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URL:
www.gemsivad.com
Contact: gemsivad@gmail.com
ABOUT GEM
Gem Sivad is my author name. I
began writing romance to escape the tension of my day job and
found that I had a natural inclination to write historical
novels, and more specifically, stories about women in the Old
West. I didn't consider writing fiction professionally until a
friend read one of my tales and encouraged me to submit it to an
editor. I was shocked when a contract followed. After my first
western was released, I wrote another. And then, of course, that
led to...well, you get the picture. Readers ask me why I write
historical westerns. I answer honestly and tell them the truth.
I love to explore the female role in the Old West. A woman's
sense and sensuality had to be weapons she learned to use for
protection. Writing scenes of wit and hot sex is pure fun.
INTERVIEW
Q.
What draws you to the old West?
A. Women were present and
endured the same dangers and hardships as men. How can a story
go wrong if it combines action, panoramic history, and erotic
romance? At the same time, the women of that time period are
finally given credit, long overdue.
Q.
What happens to your characters
when you’re done writing them? Do they just quietly fade away in
your mind of do they hang around and pester you for a while?
A. My characters are so bold,
sometimes I quote them as if they were real. The people in my
books become like family. I don’t see them all the time, but
they are always lurking in my mind.
Q.
How long have you been writing?
What made you decide to take the plunge and do it
professionally?
A. In one capacity or another,
I have written all of my life. Several friends who acted as beta
readers, encouraged me to submit a manuscript. So, I subbed a
western and was offered a contract. I’m very comfortable in the
Old West world and love to portray the grit and savagery it took
to survive then. I also enjoy being a published author
immensely.
Q.
Tell me about your muse. What is
she like?
A. My muse is Lozen, the Apache
warrior priestess. I write continuously while waiting for the
fickle spirit to appear and savage most of the words. When she
appears, she is beauty. She knows what the characters should
say. She knows what gesture, what nuance…without the insight of
my muse, my words seem heavy and pedantic. So we have a lot of
tension in our relationship, I expect her to come on cue, she
prefers her own timetable.
Q.
How do you feel about writing sex
scenes? What, in your opinion, constitutes a good sex scene?
A. I love writing sexual
tension, the scene that makes a reader swallow and squirm or
grin silently knowing what’s going to happen next, anticipating
it as much as the heroine or hero in the story. I expect the sex
scenes to fit the plot and be consistent with the character’s
personality. Spicy is good, flaming hot is better.
Q.
What do you do about writers
block?
A. Write.
Q.
Where do you get the information
that you use to write your historical westerns?
A. I begin every book with a
heavy dose of research first. I like to make sure that all of my
historical information is accurate and then place it within the
frame of the story so that readers can get a glimpse of life in
that time and place. Then I create extensive profiles, going
back into the childhood of each character to grow them into real
people that become my hero and heroine. From there I add a
conflict or situation that has to be resolved, and with all of
that, I have the frame for my story. Then I write, adding detail
and dialogue until the story reaches a natural end.
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