Why I Write Fantasy - Denise Golinowski

Welcome Denise Golinowski, author of magical worlds of fantasy and romance!
Amber: Why do you write fantasy? 
Denise: The mystical and mythic just resonate for me and when I took up a pencil, it's what came naturally to me. As they say, we are what we read--okay, I tweeked that a little, but you know what I mean. I've always read fantasy, so that's what I know best. I love to create new worlds to wander through with my characters as my guides. Fantasy allows me to blend cultures, social systems, settings, all to suit the needs of my characters and the story. My fantasy worlds are low-tech, more about the interconnectivity between humans and nature. It's all about exploring relationships in simpler worlds, not easier, just less congested and less distracting.
When I began The Festival of The Flowers: The Courtesan and The Scholar, I wanted to explore a cursed love in an elegant and stylized world. The professional companions guild, the city of Valgate and The Festival of The Flowers evolved from Lisara's being a woman with siren's blood and a family curse. I needed a world where she could learn to control and use her gift. The characters who came into the Festival with supporting roles have now evolved into their own stories which I'm trying once more to capture on paper.
Amber: What are your favorite fantasy novels?
Denise: Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series - I know there have been countless re-weavings of the Arthur mythos, but Marion's drew me in and held me captive. Her books explore and expand that world with such beauty and depth.
Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immorality - His personifications of the 7 major aspects of humanity were amazing--Death, Fate, Time, War, Gaia, Evil and Good. The way he wove them all around a central event, bringing us all into that event from all point of views, allowed us to see how everything is interconnected, while exploring the "powers" of each specific Incarnation.
Jim Butcher's Dresdin Files, Harry Potter (natch), Jacqueline Carey's first three Kushiel books, Rachel Caine's Weather Wardens, Carrie Vaughn's Kitty series.  I'd better stop there, I could go on for pages.
Amber: Why do you think readers love fantasy? 
Denise: Escapism is my immediate response followed closely by the thought that perhaps fantasy offers readers the chance to explore scary or personal themes in safe settings. When you can say it's all make-believe, it's easier to release old expectations and accept a new set of expectations.
Amber: Would you write fantasy even if no one read it? 
Denise: Absolutely. That pretty much sums it up. I've always written fantasy, I am writing fantasy, and I always will write fantasy. It's what I do.
More about Denise Golinowski -I'm a mild-mannered office manager by day and an unabashed scribbler by night. I've been writing since I can remember. However, I didn't get "serious" about it until about 2000. I've had several short stories published and when The Wild Rose Press published my novella, The Festival of The Flowers: The Courtesan and The Scholar, I was, and still am, thrilled to death. I'm a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Virginia Romance Writers and several very wonderful critique groups. I live in Central Virginia with my super-supportive husband, Joe, and two less enthusiastic cats, Lovejoy and Serena. 
Find our more about  The Festival of The Flowers: The Courtesan and The Scholar  The Wild Rose Press 
Learn more about Denise at her blogGolinowski's Gambol - Fantasy with A Kiss of Romance