| Code Name: Blondie, the latest in
her Code Name series, won't disappoint her fans. In an interview with
the Southwest Valley Republic, Skye talks about a number of things.
Who reads your books?
"My demographic? I can tell you from fan mail, I get e-mails from the
younger readers at about 13 all the way up to 85. So there's no clear
dividing line there. I would have said it's largely women, but there's
a growing minority of men."
Your Code Name novels seem to combine strong, passionate characters in
high-tech settings with a dash of romance. Are your characters living
the fantasy life for the rest of us?
"I think it's about adventure. We all live lives that have a lot of
stress, but we don't have the fun of adventure that comes with the
stress. My characters are certainly under stress but they have the
sense of adventure, which I think that's what we all -- male, female,
young, old -- adore."
Do you do a lot of research for your books?
"I do a lot, but I love it. Part of the gift is doing the research, but
using just that little bit that makes it absolutely authentic."
Did you always want to be a writer?
"That's kind of amusing because in this workshop, this talk, I give, I
tell them that there was no way I was going to be a writer, ever, ever.
I was going to be a marine biologist or an archeologist, or the
princess of a small European municipality. But there were signs. When I
was 6, my mother gave me one of those inexpensive diaries. So I was so
happy, I took it home and the next morning I came back and said, 'All
done.' "
Adventure plays a large role in your novels. But in real life, you've
climbed the Great Wall of China, you've eaten snake meat in Shanghai,
and bicycled the mountains of Fiji. What's next on your things-to-do
list?
"I am going to go back to China. This is just in the advance thinking
stages, but I'd like to go by bicycle or motorcycle through the whole
country."
You live in the foothills of the White Tank Mountains. What's that like?
"I have to drive 20 minutes to get a carton of milk, but it's not the
milk, it's the lack of FedEx and Office Max that bothers me. But it's
worth it for the great views."
Christina Skye (Southwest Valley Republic, page 20)
Latest novel: Code Name: Blondie ($6.99, HQN Books). Available at all major bookstores.
Other fiction novels:
* Code Name: Baby.
* Code Name: Princess.
* Code Name: Nanny.
* 2000 Kisses.
* Going Overboard.
* My Spy.
* Hot Pursuit.
Draycott Abbey series:
* Hour of the Rose.
* Bride of the Mist.
* Bridge of Dreams.
* Key to Forever.
* Season of Wishes.
* Christimas Knight.
* The Perfect Gift.
Information: www.hqnbooks.com or www.christinaskye.com.
Author's bio (Southwest Valley Republic, page 21)
* Christina Skye was born on a farm in Ohio.
* She lives near Buckeye in the foothills of the White Tank Mountains.
* She is married with one son.
* She and her husband moved to Arizona 10 years ago from Manhattan.
* Age: "I'll say I'm older than 42 but old enough to know better than to answer that question," Skye said.
* She has written 26 books, both fiction and non-fiction, and two novelettes.
* She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She has a doctorate in Chinese literature.
* Hobbies include hiking, mountain climbing, off-roading, photography and knitting.
CAPTION: Christina Skye
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