Byrd Nash

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

We moved to Illinois from Oklahoma a year ago and bought a house on half an acre. This last year we've been renovating it and I'm hoping to enter the decorating stage of things soon. Our goal is to have a working vegetable garden with chickens by next summer. I love our National Park system and the trip I've loved the most (so far) was to the Grand Canyon. I've love to visit Yellowstone National Park next. I'm married with two grown sons, an elderly cat, and a miniature pony that was once part of my lesson horse string when I taught horseback riding.

When and why did you start writing books?

Like many who love books, when I became a reader, I started writing. However, I doubt you want to read my story about the jelly bean tree!

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

With the advances in digital printing and the open market place, it's become the perfect time to keep my independence while sharing my stories to the public.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

Like my friends, I love them all, but probably Vic from A Spell of Rowans is the one I emotionally feel the strongest about. That book was inspired by some real life events (not as bad!) and I know exactly where Vic Rowans is coming from and the love she has for her siblings as well as the guilt.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

The Madame Chalamet Ghost Mystery series composed of six stories so kept me very busy during a stretch of time that was personally very challenging, with the loss of family members, selling our home, and a major move. I'm so glad the series is wrapped up and that I pulled it together just like I envisioned the first day I started writing the first book.

Who is your favourite author and book?

My all time favorite would be Judith Merkle Riley and her book, The Serpent Garden. It blends the historical, and the mythical, with the ridiculousness of human nature in just the way I like it.

What book are you reading right now?

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez. I can already tell it will be good, but that the young heroine doing five impossible things before breakfast is going to irritate me.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

I've always started with a character who just speaks to me and wants their story told. From there, the story expands when I examine the relationships around them; the setting and the adventure side of things drives the plot, and acts as the gift wrapping for the story.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love planning my house renovation and what I will do in the garden.

Do you have any new books in the works?

Yes. My next book will be a contemporary, Magical Realism novel: Breathings of the Moon, which will come out in April, 2025. Also, in 2025, I have another six book series planned about a woman who is seeking revenge.