From a very young age, Megan Chance wanted to be a writer, but she made a brief detour at Western Washington University, where she received a B.A. in Broadcast Communications. After several years as a television news photographer, where she found that truth really was stranger than fiction, Megan left broadcasting to write stories of her own.

Historical novels were an obvious choice. "The adaptability of the human spirit has always fascinated me, and historical novels allow me to explore that in a way that is both satisfying and life-affirming," says Megan. "I love immersing myself in another time. Luckily, I also love research-the more arcane, the better."

"Even as a child, I loved historical novels. I must have read Elizabeth George Speare's Witch of Blackbird Pond fifteen or twenty times. The Little House books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and books by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, were also huge favorites."

My penchant for historicals stayed with me as a young adult and into adulthood. I devoured books by Nora Lofts and Susan Howatch (Penmarric, Cashelmara). Elizabeth Goudge's Child from the Sea was my all time favorite until it was supplanted by Mary Stewart's Merlin books (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment, The Wicked Day) and Anya Seton's Katherine and Green Darkness.

Even now, I prefer to read historicals whenever I can get my hands on them, though I'm much more democratic these days, and I read across almost all genres. Recently, some of my favorites are Sarah Waters' Affinity, Timothy Findlay's Pilgrim, Elizabeth Knox's Billie's Kiss, Anita Shreve's Fortune's Rocks, Judy Cuevas's (Judith Ivory) Black Silk, Rose Tremain's Restoration, Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina, and anything by Kristin Hannah.

DT: How did you become interested in the Salem Witch Trials?

Chance: I've been interested in the Salem Witch trials for a very long time. As a girl, I read "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," by Elizabeth George Speare, and though it wasn't about Salem, it was about a girl accused of being a witch in America. It seemed impossible to me that such a thing could have happened here. I found it fascinating. After that, I read whatever I could find on witch trials, and on Salem in particular, including a great deal of nonfiction. I always knew I wanted to set a story during that time; it was just a matter of finding the right idea.

DT: Were you interested in writing before being a news photographer?

Chance: Writing was all I really ever wanted to do. From an extremely young age-maybe six or seven-I knew I wanted to be a writer. I followed that path until I got to college, and discovered the English department. I found myself more stifled by it than anything else, and turned to journalism. From there, I went into Broadcast Communication. I had no interest in being a reporter-though I enjoyed the writing, I had no stomach for actually talking to people-and I sort of fell into television news photography instead. It was a great career for several years, but I found myself more fascinated by the stories than by the pictures, and I decided that ultimately, I wanted to pursue a writing career.

DT: Do you enjoy the historical research side of writing your books as much as the writing itself?

Chance: I do love the research. To find an idea that turns into a story, or that helps develop an idea you already have Ö that is pure magic. I find history endlessly compelling, and I have to fight the urge to research much longer than is necessary.

DT: What projects are you currently working on?

Chance: I'm working on my next book for Warner, which is set in New York City during the late 19th Century. The story is about an upper class woman who has surrendered to depression and hysteria, and the controversial doctor who treats her with the new science of hypnosis. During this time, psychology was in its infancy, and its application to women in particular was both terrifying and fascinating. I found researching this book absolutely compelling.

DT: Which author has influenced you the most?

Chance: This is a tough question. There are many authors who have influenced me, but the one who's done so the most?-well, that's a toss-up. I suppose I'd have to say Mary Stewart is my greatest overall influence. Her Merlin trilogy was a seminal experience. Susan Howatch and Laura Ingalls Wilder-who I read incessantly as a young adult-would be close runners-up.

Chance: My rituals are mostly convenience based. I have an office that is in an outbuilding separate from my house, and I write there. My schedule is set by the hours my children are in school-my youngest is in kindergarten during the afternoon, so that's when I write. Usually, I set my writing schedule at the beginning of the school year, and I stick to it faithfully. I don't take calls during my writing time unless it's from my editor or agent or the school. However, that said, I've been pretty flexible over the years; I can write at almost any time, anyplace. The one thing I do not do is write longhand, so I'm constrained by where there's a computer or a typewriter. I have terrible handwriting, and I think much faster than I can write, so writing longhand is frustrating and painful for me, and I haven't written that way since I learned how to type at fifteen. Other than those things, I don't have any real rituals. I drink a lot of tea while I'm writing. That seems to be the one constant over the years.

Chance: I don't believe in writer's block. When I was young, I used to wait for inspiration to strike, until I realized that the pages I wrote when I was "inspired" were no different than the ones I wrote when I was not. Since then, I've learned that discipline begets inspiration. It's all about sitting down and doing it. There are times, of course, when personal problems or the sheer overwhelming confusion of day-to-day life prove so distracting that one can't write. There's not much to be done for that except to live through it. As far as being "stuck": There are times when I feel unable to move a story forward, but I've learned that's usually because I've made some error along the way: either in characterization or in plotting, and I need to go back over what I've written and decide where I've gone wrong. I suppose most people would call that writer's block, but finding the error usually solves the problem for me.

Chance: By far the most rewarding aspect is being able to make a living doing what I love. I love going to work; I love the fact that I spend my day telling the stories that live in my head; I love being able to determine my own hours and to spend as much time as I like with my children. I've wanted to be a writer always-to actually be one is truly a dream come true.