1. If you could trade places with any of your leading ladies, who would it be and why??
Hands down, it would be Alice from my upcoming release, Bad Cop. She has the best man EVER! Ian’s so funny, sweet, thoughtful, and just there for her, you can’t even see his flaws. And sexy as hell doesn’t hurt J
2. In 5 words, please describe your ‘Romance Writing Style’.
Like chocolate, dark, delicious, sensual.
3. Are any of your more ‘passionate’ scenes, based on any real life experiences?
Hahaha, I wish. I live vicariously through my characters.
4. What is your ‘girl vice’? ie getting your hair done? Nails? Shopping? Gossiping? Chick flicks?
I’m pretty much a Tomboy, but at the risk of a ‘duh’ answer, it’s the romance novels. I read about 300 per year in various subgenres. They are my drug, and I start having withdrawals when I’m in edits and can’t read for a few days. Hm, plus gawking at hot mancandy pics!
5. Are any of your leading ladies, based on your you or any of the ladies in your life? If so, who?
All of them! There are elements of me and people around me in each one, but I have the strongest resemblance to Alice, introduced in Bad Mouth and taking the lead in Bad Cop. Like her, I absolutely hated cops much of my life due to exposure to some corrupt ones until a devastating event showed me just how much of a Godsend they truly were. Labels are never a good idea anyway, and no one is defined by their job.
6. When writing your more ‘adult’ scenes, do you picture what’s happening in your head, then write what you see? Of do you use another technique?
Absolutely. It plays out like a movie, and how the scenes progress depends on the characters involved. And then I rewind and play it out again because they’re just too steamy to only view once J
7. This or That ~ Wine or Beer? Sex in the City or Caroline in the City? Perfume or Jewelry? Painted nails or Au Natural? Tall or Dark or Handsome?
Definitely beer, preferably a wheat beer. Neither (give me horror or scifi). Jewelry. Au Natural—or French Tip. Dark!!! I don’t need perfect looks, but I’m drawn to dark hair, dark eyes, darker personalities.
8. Do your leading men come from any place in particular? Dreams? Movie stars? Your partner? Past partners?
Sometimes dreams, but almost always fantasies of what I love most in a man.
9. What is the first romance novel you ever read? How old were you?
Too long ago to remember, lol, but it was life-changing. Reading was my biggest hobby, a book a day or more—where I lived in the boonies there wasn’t much else to do. When I was 11, my aunt gave me my first ones in a huge bag of thrift store books, and I devoured them. I needed those happy endings so much, like air and nutrients.
10. Do you write for a particular audience or for yourself and pray others like it as well?
For myself at first, but once I found others loved what I wrote, I was a goner for sharing. Above everything, it’s most satisfying to know I can offer the same joy, excitement, and pleasure that I get from reading a good book.
11. What was the LAST (most recent) romance novel you read? Did you enjoy it?
I just read a bundle by JS Scott, The Billionaire’s Obsession, and loved it. Had to get the bundle because there’s nothing I despise more than cliffhangers. I had to give the author a chance for redemption after being terribly disappointed with one of her other books, and I’m super pleased that I did. Read it in one sitting. The hero, Simon, made me want to hug him and squeeze him and do dirty things with him!
12. As a write of romance, do you ever put yourself in your leading lady’s shoes and ‘walk’ around in them before you write?
Yes. I think of every story as a chance to be someone else, to experience a different life. It helps to step into the role because it’s easier to draw on her emotions and actions to make them come to life on the page.
13. Would You Rather ~
Live 1 wk in your leading lady’s shoes
Or
The leading lady from another author? Who & Why?
My heroine Alice again, of course! Not only because she has Ian, but because she has a sweet new abilities, a fresh new life to explore with that amazing man, and she’s happy for the first time after six years of misery.
14. Do you have any advice to give the leading lady of the novel you are currently working on or just finished?
I’d tell Geneva, the heroine of my third Immortalis book, that despite Declan’s darkness, his life revolves around justice, saving lives. The darkness is a thick barrier, and she’ll have to dig very deep to find the real Dec. Keep your eyes and your mind open, Gen!
15. How hard do you try to keep your ‘love’ scenes realistic and flow with the plot? Does it come easy for you?
I try veeeeery hard. The scenes themselves come pretty easily to me as if they’re coming from a foreign place, but I have a hard time not jumping the gun with them. I want the leads together so much, it’s difficult to not make it happen too soon.
16. in 5 years, where would you like to be in your career as a romance author? 10 years?
Bestseller lists, lol. I can say from experience, sales are not about the money for most authors I know. It’s about doing what you love, making enough to be able to leave the day job and write, write, write. To live where your heart is. And then it’s about giving. There’s no better feeling than making readers happy with something you poured your soul into. And I have so many stories in me, I absolutely want to put a dent in them by year 5 or 10, though the idea factory never closes. I really want a big backlist by then, at least four books per year.
17. When it comes to mainstream Romance authors, who do you enjoy curling up with to read?
Too, too many! Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, Darynda Jones, Karen Moning are favs. I have a weakness for Ruthie Knox. Her characters! The characters will hook me every time, even in a plot that doesn’t stand out. Susan Wiggs, Pamela Clare (loooove her American historicals), Zoe Archer, Monica McCarty, Joey W. Hill, Cherise Sinclair, Tiffany Reisz. I also have a thing for Highlanders and paranormal historicals.
18. If your sweetheart wanted to sweep you off your feet, what would they need to do??
Keep me laughing. I’m easy like that J A wicked sense of humor will get to me every time, and it’s even better when a man wants to know you well enough to do the little things only you would appreciate.
19. In the spectrum of ‘Romance’, where would you place your most recent novel? Closer to the ‘Sweet’ side or ‘Naughty/Erotica’ side or somewhere in the middle??
Hot, steamy, naughty for sure. Though I don’t take it as far as erotica (I love external plot too much to make the sex primary), I don’t prefer to write or read sweet. I need the whole picture or I feel like I’m missing something.
20. Do you ever daydream about people you see at the park? Airport? Train station? Mall? And build romance scenes around them while you daydream?
Oh heck, yes! I get tons of ideas from people-watching. It’s so much fun to dream up the stories of their lives. I have trouble not doing this.
21. This or That ~ Romantic Dinner at Home or Romantic Dinner Out? Roses or Lilies? Diamonds or Emeralds? Demure or Sex Kitten? Making love on a secluded Beach or Making love in a secluded cabin in the woods?
At home (easier to control the setting and take it past public decency!). Lilies. Emeralds. A Demure Sex Kitten—always the best to keep him guessing. Cabin in the woods, if I must choose!
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