CHRW Meet The Member:

Cynthia Owens

How long have you been a member of Celtic Hearts?
I joined CHRW in July of 2004, as soon as I heard about the chapter.

What prompted you to join this chapter?
Ireland has always inspired me, so when I decided to writes historical romantic fiction, Ireland just seemed the place to set my stories. CHRW just seemed the best place to interact with others who had similar interests. I’ve made so many friends thought this chapter and, although I’ve never met any of them in person (yet!), they’re very dear to me.

What place inspires you the most?
The sea. It’s so timeless. Walking by the sea and feeling the spray of the waves against your face, tasting the salt on your lips, hearing the scream of the gulls overhead, has always been one of my favorite experiences. I spent most of my summer holidays as a child on the Gaspé coast, visiting my grandparents on my dad’s side, and I spent as much time by the sea as I could. I’d take a notebook and pen and just sit on the rocks, watching the tides come in and go out, and scribbling down my dreams. Those were the halcyon days of my childhood. One day, I’d love to have a small cottage on a wind-swept cliff on the west coast of Ireland. A girl can dream, right?

Have you ever been to Ireland, Scotland, Wales etc? Tell us about this trip and what you came away with afterwards.
I’d dreamed of Ireland for so long, and finally I was able to visit the summer of 2009. It was an amazing trip, but the highlight had to be the day I visited Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara, Galway. The cover of my first novel, In Sunshine or in Shadow, features a lovely castle on a brooding autumn day. The minute I saw that picture, I loved it, but all I knew was that it had been taken “somewhere in Galway.” But shortly after reading the book, an Irish friend of mine identified it as Dunguaire, so naturally it had to be one of my must-sees.

How can I describe my reaction to finally seeing the castle I’d begun to think of as “mine?” A thrill, of course, but more than that. It was joy and sadness and excitement and something very close to tenderness. I “knew” this castle. It was part of me, as no other place had ever been, or ever could be. It was me, somehow, and in some strange way, it was the people of Ballycashel. And as we toured the castle, all the way up to the towering battlements, I found myself imagining the battles that had been fought for this beautiful land, and the lives and loves of the people of this place. And I wished I could stay forever.

Share 7 fun facts about you that most people don’t know.

1. I collect music boxes. But not just any music boxes. The music boxes I collect have to speak to me, to mean something special. Some of my favorites are a limited edition sleigh that plays “White Christmas,” because I love Christmas and Bing Crosby; a glass unicorn that plays “The Impossible Dream,” because the first musical my husband and I saw together was Man of La Mancha; and a bird cage that plays “O, What a Beautiful Morning,” because my mom used to wake me up singing that song.

2. I once fancied myself a female Andrew Lloyd Weber. When I was 18, I wrote a musical set in World War II Paris, using some of my favorite songs from the Big Band era.

3. I took a fencing class once, figuring it would let me get in touch with my Medieval side. I wasn’t very good, but it was fun.

4. I hated history in school – rather ironic, since I now write historical romances. It wasn’t until I learned about my ancestors that I began to enjoy history. One of my ancestors, Thomas Aubert, is reputed to have been the first to discover Canada, and another was a 17th Century “King’s Girl,” a young woman sent to New France (now Quebec) to marry the habitants (settlers) here.

5. I love watching the rodeo, especially bull riding – totally out of character for this girlygirl. I watch the Calgary Stampede on TV every year.

6. I drink Coca-Cola like other people drink coffee. At 5:30 a.m., when most people are plugging in their coffee makers to start their day, I’m popping the top off a can of Coke.

7. Unlike a lot of my fellow Celtic Hearts, I haven’t a drop of Irish blood in my veins. I “discovered” Ireland the summer I was 15, when on a boring, rainy day I flipped on the television (I was alone in the house) and discovered a soap opera called “Ryan’s Hope,” about a working-class Irish family in New York City. I developed an immediate crush on one of the actors on the show (I particularly liked his Irish accent), and from there I started studying Irish history, mythology, politics, etc. That crush developed into a lifelong love for Ireland. Years later, I was able to contact that actor, and he helped me immensely with research for a character who is also an actor.