From one muse, many are born.

My characters aren’t your average romance novel characters. I am very much aware of that. Some are more out there than others. For instance, let me start by mentioning the weirdest of them all, Sage Winters Lane from A Dream For Winter. I call him my Original Gothstar, because that’s exactly who he is. Before These Bones, before House of Goths, there was A Dream for Winter, starring Sage and Carlie, two polar opposites who are brought together under unusual circumstances.

Sage Winters Lane literally walked into my life a number of years ago. I was in line at a cafe, located in a very artsy Toronto neighbourhood. In walked this beautiful androgynous creature in head-to-toe black shiny leather, corset and all. He sat down at a table facing the bustling cafe and ordered himself a single glass of dark red wine. There he sat, sipping like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. There I stood gobsmacked, staring at him. He didn’t mind. I had a feeling he quite welcomed the attention.

As undeniably eye-catching as he was, I also had a feeling, he like me, was quite shy. For a brief moment, we exchanged a glance. I then looked away, grabbed my coffee to go and went on my way. Years later, he reappeared in my life as Sage Winters Lane, Original Gothstar.