An Interview with Dee C. May

The Reading Cafe is happy to introduce first time author, Dee C. May. She is here to discuss her new book, Wynter’s Horizon, and to tell us a bit about herself.

Before we begin the interview, let’s find out something about Dee C. May.

I was born and raised in Old Brookville, New York, which is 20 miles east of Manhattan. I attended Friends Academy in Locust Valley, New York for high school, and went on to earn a B.A. from Connecticut College in 1992 and a J.D. from Albany Law School, Union University in 1997. I practiced law in Manhattan and Long Island for several years before marrying and relocating to Cornelius, North Carolina in 2000, where I worked for a small firm specializing in civil litigation and real estate. In 2003, I switched to part time employment to raise my first son. After my second son, I stopped working. In 2009, the same year we relocated to Davidson, I started writing Wynter’s Horizon which at the time I called Past the Horizon. Since that time I have edited and rewritten it dozens of times until it became the story Evernight just released .

A horse enthusiast my entire life, in my spare time I care for and ride my Norwegian fjord mare, named Victoria.

Hi Dee.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

TRC: Will you please tell us about yourself?

Dee: I’m 42 years old, married with 2 boys, 6 and 9. I grew up in NY and relocated to NC 11 years ago to be with my husband who was just my boyfriend at the time. I love living in NC. We live on a 6 acre farm with 1 dog, 2 cats and 3 horses.

TRC: Have you always been interested in writing?

Dee:  Yes. I’ve always loved books and reading. When I was in second grade I wrote a story about a blind girl who rode horses. That was my first “book”.  Throughout the years I’ve free wrote, mostly just a few pages here and there. Wynter’s Horizon is my longest project.

TRC: Is there anything (in general) you find particularly challenging about writing?

Dee:  I find the detail in transposing a scene from my mind onto paper challenging. What I can picture in my mind in a few seconds can take paragraphs and pages to become written and then longer to edit and make sure what I imagined is what the words say.

TRC:  Can you tell how you came up with the idea of Wynter’s Horizon? Is this a standalone book, if not, how many books do you plan?

Dee:  Wynter’s Horizon started as an idea I had two decades ago during college. I was a huge Anne Rice fan and had just finished Queen of the Damned and I thought about meeting a vampire as a college student. It took 20 years for me to actually find the words and time to write it. Then the story kind of evolved from there and I changed my hero from a vampire to a genetically altered assassin/military guy.

With my heroine and her troubles with her ex-boyfriend Jason, I felt like almost everyone has had a friend or known someone involved in a relationship that was just toxic to them and had difficulty getting out. I think so many books glorify the bad boy, the un-loveable guy who suddenly with the heroine’s love reforms and ‘sees the light’. Jason is that guy who treats girls badly and he doesn’t miraculously get better. He remains the jerk and ass, no matter what Wynter is willing to do for him and she must figure out how to get herself out.

When I envisioned this story I saw it over a ten year period as I followed my hero and heroine through many struggles so I do see it as a series, most likely a trilogy. I have had complaints that Wynter is not a strong heroine but I saw her as developing through the series and gaining strength in each book and coming into her own more and more. The sequel is half written.

TRC:  Would you please give us a brief description of Wynter’s Horizon?

Dee:  Here’s the 32 word pitch and then a longer blurb:

A distraught college girl and trained assassin, both running from sordid pasts, find love and redemption amidst turmoil and trauma caused by a vindictive ex-boyfriend and a comrade hell bent on vengeance.

Wynter Murello blames herself for her best friend’s death and because of this becomes embroiled in an emotionally abusive relationship that sends her spiraling down. Trained British assassin Reginald Beckett is also running from a past mistake. Thrown together the two find friendship and solace in each other while hiding the depth of their true feelings. But a vengeful comrade is searching for Beck, and Beck and Wynter must figure out if love is worth the risk of broken hearts, before it is too late.

Links to order Wynter’s Horizon: Amazon / Barnes & Noble /  Kobo

TRC:  Can you tell us what are you currently working on?

Dee:  I am working on the sequel to Wynter’s Horizon and also another love story that takes place in the south between an aging ballet dancer and a musician.

TRC:  Wynter’s Horizon is YA Romance, do you have any thoughts of writing in any other genres?

Dee:  I can’t say definitively no but I do like writing love stories. I am not tied to the new adult/young adult genre as the story I am working on now is contemporary.

TRC:  What is your writing process?  Do you like to write at specific times, in a special place?

Dee:  I generally write at night after my kids are in bed. Strangely, my favorite place to write is sitting on a stool in my kid’s bathroom. It’s quiet and peaceful and no one looks for me there.

TRC:  Many authors bounce ideas with family and friends.  With whom do you bounce ideas?

Dee:  I have a bunch of friends who are great first readers and I also have a freelance editor who helped me to edit Wynter’s Horizon. She’s always there when I need to run some ideas by someone.

TRC:  Would you like to add anything else?

Thank you for taking the time to interview me. I appreciate you reviewing my book and sitting down to talk to me.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: pasta

Favorite Dessert: pineapple mousse pie.

Favorite Novel: The Black Stallion when I was young. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen, now.

Favorite Movie: Too many movies I love and can watch again and again but I’d say Gone with the Wind.

Favorite Literary Character (Male or Female) Not your own: Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird.

Milk or Dark Chocolate: Milk

Thank you Dee, for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with Wynter’s Horizon.