iUniverse.com talks with Claudia McCants, author of Dream Tapestry

Q:Which do you consider more important in your writing, a sense of place, your experiences, or something else altogether? Why is this important to you?

The most important part of my writing is to make it possible for my readers to connect with my characters. A sense of place is definitely important, and I admit some of my experiences color my writing, but if you can't get inside my protagonist's head, you -- the reader -- will lose interest. You have to be able to empathize with the lead character before you can become involved with the storyline. That's my job. To make you forget the real world and to draw you into the story.

Q:What are your influences and inspirations? What makes you write?

I make me write...I have always loved to tell a story. It has been a part of "me" since I was a child. Writing makes me happy. The fun part of it is not just creating the characters and the story, but when I later read over my words, sometimes months later, and find myself enthralled with the story as if I were a reader...not the writer. If I can entertain myself, hopefully I can entertain others. I am inspired by life and positive thinking. I was lucky to receive encouragement from my parents and teachers. I have been influenced by people I have met, situations I have tackled, and a love for books that was instilled in me since childhood.

Q:Is there a particular aspect of your book (or books) that you are most proud of?

To say I am ecstatic about seeing my first book published would be an understatement. It took me literally years to complete this project. I wrote the first two-thirds of the book in just a few months, but it took me many more years to finish the last third of the story. My writing was interrupted when I got married and had a child, and by several years of fighting chronic asthma and bronchitis. Somehow I survived through the illnesses that kept me sidetracked and I finished the book, sometimes writing with my son sitting in my lap. What I learned from all this is that when the words are ready to come, they will come. I think if I had finished the book way back in 1993, it probably wouldn't be the same book it is today. I am pleased with the end result. I hope my readers feel the same way.

Q:What is unique about your book, what differentiates it from other books in the same category? What about it will reach out and grab the reader?

Dream Tapestry is a mystery, but I consider it much more than that. As one reviewer put it, it is "genre breaking". Although it is the story of a woman who is searching for her father, it is also a story of self-discovery and awareness. Dream Tapestry is the first in a series of books about Brave New Women, each story wrapped around a mystery.

Q:Are you working on something now? In what ways is it a departure from what you've done in the past?

I am currently working on two books -- BROKEN ANGEL and MIRROR MIRROR, with still another waiting in the wings. Broken Angel is a book set in the world of glass blowing. It is about a woman's search for the truth behind her sister's tragic death. Mirror Mirror is about an agorophobic woman who is forced to overcome her own inner demons when people in her apartment building begin to disappear. Both stories are set in Florida. I can't say they are a departure from what I have written in the past...they are part of my Brave New Woman series. However, these are new stories with new characters, so that makes both of these books very different from Dream Tapestry.