What do you find romantic?

To me, there is nothing more romantic or beautiful than an evening sky. From the moment the sun sets, painting the horizon in different shades of rose, I am captivated. I love to go walking with my husband along our road after dark with the wind whispering in the forest and the moon gilding the woods with silver. At moments like that, even a mundane conversation seems touched with magic.

Why do you like reading and writing romance?

In my opinion, romance is the best genre, plain and simple. I've met writers who anxiously await the day that they can "cross over" into mainstream. I've never felt that urge. A good romance has it all, adventure, action, and emotion, satisfying me on all levels. I can't envision myself ever wanting to write anything else, and I very seldom read anything else. Romance delivers everything I'm looking for, both as a reader and a writer.

You have written for Harlequin Intrigue, historicals and contemporary. What two things do you like about each subgenre?

Intrigues: I enjoyed testing my skill in a shorter novel. It's much more difficult than one would think to write a short, action-packed book, and still manage to develop a meaningful love story between two characters. I think writing Intrigues taught me a great deal and prepared me for single title.

Historicals: Big sigh. I loved writing them, and I am determined to write them again soon, alternating between contemporary and historical. I enjoy exploring the social mores of the eighteen hundreds and the strictures they put on women of that time. Nowadays, we're so empowered, but back then, women were often second-class citizens and vulnerable in many instances to the men in their world. The setup, woven into the fabric of a heroine's life, often makes it difficult for her to survive without the deep, abiding love of a good, fair, and just man. 

I love weaving tales about brave women who are faced with daunting circumstances we might never encounter today, and there's nothing more romantic, to my way of thinking, than for her to find Mr. Right, who gives her balance and security, and deeply appreciates her as an individual. I'm also captivated by the creative freedom I find in writing historicals. The rules were so different back then, and the plot possibilities are endless.

Contemporaries: I enjoy the challenge of writing contemporaries. In our hurry-up, intellectually-oriented world, true love so often takes a back seat to career and ambition. I love digging deep into the hearts of modern-minded people and creating stories about their finding a love to last a lifetime. When people find love, they usually find deeper meaning in their lives, and their values, which are there, deep within them, but often ignored, become a stronger force in their everyday existence. 

So many people today have almost given up on finding a lasting, perfect love, and a lot of women despair that there are any heroes left. In my contemporaries, I remind them that heroes do still exist and that love--pure, strong, and absolutely real--is waiting out there for them. Because I believe that and know it to be a fact, it gives me incredible satisfaction to share that with my readers. It's also very gratifying when they write to tell me that my books have brightened their lives and renewed their determination to find a soul mate.

What characteristics do you like to give your heroes and heroines?

This is a tough question, mainly because I don't really go at character development that way. To me, each of my characters is a real person with his or her own emotional makeup, formed by life experience. I can say, however, that one absolute necessity in all my characters is basic decency. No matter how far astray life may lead them, they must be good people for me to want to write a story about them.

In your two latest releases, Always in My Heart and Sweet Nothings, the heroines are divorced, yet through circumstances meet with love again. What, if any, issues can be addressed in romance stories with regard to divorce? Can divorced heroines be hesitant about opening themselves to love again?

Divorce seldom occurs without causing great pain and doing a lot of damage, and I think any difficulty stemming from a divorce is a topic for romance. Sadly, that's reality, and I think romances should deal with reality. Heroines can definitely feel hesitant, perhaps even terrified, of falling in love again. Most women who have survived a divorce have those feelings, and so do most men.

Tell us about your upcoming release, "Always in My Heart."

Childhood sweethearts and once the best of friends, Ellie and Tucker Grant had a perfect marriage until life threw them a curveball. Now they both believe they've moved on with their lives. But have they really? Their sons are determined to prove them wrong, and before Ellie knows it, Tucker gets a familiar gleam in his eye and joins forces with his boys. Can one woman with a broken heart stand firm against the conniving shenanigans of two kids and a deliciously sexy man who's determined to take advantage of the situation?

What other projects are you currently working on? You mentioned you had some ideas for new books on the horizon? Anything come to fruition as yet?

I always have ideas on a back burner. Right now, I'm writing a story very close to my heart about a tall, dark, deliciously sexy hero named Ben Longtree. The book is especially meaningful to me because Ben is a quarter Shoshone, and I am part Shoshone myself. When I gaze out at the mountains, I'm seeing the rugged land where my ancestors once lived and hunted, and it gives me an incredible sense of heritage. I've set the book on Cinnamon Ridge, where I actually live. It has been a lot of fun, creating my world in a book!

What are your three favorite bookmarks (web sites)?

The Signet Ring — Official Website of Signet and Onyx Romances

My Official Website

My Discussion Board