MYRISTICA began writing at the age of 12.  Her fist story was a poor attempt at fan fiction for “Emergency”.  To think about that story now, she cringes and wonders, “What was I thinking?”

2 years later she graduated to Starsky and Hutch and found “heaven” in a show about two partners not afraid to love each other and show it.  “They touched, they hugged, and they cried on each other’s shoulders...how could a woman not love that?”

Ever since then, her desire has been to write about buddies.  When she discovered fan-fiction in the late 90’s, she hopped on board: “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”.  “I read this one story from a woman whose pen name was Copper.  It was called “Only Sorrows, Only Truths”.  I then read the sequel written by a woman named Dream Catcher.  I found out I wasn’t alone in my love for buddy stories and was instantly hooked.”  Latching onto an Iolausian Mailing List for Hercules, Myristica became known as White Raven, posting many stories to Ceryndip’s Sanctuary, a haven for many General fan fictions for the show.

A Christian at this time, Myristica refused to read Slash (Male/Male love stories).  “Well, at first.  I soon found myself reading it out of curiosity, and then reading it on the sly, unwilling to tell anyone.  Talk about denial.  I felt like I was betraying my faith, that old ‘sinning in secret’ thing.”

A few years went by and Myristica found another fandom to sink her teeth into: “The Magnificent Seven” television series.  Still writing under the name of White Raven, she posted a few General fics to the Blackraptor Magnificent Seven site.

“I was so into Chris and Vin.  They just pulled me in.  I saw such great potential for another buddy storyline between those two, but it seems that homophobia has a stranglehold on Hollywood.  You never do see anything along the lines of what Starsky and Hutch offered anymore.  It’s heartbreaking as well as frustrating.  So much potential, and so little guts.  But who am I trying to kid?  Here I was reading Slash in secret, unwilling to ‘shout it from the rooftops’.”

Then, in 1999, a young man who was a dear friend to Myristica was killed in a hideous car accident.  Anger against the God-machine was born and she stopped reading the Bible, or going to church.  To find solace, she took her rebellion to the Slash sites and began to soak up all she could.   

The reading of Slash catapulted her into asking a question that would lead her on a spiritual quest that has lasted these last few years.

“I could actually imagine men making love with each other, truly loving each other from the soul.  Then I thought about the concept of love between two people, a commitment between two people, and the question arose…why would God, who is supposedly unconditional in His love, have something against two people loving each other, regardless of gender?”

This question pushed her into researching the Bible references to homosexuality.  One thing led to another and her beliefs on homosexuality being a sin took a drastic turn.  “I found passages in the Bible that are so misquoted and misunderstood, it amazes me that people are still trying to pass off certain teachings as fact.  Those teachings are more man-made tradition than truth.”

Reconciling herself to the homosexuality verses the Bible issue, Myristica took the pen name Heart Quest and began writing Slash for certain television series’, and then she graduated her love of male/male love stories to original fiction.

What does she believe in now?

“Well, after doing my homework and finding out things weren’t copacetic with the Bible and homosexuality, I got to asking, ‘If the church is wrong about the homosexual issue, what else are they wrong about?’ Which, of course, was the catalyst that helped me to start questioning my belief system.  After a year of research, questioning, major conversations with two great friends of mine who had ‘been there, done that’ long before I started, I simply walked away from the Bible and the church and opened my mind to many other spiritual philosophies.  As far as spiritual beliefs, the closest to my heart is Wicca, ancient Egyptian mysteries, as well as Celtic, with some India traditions mixed into the pot.”

As far as writing?

“Well, if two (or more) guys are loving each other, I'm there, but there's got to be a story that tugs at the heart and soul, not just the groin."

Myristica began creating the world of “The Harp & Sword Chronicles” about nine years ago as a general buddy story.  Since reconciling her beliefs on homosexuality, she rewrote her premise to place many characters of this story into same-sex unions.  A move she felt was worth the 101-plus rewrites.  (A count that she insists is not an exaggeration.)

She is currently working on future installments of “Harp & Sword”, as well as two other original fictions: “GemInI Souls”, a story of taboo love between two mages who end up on earth and become immortal.  And “Crimson Dawn”, her take on a modern day vampire setting scenario, which can cross over with “GemInI Souls”.  The first installments to these stories should be up and running before the end of March, 2008.