Hi, I’m Carla Roma and welcome to Bandit Creek, a small town with a mountain of secrets. In all my travels I’ve found that the world is a paradox; both vast and diverse while somehow remaining surprisingly small. A few years ago, I was on assignment in Japan where I was covering a story on the haunted forest at the base of Mount Fuji. I ran across an English language newsletter and in the newsletter was a funny story by DL Snow. Imagine my surprise to find DL and I hail from the same part of the world, although we didn’t meet until I returned to Canada. Today, it is my pleasure to interview DL Snow about her book, SIREN’S SONG, the second story in the Bandit Creek series.
Carla: Before we get to SIREN’S SONG, would you mind relaying the story I’d read about in the newsletter in Japan?
DL: My most embarrassing moment, you mean?
Carla: That’s the one.
DL: (sigh) Okay. It was a beautiful day, the orange blossoms were in full bloom and I was riding my bike home for lunch from the high school in Wakayama prefecture where I taught English. I was wearing a breezy, cotton skirt that day and was feeling rather romantic as it blew in the wind while I rode down main street…that is until the skirt got caught in the spokes of my bike and was torn completely from the waistband, leaving me…ahem…semi-naked.
Carla: Oh dear! What did you do?
DL: Well, the wheels wouldn’t turn and the torn skirt had me trapped on the bike. So, I picked up the bike and, with it stuck between my legs, waddled backwards off the street and up against a building hoping to hide the fact that I was clad only in my underwear. Unfortunately, I had backed myself up against the glass window of a café. Not pretty. In an effort to get away from the window, I fell over.
Carla: Did anyone help you?
DL: (groan) Yes. Some men were working on a building across the street and came running to my aid. I yelled in English for them to go away and then yelled a few random Japanese words, “Mikan dai yo!” Which means, ‘Big orange, I assure you.”
Carla: So, how did you get out of it?
DL: Honestly Carla, I don’t remember. I think I’ve blocked the rest of the experience from my memory. But, when I returned to school after lunch, teachers I barely knew came up to me asking if I was okay and why I’d changed. Word travels fast in small town, Japan.
Carla: I love that story. Can we talk about SIREN’S SONG now?
DL: Please!
Carla: Joss Jones is the main character in SIREN’S SONG and she travels back in time. Can you tell me about her?
DL: I don’t know about you, but I think most people secretly – and often not-so-secretly – want to be famous. Well, Joss Jones has been famous since she was a kid and now she’s convinced herself that all she wants is to be normal, so she moves to Bandit Creek. There’s only one problem…
Carla: …Bandit Creek is anything but normal?
DL: Exactly! From the moment she moves in, she’s being followed around by a ghost. Then she’s sucked back in time to Bandit Creek, 1899.
Carla: What happens when she arrives?
DL: First of all she thinks she’s lost her mind. Then she tries desperately to get back home. Finally, she tries to figure out why she’s there.
Carla: Why is she there?
DL: I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you that Morgan Hawes is either the key to her finding her way back home or he’s the reason for her to stay.
Carla: Who’s Morgan Hawes?
DL: Morgan Hawes is the tall, dark mysterious man Joss believes is responsible for her being sucked back in time. He has a habit of showing up at both the best and worst times and Joss thinks he’s another time traveler. She’s pretty sure she’s supposed to help him get back home but he’s not very cooperative.
Carla: You’ve written this story in first person. Was that done for any specific reason?
DL: Yes. I felt first person fit this story best because I only wanted to show Joss’s point of view. I wanted the reader to wonder, alongside Joss, whether Joss is simply crazy, half-dead and hallucinating or if she’s truly traveled through time.
Carla: What was your inspiration for writing a time-travel?
DL: Plenty! One of my favorite romances as a young adult was A Knight in Shining Armor, by Jude Deveraux. Then there’s The Terminator – loved the premise of that movie and in my opinion the first and second were by far the best. Lately, I have been devouring Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. If you haven’t checked out these books, you must!
Carla: What is your favorite scene from SIREN’S SONG?
DL: I’d have to say that the last two scenes are my favorite (sorry, I know you only asked for one). I still get chills when I read those scenes and I hope the reader will feel the same way!
Carla: Thanks, DL. Do you have any final words?
DL: Yes, two things actually. First of all, I want to thank Carla Roma for inviting me to join this wonderful group of Bandit Creek authors, I’m thrilled to be part of this project. Secondly, I want to remind people to make sure to wear clean (and pretty) underwear whenever you leave the house…you never know when your skirt will rip off.
Carla: Thanks for coming by today, DL. You can find out more about DL Snow at www.dlsnow.ca. Her book, SIREN’S SONG will be available from Amazon.com and Smashwords.com on October 1st, 2011. If you have questions or comments for me or for DL, please leave a response and we’d be happy to reply!
Author D.L.Snow 