Donna Boyd: I'm not privy to information about high-level pack activities, but it does seem logical to me. I would expect to see even more consolidation within the entertainment industry over the next few years, and even more emphasis on the profit motive (always a werewolf's first concern). I suspect humans will retaliate by supporting the small and regional presses, which will more and more fill the void left by the demise of the mid-list book.  

Crescent Blues: Who are "the ladies of PAWS" mentioned in the acknowledgments for The Promise? And what role did they play in the creation of your werewolf saga? 

Donna Boyd: PAWS is an acronym for my critique group, which was organized in 1982 and has continued uninterrupted to this day. Although some of the faces have changed in the last few years, our purpose remains the same: to support each other professionally and personally in every way that we can. We meet four times a year for an intensive week-long brainstorming session and to develop ideas for upcoming projects. I went through several drafts of The Promise and the ladies of PAWS were with me every step of the way (even when I wanted to quit). The final version was actually the result of a brainstorming session, and they nursed it through every stage of development. Without them, the series might well have ended with The Passion. 

Crescent Blues: But werewolves aren't all you do. According to a Web-posted biography, you've written over 100 books, presumably under a variety of names. It's fairly easy to make the connection between Donna Boyd, werewolf writer, and Donna Ball, suspense writer. But what are some of your other identities, and what do they write? 

Donna Boyd: With a partner, Shannon Harper, I wrote historical romance (Leigh Bristol) and western adventure (Taylor Brady) in the mid-1980s and early '90s. The Taylor Brady books are in the process of being re-released by Thorndike Large Print books in hardcover. Before that I wrote contemporary romance as Rebecca Flanders and Donna Carlisle, all of which are now out of print except in a few foreign countries.  

Crescent Blues: What's next for you? Will you be focusing exclusively on your werewolf saga for the foreseeable future, or is there something else taking shape that you'd like to talk about? 

Donna Boyd: The werewolves are still my first love, but I am excited about another supernatural series under development. And I would like to start a cozy mystery series, which is one thing I've never published but have always loved to read (and write). And then there's this great idea I have for another suspense book, and a "southern gothic" I've started but never finished. It sometimes seems I have more ideas than I have time!

Crescent Blues: The past also plays an important role in many of the books you've written as Donna Ball. In Dark Angel and Exposure, the danger arises from each heroine's past. In addition, an old grudge sets up a key plot element in Just Before Dawn. Does the theme of the past coming back to bite the present resonate through all your works? Or do you feel it particularly suited to suspense? 

Donna Boyd: That's an interesting question, and one to which I've never given much thought. I think what happens is that I have to know the characters' pasts -- essentially what makes them who they are today -- before I know their story. The past, being such an integral part of the character, is woven naturally into the plot line -- and often times becomes pivotal to it. 

Crescent Blues: The settings for Dark Angel, Exposure, and Just Before Dawn traverse the U.S. East Coast. Have you lived or worked in the Tidewater area, Philadelphia and Florida? Did the diversity just happen, because the stories demanded it, or was it the result of a conscious effort to avoid being labeled a regional writer? 

Donna Boyd: Yes indeed, I lived for awhile in the Tidewater area of Virginia and spent a great deal of time on the barrier island of Florida that was the inspiration for Just Before Dawn. I've visited Philadelphia, but never lived there, and in a case like that I try to build key scenes around places that are vivid in my memory. For the most part, the settings of my books are like one of the characters -- integral to the plot. One day soon, perhaps, I'll write a book in which the North Georgia Mountains are a character, and then I'll be able to set the book close to home. 

Crescent Blues: Are there any differences in the way you prepare to write the Devoncroix saga and your other novels? Any special rituals (music, reading) you use to put you in a particular mood? 

Donna Boyd: The Devoncroix books are much, much harder to write than anything I've ever attempted. They have to work on so many different levels, and if I let down the reader on even one of those levels, the entire suspension of disbelief collapses. I therefore think I sweat a great many more drops of blood before starting a Devoncroix book than I would with another book. The only rituals I employ are pacing, cursing and biting my nails when the words won't come. 

Crescent Blues: The fervid narrative voice of the Devoncroix saga seems to read very differently than the spare, precise prose of your suspense novels. Is this a function of the first person narration used in passages of the werewolf novels, the nature of the material, or simply a delusion on the part of this reader? 

Donna Boyd: The voice of the werewolf is distinctly different from that of a human narrator, and whether the book is in first or third person that voice must always come through. The nature of the material absolutely dictated the voice, and I worked very hard to become a conduit for that voice. 

Crescent Blues: If you could turn a character from any of your stand-alone novels into a series character, which one would it be and why? 

Donna Boyd: Actually, Matt and Charlie, of Dark Angel, were originally intended as part of a three-book series in my mind. Matt in particular has a long and interesting story to tell, and I thought it would be fascinating to explore his life, both past and future, through a continuing series. 

Crescent Blues: Who are your principal influences as a writer? 

Donna Boyd: I try to read every book on the bestseller list so I like to think I've been influenced by all the greats in the world of commercial fiction -- [John] Grisham, [Michael] Crichton, [Dean] Koontz; the major suspense writers like Jonathon Kellerman, Richard North Patterson, James Patterson, Phillip Margolin, Patricia Cornwell; not to mention Diana Gabaldon and Nelson DeMille. I can't begin to list them all. I suppose if I had to name one author I have read avidly and admired consistently from his very first book it would be Dean Koontz.  

I am also a huge fan of movies and television (though less of television in recent years), and like to keep current on how these influence public taste. I have noticed that I have begun to write more visually in recent years, although whether this is due to the unconscious influence of the movies or the conscious hope to have my books snagged by a film company, I can't say.

Crescent Blues: Anything you'd like to add? 

Donna Boyd: Actually I would like to take a moment to let your readers know about a new project I'm extremely excited about -- the formation of the author-owned and operated publishing company, BelleBooks, of which I am the editorial director. The other partners' names may be familiar to you as well: Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon, Gin Ellis, Nancy Knight and Deborah Smith.  

Our first book, Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes, a poignant collection of nostalgic tales with a southern flair, is scheduled for May 2000 release. The preliminary response to the project -- as well as to the formation of the company itself -- has been phenomenal, so we expect only great things in the future. But before you ask, we are fully inventoried until late 2001, so we will not be accepting submissions before then. Meantime, you're all invited to visit the Belle Books Web site. 

Jean Marie Ward