how exciting it is to actually hold my baby in my hands!

A.W. McQueen said...

Lynn, welcome aboard again to our little group.

I have to admit that I am so jealous of those who get to visit Scotland and Ireland. I keep saying someday. Until then, I get to visit those countries through the wonderful writers at Celtic Hearts.

Your Western Druids series sounds fascinating! I would love to read it. I think it is not a stretch considering how many Scots/Irish populated the states. Eventually someone was going to go west right?

Great twist!