FROM JOCELYN KELLEY

answer to comment # 1 (mangaka91)

Thanks for welcoming me here. I'm excited to have the chance to "chat" with readers in Italy.

answer to comment # 2 (andreina65)

Yes, the Ladies of St. Jude's Abbey books are set in medieval times. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the most amazing women in history, and I had a great deal of fun having my "ladies" serve her. I love the medieval setting, too. Times were hard, but people were rebuilding what had been lost after the fall of the Roman empire. And there is something very sexy about a hero in chain mail

I've had several other books published by Mondadori, but under my real name of Jo Ann Ferguson. A Regency romance: L'angelo al mio fianco and historicals: Commedia d'amore, Un amore rischioso, Una seconda occasione, Chiaro di Luna, and Dopo la Tempesta.

My very first romance that I wrote was a historical set in Pennsylvania in the early 19th century. It will never been published because it was a learning book. I learned a lot about the art of fiction while I was writing that. And I've learned enough since to know I don't want anyone reading it. I have taken a couple of scenes from it and incorporated them into other books...after a lot of rewriting.

answer to comment # 3 (MarchRose)

I love ghost stories because I used to live in a haunted house. It was the very first house my husband and I ever bought. There would be footsteps downstairs when we were upstairs, and one night, something rolled from one end of the attic to the other...but it would have been impossible because the floorboards didn't go in that direction. The ghosts, which I have always believed were the previous owners who lived until their 90's and died within two weeks of each other, stayed until a month or so after our first child was born. We decided they stayed to see the next generation. So all of that made me open to the possibilities of ghosts. I like all sorts of fantastical possibilities in books -- probably because I was raised on fairy tales and the Iliad and the Odyssey and all sorts of mythology. Most of my more fantastic books have been published by ImaJinn Books -- including stories on other worlds (like Sworn Upon Fire and The Dream Chronicles), reincarnation (Call Back Yesterday), time travel (My Lord Viking), leprechauns (Luck of the Irish), and my Christmas story about a well-meaning angel who makes a big mistake (The Wrong Christmas Caorl). You can look at them on www.imajinnbooks.com But a few of the paranormal elements have slipped over into my books for other publishers. It's always fun to explore the impossible (or maybe almost possible).

I've been published in ebooks since 1999. My first ebooks were reprints of my very first books that were published and gone out of print. I had gotten requests from readers for copies, and this was a good solution. Many of my books now are published as ebooks as well as in print -- the Nethercott Tales books are available in both formats, and recently ImaJinn started publishing ebooks as well as print. In my opinion, I think ebooks work well for some readers and not so well for others, just as audio books do. As the ebook readers have become easier to use, the interest in ebooks has continued to grow. I read friends' books in e-format, but I have to say I still prefer print. Old habits die hard, I think, but I really like the feel of a book and the smell of it...and I spend enough time reading electronically with work and research. :-)

Thanks for the good questions.

Jo/Jocelyn