Sandra Schwab lives and writes in Germany, loves her three cats, and enjoys classical music, Alanis Morrisette, and the Irish Tenors. Some of her favorite movies are Whispers of the Heart, Fruits Basket, and A Hazard of Hearts.

She also enjoys ballet, Matthew Bourne being her favorite choreographer, and, of course, loves to read!

Now please join me in chatting with Sandy.

HRC: Sandy, your debut novel, The Lily Brand, has become a much-talked about book since its release. Please tell our readers how this story came about and give us a look at the relationship between Lily and Troy.

Sandra Schwab: “The Lily Brand is the darkest and grittiest novel I've written so far, probably because I was going through a very difficult period in my personal life when I wrote it. The Lily Brand is about Lillian, who desperately wants to flee her wicked stepmother, but like a big spider, Camille makes sure that people stay entangled in her web forevermore. She wants to make Lillian her heiress and gives her a man as a plaything: a man taken from prison, a man whom Lillian is forced to brand, to mark him as hers. When she finally manages to flee, she takes this man with her and sets him free, not knowing that months later their paths will cross once again in the crush of Regency England – and there the erstwhile prisoner will turn out to be a powerful adversary, bent on revenge for the humiliations done to him.”

HRC: Did you ever imagine your first novel would receive such attention? What has that ride been like for you?

Sandra Schwab: “It’s certainly the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me, and I’m endlessly grateful to my editor, Chris Keeslar, for not just taking a chance on a new author, but also on an author who is writing in a second language and who happens to live on the other side of the world.

“Before The Lily Brand came out, I was already aware that it would be a novel which would get very mixed reactions from readers, but nothing really prepared me for the thrill of finding very detailed and insightful reviews and online discussions of my book.

“Even finding the first negative comments was exciting: there were people who hated the book enough to diss it online. Cool.” *g*

HRC: What made you decide to become an author, let alone decide to write romance?

Sandra Schwab: “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to become an author. Inventing stories has always been my greatest passion, so it was only natural that I started to write them down as soon as I could write. My first stories were fantasy novels, but in my late teens and early twenties, the romantic elements in these novels increased. When I finally decided to switch languages, it so happened that the first story my Muse dished out in English was a romance.”

HRC: I know you are a professor of literature at the University of Mainz in Germany. How have your students reacted to your newly-published books and your new-found fame? Have there been any discussions of your books with your students?

Sandra Schwab: “Only today one of my former students came to my office to tell me how excited she was when she found out about my books! I’m also very fortunate to have a boss who isn’t only supportive, but also very enthusiastic about my writing career, and when I gave my first solo reading in May, he sat in the first row with a beaming smile on his face.”

HRC: How difficult would you say it was to have your work first published?

Sandra Schwab: “Considering that I had to start writing in a second language before I got published ... *lol* But once I had switched languages, things turned out to be surprisingly easy thanks to the wonderful Ladies of Lallybroch Literary Forum and to RWA. While the former taught me how to write fiction in English, the latter taught me about the business side of writing and helped me to get published: I got The Call (or, in my case, The E-Mail) after I had won one of RWA’s many writing contests.”

HRC: Would you do anything differently on the road to publication, especially knowing what you know now of the industry?

Sandra Schwab: “In the acknowledgments of The Lily Brand I’ve called myself a bumbling newbie author – and I was very much that: I sort of stumbled into everything and somehow managed to muddle through. Still, I wish I had been more prepared to deal with the literary law and contracts when I got The Call.”

HRC: Your second book, Betrayal, sounds fascinating. Please give us a look at the genesis of this book and a little about the main characters.

Sandra Schwab: “Betrayal is the story of Georgina Crawley, who years ago fled from England and all she ever held dear. For the sake of her child she now returns to confront the man whom she had once loved more than life itself until lies and deceit tore her life and marriage apart.

“I knew very early on that I probably wouldn’t have a new book out in 2006. However, I really wished to give something new to my readers and to say thank you for their support during my first year of published authordom. This sparked the idea for Betrayal, a free, serialized audio-novella which I’m reading on my podcast (www.podchatter.libsyn.com).

“The story itself was inspired by one of my favourite children’s novels, Erich Kästner’s Das doppelte Lottchen (which has appeared on US screens as The Parent Trap). It's the story of twin girls who were separated shortly after birth when their parents divorced, and who meet quite by accident in a summer camp several years later and decide to switch places. After many trials and tribulations, the crafty girls manage to unite their parents and bring their story to a happy ending. The novel, of course, focuses on the little girls, but wouldn't this also make a wonderful romance?

“And thus, on a golden day in early summer, my twins Gareth and Finnian meet quite by accident in the crowded streets of Florence ...”

HRC: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Sandra Schwab: “Never give up on your dreams! Try to hone your writing skills and learn as much about the business side of writing as you can. And NEVER EVER say “yes” (or make noises that might be interpreted as a “yes”) when you get The Call!!! Thank them politely and ask them if they could provide you with a sample copy of their contract and to give you a little bit of time to think about their offer. Then put down the receiver, burst into happy tears, jump through the house hollering and screaming like a banshee – and then sit down to work. When you accept their offer, be sure you understand the contract before you sign it.”

HRC: What is the creative process for you behind writing a romance novel?

Sandra Schwab: “Before I sit down to start with a new novel, I usually do several mental "test runs" in order to see whether the story really works. Then I write down a rough synopsis, just three to five pages to make sure I won't forget any important elements of the plot. This synopsis functions as a sort of skeleton, which needs to be fleshed out. Many of the details and sometimes even very important elements or symbols get added only during the writing process.

“I love doing the research for my novels and working in the odd bits and pieces I’ve found. I also greatly enjoy weaving intertextual references into my books.”

HRC: Of the books you have written thus far, do you have a favorite?

Sandra Schwab: “Naturally, The Lily Brand will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first book of mine that got published. At the moment, though, I’m even more excited about my upcoming release, Castle of the Wolf. For one thing, it’s probably much truer to my voice than TLB as it is less gritty and keeps a better balance between the dark and the humorous. In addition, it’s set in the Black Forest, where I spent the early years of my childhood and fell in love with the deep, dark woods. It was such fun to revisit the places of my childhood while writing CotW.”

HRC: Is there a particular character which holds a special place in your heart? Why?

Sandra Schwab: “Of my own characters, I probably love Cissy, the heroine of Castle of the Wolf, and Layla, the heroine of one of my old (and unpublished) fantasy novels, best. In many ways they’re very much alike: they’re both fun and chatty girls and not at all intimidated by the dark heroes who sulk through their respective stories.

“When it comes to other people’s books, my all-time favourite hero is Francis Crawford of Lymond from Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles. As Julia Ross put it so nicely in the dedication of The Seduction, ‘Lymond will remain forever unequalled.’”

HRC: In May 2007 we will see the release of your newest book, Castle of the Wolf. Fenris and Cissy meet in an unusual way. Will you give us a bit of a sneak peak into their lives?

Sandra Schwab: “In Castle of the Wolf Cissy Fussell finds out after her father’s death that she has inherited a castle in the Black Forest. Unfortunately, the thing comes complete with a beast: Fenris von Wolfenbach, who has lived in the castle as a recluse ever since he came home from the war physically and psychologically wounded – and who just happens to be the man Cissy is obliged to marry.”

HRC: Your characters seem so real, intriguing, and complex. How do you 'find' or create these endearing heroes and heroines?

Sandra Schwab: “It’s not me, it’s the Muse who finds them.

“Seriously, I don’t know. My characters usually just march into the story and when I think I’ve figured out how they tick, they start behaving in the most surprising ways.

“I also feel very much drawn to quirky characters, to odd ducks like Lord Dudlin whom Troy meets at White’s. I love portraying people’s strange behaviours which made writing the Holland House scenes in The Lily Brand so much fun.”

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