Featured Interview With Barb Caffrey
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m Barb Caffrey, a writer, editor, book reviewer, and musician. I was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, have lived in half a dozen other states, but somehow ended up back in Racine, Wisconsin anyway. I also have a small dog who makes his wishes known via body language (it’s either that or telepathy, but I’d rather go with “body language” as it’s safer).
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
By the time I was fourteen, I realized that if I had a choice between buying some candy and a paperback book, I’d rather buy the book. I devoured Andre Norton, Poul Anderson, Orson Scott Card, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Robert A. Heinlein, and looked for more authors to feed my addiction, before I realized that no one could write the stories I wanted to read. So I started writing them myself, also around that time.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors to read are Lois McMaster Bujold, Mercedes Lackey, Rosemary Edghill, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel, Stephanie Osborn and Elizabeth Moon. (Yes, I do like male authors — see the above answer, too! But these are my favorites.) My favorite genre to read is fantasy, followed closely by science fiction, then romance. My late husband Michael B. Caffrey is my primary inspiration for writing, but I also have been inspired by all of the authors I’ve listed here, most particularly Rosemary Edghill, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel, and Stephanie Osborn, who’ve given generously of their time and expertise over the past several years.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is also my debut novel, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE. Bruno the Elfy has been told that he’s very young, he has little magic, and he has no place in his own society back in the Elfy Realm (a parallel version of Earth). However, everything he’s been told is a lie. Quickly sent to Knightsville, California, in the Human Realm (our Earth) and told to watch for magic, he’s captured by a strange human family — the parents of his soon-to-be love interest, Sarah. She, too, has been lied to her entire life. They turn to the only person Bruno knows who might help them, Roberto the Wise (one of his Elfy teachers), and Roberto does try to rescue them. However, they all end up back on our Earth, with Roberto being captured in short order by Sarah’s villainous parents. How will Bruno and Sarah free Roberto? What is a Dark Elf doing in Knightsville? And how will Bruno and Sarah take it when they find out they’re much closer to adulthood than it appears, and are meant for one another?
It took me fourteen months to write the ELFY duology, and I enjoyed every second of it. (BTW, book 2, still titled ELFY though that title probably will change in the not-too-distant future, is due out in April of 2015). It’s funny, it has elements of paranormal and mystery and romance, and it features a great coming of age story for Bruno and Sarah in the bargain.
One final thing that you may find interesting: it took me nearly ten years to find a publisher that enjoyed Bruno and Sarah’s adventures as much as I did (that publisher being Twilight Times Books). During that time, I revised and updated the ELFY duology several times. The story wouldn’t exist without the help and support of my late husband, Michael B. Caffrey (1958-2004). But I probably wouldn’t have kept sending it out there to find a publisher if not for my late best friend Jeff Wilson (1963-2011)…I really wish these two men had lived to see my book get published.
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