A man who cheerfully washes dishes and gives the kids a bath without complaint! Seriously, a man who loves his family dearly and who shares in the everyday chores with his partner is "romantic" in my opinion. A successful relationship takes work on the part of both parties, and without love and hard work, all the champagne, candlelight and silky lingerie will not add one ounce of romance to it. (Luckily, I’ve found my "romantic guy" and the see-through nightie, scented candles and the sparkling apple cider only adds to the romance!) J

I enjoy reading and writing romance because I enjoy happy endings. Really, it’s that simple for me. "Real life" isn’t always neat and tidy with every plot point tied up neatly in three hundred pages or less. But in romantic fiction? I may send my hero and heroine to hell and back, but at least I can rejoice in knowing that by the end of the story they will enjoy the reward of looking deeply into each other’s eyes because they’ve found that special someone to share the rest of life’s travails with… I just can’t imagine writing a story where the reader exclaims as they put down the book, "What do you mean they’re NOT going to live happily ever after?!"

That’s a good question. I think a lot of people think contemporary romance is not a unique romance sub-genre, and, therefore, it’s easier to write than historical or fantasy, etc. I beg to differ. A contemporary setting is more of a challenge to write since the author doesn’t have the "out" of saying, "Well, they did things that way back then," or "They will do it that way in the future." Since a contemporary romance story is about people you meet every day and places the reader may have visited, there’s the challenge of making the "reality" of the fiction convincing, yet not drowning the reader with too many details that only slow the story down.  It can be a difficult balancing act at times.

I realize that what I may find "desirable" in my heroes may not be what anyone else finds desirable, but I think if the heroine in the story finds him attractive, the reader will eventually as well. Make sense? Above all, I like my heroes to be decent, hard-working, God-fearing men, who have only the heroine’s best interests at heart. A good sense of humor and a pleasing outward appearance also helps, but looking through the eyes of love, many women find "average guys" amazingly handsome. J

So far, my heroines tend to be of the "love takes second chances and wins" variety. She may have been through a harrowing first marriage and divorce (My heroine Cassie in The Fixer-Uppers) or widowed quite young (Ronnie in Country Boy, City Girl). Her life isn’t easy, but she’s not a quitter. She’s strong and determined to succeed on her own terms and she knows deep down that she can do it. She doesn’t "need" a man in her life to help her meet her goals, although having a lover beside her to support and encourage her is wonderful. She is loyal and caring. Her true "beauty" comes from within.

My newest book is Country Boy, City Girl. It’s a contemporary romance set in the Missouri Ozarks. Being a recent Missouri transplant, I tried to incorporate a little bit of Missouri’s history and its natural wonders in its caverns along the Meramec River into the story. It’s a fun, fast read, I’m told, with some very sexy characters. It’s available in trade paperback from AmErica House (Publish America Inc., www. publishamerica.com) and will also be released in electronic book formats by Wings ePress (www.wings-press.com).

I call Country Boy, City Girl my attempt at writing an "alpha hero with a sense of humor." Dave has a lot of the "romantic" qualities I love in a guy. He’s handsome, funny, generous, and he can’t help but fall head over heels for the beautiful heroine. My heroine, Ronnie, is a young widow with a six year old daughter Natalie. Ronnie starts up her own arts and craft boutique in an old farm house in a tourist area along the river to get away from the city. Her prank-loving daughter sets her up to "accidentally" kiss their landlord, Dave. When Ronnie discovers Dave is the CEO of a major discount department store chain she’s shocked, but they can’t deny the chemistry between them no matter how hard they try. Despite his success in the business world, "country boy" Dave has a hard time capturing Ronnie’s "city girl" heart. And Dave’s relationship to Tammi Hart, a Grammy winning country singer, only adds to his troubles. But love triumphs via some unexpected ways in the end.

I’m currently trying to land a literary agent in order to sell my next novel. It’s tentatively titled, Beautiful Dreamer. It’s a very humorous contemporary romance involving a sleepwalking librarian, a handsome, if not harried county sheriff and all the mayhem and excitement of Rodeo Week in a small West Texas town.

If you ever saw my desktop and all the bookmarks on my web browser, you’d know just have tough that question is!