And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

When a romance reader discovers a writer like Marsha Canham, she knows she's found a real gem. Like any gem, Marsha has many facets. She's a wife, mother, Grammy, a Canadian, a Scorpio, an excellent cook, a vintner, a bowler, has a great sense of humor, and among other things, is an excellent writer.

Marsha Canham has been thrilling readers with her writing for nearly 20 years; books with a style so unique that there is never a doubt that it's a Canham you're holding. If you're looking for fluff, keep looking! *G* Marsha's books are always full of adventure, excitement, humor, intrigue, romance, blood, guts and battle.

No matter the time period, her stories are historically correct - the result of intense research that brings her stories to life. The heroines in her books are strong (no simpering misses!), but feminine and the heroes are a "Man's man" and a woman's fantasy. Yet she is able to make them all human.

Whenever I read one of her books, I know that a battle scene or a sword fight is going to be just that. You won't look at a page describing a scene and think the author should have just written, Oops! George got shot. *LOL* No, you'll be smelling the sulfur and gunpowder, hear every shred of material as the sword goes through, and feel the slice of the blade right along with the characters. You'll feel the excitement and the pain, and sometimes, you'll find a tear or two in your eyes.

Of course, this is romance, but that is never disappointing either. The first book I ever read by Marsha was ACROSS A MOONLIT SEA. (This is the book mentioned in the clues with the infamous "friggin' in the riggin' " scene.) Well, I was hooked with that book. Anybody who could write a scene like that and make it as real as the battle scenes, well, that was a writer I wanted to read. *G*

Marsha has something for everyone. Medievals, Regencies, Western, Scottish, and especially High Sea Adventures and Pirates. Three of her books are now out of print, but well worth the effort to hunt them down. CHINA ROSE (her 1st book), BOUND BY THE HEART (her 2nd) and THE WIND AND THE SEA. THE WIND AND THE SEA won the Best Swashbuckler of the Year Award from Romantic Times - the first ever award given for this category.

You never want the story to end, but when it does you'll close it with a satisfied sigh. Then you'll think about it for days afterward, replaying scenes in your head. Of course, this is all my own opinion, but I do know there are alot of people out there who agree.

Luckily for all of us, a new novel will be in the bookstores in March. THE IRON ROSE is another swashbuckling adventure that will have old fans and new alike completely entertained- and waiting patiently for Marsha's next book...

Now that you know a little about her books, read the answers Marsha gave to our questions and learn a little more about her. *G*

Thanks, Marsha!

1. Curious about your hobby of making your own wine. How long have you been doing that? What kinds of wine do you make? How long was it before you had a bottle of wine you could actually drink?

We've been making our own wine now for about ten years. The hubby enjoys red, so we make a splendid Barolo that rivals the best of the store bought vintages--and the longer you keep it the more velvety it gets. I prefer the whites, so we alternate between a Pinot Chardonnay and a Pouilly Fouisse, both of which are excellent. Summers we make a blackberry merlot, and at Christmas, a cranberry merlot as well. The wine is actually drinkable about a month after bottling, but the longer you let it sit, the more it mellows. We try to keep several bottles out of each batch to put aside and yes, we have some stuff that's 10 yrs old and delicious. We have about 150 bottles in the cold cellar, but that number can go up or down depending on the time of year and how much company we have. *g*

2. When you sit down to write a book, do you have a regular routine you follow or do you approach each one differently? Do you use an outline or have a general idea of what the story is going to be and let it go where it will?

When I start a book, I have a general idea where it might be going but no, I don't use an outline. I let the story and the characters lead me through the pages and quite often the finished product does not even remotely resemble what I start out thinking I'm going to write.

3. I was really surprised, that in Canada, bowling is a little different than here in the States. Little balls and only 5 pins. Now I'm wondering about cardgames... y'all playing with a full deck up there? *G*


Ha Ha. Yes, full decks, sometimes even two at a time. *snort*

4. Having written one contemporary romance, you've sworn to never write another. Any particular reason, or do you just prefer historicals?


I just prefer historicals for the sheer fun and adventure. Even the darker ones, the medievals, appeal to me because they're fun to write. Nothing like a man in armor wielding a great honking sword to get my blood flowing.

5. If you could work on any era, and have no constraints from publishers about plots and characters, what would you choose? Do you have a favorite time period or plot line you've never written?


I would love to give the invasion of the Spanish Armada the same treatment I gave the Jacobite Rebellion. I touched on it briefly in ACROSS A MOONLIT SEA, recounting the English attack on the port of Cadiz a year before the armada sailed, but man I would love to write a story with two sets of heroes and heroines, one English, one Spanish, and tell the events from both sides.

6. Do you think the cover and title effects how a book sells? That an author may know more of what her audience wants, or is attracted to, than the publisher?

*ahem* Well now. Hmmmm. You wouldn't perhaps be alluding to the current and very lovely cover for the Summer in the Hamptons....er, I mean....THE IRON ROSE? I suppose, if a reader is unfamiliar with me or my writing they might pick up the book and think it's a pretty summer story to read on the beach. But the readers who know me and know what to expect, might just shake their heads and wonder who the publisher is trying to fool. There is blood and guts and gunpowder in THE IRON ROSE. I would rather the cover had evoked images of galleons under full sail, booming cannons and bare-chested pirates instead of a pleasant afternoon sail on a schooner. *snort*

7. Tell us a little bit about your family. What was their reaction when you started writing romance? I know your husband reads your work before you publish it (or so I've been told). Has he ever given you bad advice? Good advice? Feel free to give examples in reference to some of your published books if you remember any.

Actually, Peter usually won't read one of my books until it comes out in the bookstores. He likes to have the hard copy in his hand. Only by special request will he read through the manuscript pages--which he did for THE IRON ROSE--and only when I've reached the saturation point in editing myself, when I know there are mistakes or something doesn't make sense and I've read it and rewritten it so many times I can't see it for looking. Oh, and one other time I pressed him into reading a manuscript. That was for THE WIND AND THE SEA. The editor at the time didn't like my title and wanted me to either come up with an alternative or they were going to go with their own: Sea Dreams. I had Peter read it and he threatened to call the editors up himself if they dared call it anything other than THE WIND AND THE SEA. *lol*

8. How do you go about forming your characters? Do you ever use friends and family as models for your characters? Or do you find yourself people watching to pick up some fun quirks? Have you ever come up with a character you've had to re-write because they may have hit too close to someone you're acquainted with?


I'm always using real people--friends, neighbors, relatives. Or quirks that I notice in someone if it stands out. Going back to THE WIND AND THE SEA, Davey Dunn was modelled after a friend of ours and was so perfect, I even used his real name. In the Scotland series, most of the wives of the clansmen were modeled after old neighbors, all of whom recognized themselves. For villainesses, I often use my sister. *snort*

9. Do you plan on allowing Vickie and Nancy (oh and Sue too *GBG*) to come up and read your first draft of the medieval you're working on? (jk - well sort of...*G*)


Now that might be something worth thinking about. Only if I get bags and bags of big artichokes, however, and pork rinds for Pedro. *g*

10. Do you plan on writing for many years to come? I know I'm not alone hoping you will.


Short answer? Nope. I always said I would stop when writing became more of a job than a pleasure and lately, the pleasure has definately begun to wane. I have two lovely grandchildren I would like to see more often. I've been in this business for 20 years and frankly, I resent it when a 25yr old junior editor tells me what I should or shouldn't be writing. A lot has changed over the years and not all of it for the good. If I keep writing--and I can't see myself stopping completely--I would prefer to do it at my own speed, in my own good time (meaning no deadlines, no contracts) and just hand it over to my agent when and if it's finished.

11. I think this has been asked of other authors, but : Do you find it difficult to write the sensual hot love scenes the older you get? Do you see a difference in the way you write love scenes now from when you first started writing?


I don't think it has as much to do with age as it does repitition. After 20 years, there aren't too many more inventive and original ways of bringing two people together between the sheets. And yes, I like to think I've toned the purple prose WAAAAAY down from what was accepted and expected way back in the 80's. There is nary a throbbing member or manhood in sight. *g*

You can visit Marsha at her website: http://www.marshacanham.com/