Author Margaret Sartain

Margaret, tell us about yourself?

              Hello, I was born in Long Beach, California in 1957.  I soon moved to Costa Mesa, California, and spent most of my childhood there.  Disneyland was only two years old when I was born, and became a big part of my life then, and it still is.  Hollywood was in it’s glamour era, not far from where I grew up.  This culture had a lot of effect on my life then and when I was a dancer and singer in Los Angeles.  I did a little acting in college under the tutelage of a famous actor who helped out at the little theatre there at the college. That career ended suddenly when just before accepting an offer to take the lead in a musical in Los Angeles, I gave it up to be engaged and leave the state with my fiancé, for my new life with him. I earned two college credentials for horticulture since then, one for the landscape industry (to be a designer), and one for the nursery industry.  I since earned a bachelor’s degree – a Bachelor of Science in University Studies with a minor in English, a minor in Marriage and Family Studies, and a cluster (concentration) in music.  I have decided to try my luck at writing.  I also work at my ranch in another town other than where I live, and I am landscaping parts of that.  I plan to have an arboretum there.  I am married and have three grown children, who are an important part of my life.  I am Christian.

How long have you been writing?

              I have only been writing for just over one year.

What period of your life do you find you write about most often? 

              I write most about young adult years.

Do you find it more challenging to write the first book in a series or to write the subsequent novels?

             I haven’t actually written books in a series yet, although I am about to start on the second book in a series.

“Charlotte of Swansea” is a time travel and history related fiction, What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?

              In the book, Charlotte of Swansea, the main historical figure is King Arthur, an unusual character because many people in Wales believe he was real, and most people in the world believe he was a fictional character, although there is evidence that he was a king of Britain hundreds of years ago.  To learn about this type of historical figure is good for people to understand how the history and culture of Britain came to be and to keep those stories alive for us and future generations, especially if you are from Britain.

When you come up with the ideas of stories, what comes first, the characters or plot?

               It was different for my first book; I had the plot in mind first.  For my second book, the character is one that I thought up first, then wanted to write a story around that character.

How do you deal with the emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?

              I actually laughed during part of the story and also became very sad.  I just let the emotions help me in deciding what else to add to the story.

What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?

           Time.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

               Plot, protagonist, antagonist, and climax.  All of these should be as strong and obvious as possible.