Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of  Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guests Mala and Roger Burt who write novels under the pen name of Annie Rogers. They are the authors of  Circle of Dreams and Dream Across Time.

The following interview was conducted by:  NORM GOLDMAN:  Editor of Bookpleasures. CLICK TO VIEW  Norm Goldman's Reviews       

To read Norm's Review of A Dream Across Time CLICK HERE

To read Norm's Review of Circle of Dreams CLICK HERE

Good day Mala and Roger and thank you for agreeing to participate in our interview.

It’s a pleasure to be here, Norm.

Norm:

Please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background. How did your writing careers begin?

Roger- I’m a clinical psychologist with a degree from Duke University.

Mala – I’m a clinical social worker with a degree from the University of Maryland.

Both – It is significant that this is a second marriage for both of us and the demands of a stepfamily required a strong commitment to partnership. We bring our partnership to all of our endeavors and we love to do projects together. Our professional experience makes us sensitive to issues of marriage and family which together with our understanding of motivation, personality and how people approach problems helps us shape our stories.

Our writing career actually began with two nonfiction works about stepfamilies. We learned to divide up the tasks.

We were in practice together specializing in helping stepfamilies. Changes in the mental health fields made it impossible for us to continue to practice. We found with our intimate knowledge of stepfamilies that there was an episodic model necessary to help stepfamilies. Managed care systems made it impossible for us to practice ethically and we closed our practice.

We had built a home in St. Lucia and decided to open a short term villa rental business which led us to spend more and time in the Caribbean. The stories we found as we became immersed in the cultures made us feel we simply had to weave together the stories.

We love the creative process and find that alone sustains us along with the fascination for the bravery and tenacity of the people we met.

Norm:

How do you come up with ideas for what you write? What methods do you use to flesh out your idea to determine if it’s salable?

Mala and Roger:

We hear that some people struggle with ideas. Our problem is so many stories. A core part of A Dream Across Time came from stories we heard from the Beke (original Martiniquan planter families). They told us about families separated during the French Revolution and people who went to fight in the American Revolution. Some never returned. Some parts of the families were reunited centuries later. And from Mala’s family there was an 18 month old boy who was lost when her father’s family entered the United States through Ellis Island. He was never seen again. These parts were woven into the lost child theme in the first book of the Demontagne Saga.

As to fleshing out ideas, we became intimately acquainted with the cultures and the stories of the people we met.

Our heroine in A Dream Across Time saw her husband sink into alcoholism, drug use and affairs which led to her abandonment. We call it a Caribbean meltdown.

Too often we saw this kind of story repeated after people came to “Paradise”.

Salability was more a matter of marketing since we felt solid stories about families would always be of interest. And we felt that the story of a woman following her dreams and pursuing her independence would engage readers.

Norm:

How do you share your writing?  Is there a preset plan as to who writes which part of the novel?

Mala and Roger:

We don’t believe we can divide up the writing effectively. The voice of our books is that of Mala. We jointly share the development of the plots. An outline is drawn and then we pass the work back and forth for editorial work. Very occasionally we both do some writing but not a lot jointly.

Norm:

I notice you include a great deal of descriptions of food and drink in your novels. Several scenes have your characters either drinking some Caribbean concoction or eating some meal. Is there any particular reason why you include this into the story line?

Mala and Roger:

Sharing meals is a family activity and socializing together is very much a part of the experience in the Caribbean. It is customary to always offer some refreshment and the offer is never declined.

But a special part of it relates to Bertille. She is an Earth Mother figure and sees her role as making sure that her “little parrots” are properly fed. We often mention her breadfruit balls which are a special treat for us. Breadfruit is mixed up with cheeses and spices and fried in coconut oil. It is not a “heart smart” treat but it is irresistible.

While Jamie and Andre are seen as central, in many ways since Bertille and Marcus are the heartbeat of the Caribbean, they are just as central. As we found out in A Dream Across Time and again in A Circle of Dreams, they are very much a part of the family.

Norm:

In the last few years or so have you seen any changes in the way publishers publish and/or distribute books? Are there any emerging trends developing?

Mala and Roger:

The publishing world has changed significantly. BISAC notes that as much as half of the books published are “under the radar” which means that small publishers such as ourselves are becoming more and more significant. Since authors are now responsible for marketing even when the books are coming from the six major houses, there is every incentive for many of us to take the entire process under our own control.

We also feel that in the near future e-books will become more and more important. We have yet to see the instruments for reading them come of age but we feel it will be soon.

Norm:

Any unique ways you'll be marketing your books that is different from how others authors market their books?

Mala and Roger:

Oddly the Caribbean has not been a significant location for romances but it is such a rich and romantic region we felt it was ideal. We have linked the Caribbean together with our intimate knowledge of the region so that we can use interest in travel as a means of marketing our books.

Norm:

Do you agree that to have good drama there must be an emotional charge that usually comes from the individual squaring off against antagonists either out in the world or within himself or herself? If so, please elaborate and how does it fit into both of your novels as it pertains to Jamie?

Mala and Roger:

The antagonist is often life itself. We had not anticipated that we would get so deeply into the Caribbean and where that would lead us. Jamie could not anticipate that following her husband to a new job in St. Lucia would lead her not just to the travail of being abandoned but to a family she did not know she had. She seized the events as an opportunity rather than a defeat.

While novels often end with a sail off into the sunset, that is rarely the end of the story. Family life is, in fact, a saga and leads all of us into new adventures. In  A Circle of Dreams Jamie and Andre have to contend with effects from the past and the need to defend their relationship in the face of adversity. Also, our children often lead us down paths we had not expected.

Norm:

Have you ever felt that your novels were not working and if so, what did you do about it?

Mala and Roger:

A Circle of Dreams was not a book we expected. We were working on what is now the third book and were struggling. Jamie’s daughter, Yvie, was proving to be just as difficult for us as she was for Jamie and Andre. She simply would not behave. We pressed on feeling very frustrated. And, when the story for A Circle of Dreams seemed to walk in the door, the pieces began to fall into place.

We agree with Stephen King that writing is like unearthing a fossil. We had not yet unearthed a significant part of the fossil until we came upon A Circle of Dreams.

Norm:

One way to write a novel is to outline it first. Did you follow this rule when writing both of your novels? If you did, was it helpful and if you didn’t, which method did you use?

Mala and Roger:

As noted, Mala is the voice and Roger does most of the outlining after working out the basics of the story together. We always have an outline although it may need to be refined as we go along. Having an outline means that Mala never faces the dreaded empty page.

Norm:

From reading your novels, you apparently are very much interested in spirits and perhaps even some of Carl Jung’s teachings, who was very much interested in parapsychology. Where did this come from and how easy or difficult was it to incorporate this into your narratives?

Mala and Roger:

It could not have been easier to include the paranormal. Novels often have to be enhanced in some fashion to make the reader feel the true nature of the experience. The mystical and paranormal elements do just that.

Yes, Carl Jung and his thinking is very much a part of the books. At Duke there was great interest in the work of Jung. Freud had a great deal to offer but Jung brought his in depth understanding and study of mythology with all the rich themes inherent in mythology. In fact, in the Author to Author section of the Annie Rogers WEBSITE  the reader will find articles about Jung and how his thinking is woven into the books.

Norm:

How did you build your characters?

Mala and Roger:

We have perceptions about our characters that reflect our biases. We felt that we wanted our lead character to be a strong and independent woman. We wanted no victims. There are now new possibilities for women and we wanted to build on these possibilities. Our characters also relate to our value of marital partnership. We also felt that good models are important. After all, we have daughters and granddaughters. As to the children, as parents we learn that we cannot anticipate who will come to live at our house. Finding out who our children are and helping them build on their strengths as they meet life are important.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered and what is next for Mala and Roger Burt?

Mala and Roger:

The reader will find a lot of interest in our WEBSITE.  The Author to Author section already mentioned includes information about our characters, our settings, underlying influences and our writing. Exploring the site will be rewarding for the reader.

We refer to our writing endeavor as the Annie Rogers Adventure because the life experiences of our characters constitute an ongoing saga. In book three, on which we are now working, we will be writing about the three Demontagne children. In this work, Joup!, they are adults beginning their own life adventures. Now it is their turn to build on their childhood experiences and talents as they find their way to their future and their life partnerships. Only time will tell what fossil we will unearth.

Thank you and good luck with all of your future endeavors.