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18 April 2012
Self-published local author Rose Skinner, writing under the name Rose Marie, recently wrote a romance novel with a twist – it’s a mystery story too. Most romances center on the relationship between the main characters but Skinner’s book, Reminiscence has attempted to depart from the genre as we know it. Reminiscence is also the first of five books in a series she calls The Lost Souls. She is already working on the next book called Revenge.
Not to give any of the story away, it centers on Franciska Varga, who leaves her job at a law firm and her life in Michigan to embark on a life’s journey that is as mysterious as the directions her tarot cards would take her. Franciska is a down-to-earth and she doesn’t mince words when it comes to what she thinks or how she says it. But she has a gift of foretelling the future and this gypsy fortune telling also foreshadows the odd twists and turns that lead Franciska to see more than she should while nearly getting herself and her lover killed.
“It began as a murder mystery plot,” said Skinner. “I now know how the series will end with the last book Revelations.” When asked what inspired her to write the series, she credits Stephenie Meyer of the Twilight series. She viewed the movie when it came out, testing the waters for her daughter who was begging to see it. She then purchased and read book two of the series.
“Then my daughter got the whole series of books. It was a massive amount of reading. Then I looked up Stephenie Meyer and read more about her.”
Working full time and taking care of a family, including a husband and three children and numerous pets, Skinner tries to find time to write.
“The first book took two years to write. I’m not John Grisham, I can’t do a page a day. I have to feel it in order to write,” she said. “Book two has taken a little longer to get started.”
When asked about the gypsy influence in her character in the story, Skinner explained she has gypsy blood and that both her parents emigrated from Hungary.
In speaking about why she chose to write, she explained it was a form of escapism.
“It was something I could call my own,” she said. “It was the same feeling when I finished college and got my degree. I was the first American born citizen in my family to make the dean’s list and get a degree. Writing and publishing this book was the same accomplishment. No one could take that away from me, it was my own achievement.”
Skinner majored in political science and pre-law and got two degrees in five years. “It was a lot of work but I enjoyed it.” She decided, similar to the feelings of her character Franciska, that law was not for her and chose not to pursue a career in the field.
And once she shared her stories with friends and family she began to gain support for her writing.
“When I saw the box containing the proofs of my book, I couldn’t open it. I just sat there for half an hour and stared at the box. It was a surreal experience, I couldn’t quite grasp it.”
She was thrilled with her first book signing at her home, where she duplicated the picnic scene in chapter four of her book. Like any good writer, Skinner did her research on gourmet food and even on sailing to bring authenticity to her characters and their activities.
Skinner publishes the book under Rose Marie Publishing and it can be found on Amazon.com in the book and Kindle version.
“I’m just beginning and working on the book stores. I’m doing baby steps in promotion,” she said.
