Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, I think it was a natural path for me to take. I grew up in a magical place, on the  island of Maui, and we lived in a pretty remote spot. I spent a lot of time alone in nature, building forts, fairylands, and castles (depending on what my mother was reading to me at the time!) and I had a rich imagination. As soon as I could read and write for myself I was making up actual books and stapling them together! I’d draw elaborate pictures to go with them. My mother always had a book of blank paper and a pen handy for me wherever we went—she always encouraged me to write.

What is it that draws you to write speculative fiction?

All of my work centers on a philosophy that is inclusive of both the visible, and invisible aspects of the world and of my life. I’ve always been fascinated with how and what we (our bodies) are made of.

I’ve spent my life exploring what gives us life and what may happen when we die. Studying both science and theology I’ve had a rich relationship with non-ordinary reality and in our culture, it is easier to write about such things in a speculative way. Also, I feel that its through storytelling and fiction that we can often go deeper into an idea or concept. Not everyone can read non-fiction, self-help, or spiritual books and put the principles into action. But when we can identify with a character and see her do something we need to do, well, I think that is a powerful way to learn.

So, do you feel your stories offer reader’s instruction as well as entertainment?

I don’t know if I’d use the word “instruction”. I don’t intend to tell anyone how to live, but I do write about topics of challenge and change and I think the ways some of my characters respond could be a helpful reminder to some readers.

As an educator in the field of Spiritual Healing I know that much of what I’ve learned and experienced personally comes through in my novels. The good things and the bad, the easy things and the challenging ones…I think that’s why I love writing about the Goddesses and Gods so much! They represent all the emotions, and sides of our humanity.

How did you come up with the Goddess Chronicles story?

In 1991 I had an injury that left me in pretty helpless and sometimes hopeless chronic condition. Doctors told me I wouldn’t be able to cure it, but with the help of my family and friends I persevered for about twelve years, until I finally got well and regained my life.  12 years is a long, long time and I used to research mythology and theology among other topics. One night while reading the Jewish Pseudipigraphia, I came across this rather remarkable passage in the book of Enoch. Enoch tells a story about being anointed by an oil and his whole body turning into light so that he can travel with the angels to meet God. At the time, I was also studying about healing and physics and mysticism, which made me recognize the theme of the physical mass of the body ultimately being made of an immortal substance that we perceive as light. Well, I just took hold of the idea that the vibration of the oil could transform the vibration of the body and then the story flowed from there. Ultimately, the process of writing these stories became one of my healing practices and helped me recover. Its been a remarkable journey.