FAQs
What is your next book and when is it coming out?
I'm excited to announce titles and dates for a
new romantic suspense trilogy, coming soon from Grand
Central/Forever. BEG FOR MERCY, HIDE FROM EVIL, and RUN
FROM FEAR will be released in July 2011, Fall 2011, and Spring 2012
How do you get your ideas?
Anything and everything can spark an idea, from a
conversation with a friend to a magazine article to a TV show or movie.
Sometimes I'll be watching something and a secondary character will
strike my interest and I'll think, “What about her story?” Other times
a character will pop into my head, and start thinking about who would
be a great match for him or her, then I'll build a story around
them.
Where can I buy your books?
My books are available at all the major book
chains like Borders and Barnes and Noble, and can also be ordered
online at Amazon.
How long did it take you to get your first book
published?
From the time I started writing seriously to the
day I sold was just under four years. I was laid off from my job after
September 11, and decided not to go back to work full time. After
about a year of “waiting for the muse to strike” (i.e., writing very
little), I buckled down and adhered to a regular schedule. After
several manuscripts and many rejections, I finally got “the call” from
Kensington in August of 2005.
Do you have an agent? Do I need one
to sell?
I do have an agent, and she is great. As it
happened, I didn't need an agent to sell (in fact, I used my sale as
leverage to get an agent), but I highly recommend getting one. I
was able to sell on my own because my editor happened to be heavily
acquiring at the time I met her, but it's increasingly hard to get read
by editors if an agent isn't there to get you to the top of the TBR
pile. After you sell, your agent is your advocate and fights the
good fight on your behalf, so you can focus on having a positive
working relationship with your editor.
What is your writing process like? Do plot
everything out beforehand?
I liken my writing process to the way I travel. I
don't like to have a specifically mapped out day to day itinerary, but
I like to know where I'm going to sleep every night. So, unlike
some authors who do very extensive, scene by scene outlines, I work
from a synopsis and map out the major plot points, romantic arc, and
character arcs, but I don't always know exactly how I'm going to get
from point A to point B.
How long does it take you to write a book?
In a perfect world (I really know where I'm going
with the characters and story, my 2 kids are sleeping well and I'm well
rested, the kids aren't sick so I don't have to take time off, and
there are no major family interruptions like holidays and visitors) it
takes me about 3 months to write the first draft of a book, and another
month or so to revise. That being said, it took me 8 months to
write my most recent book, but I had a baby in the middle.
Are your characters based on real people?
Of course my husband is the inspiration for all
of my heroes :) Seriously though, sometimes my characters'
actions or words might be based on the actions or words of someone I
know, but I've never specifically based a character on anyone.
Who are your favorite authors?
There are too many to count, and I know I'd leave
someone out. But I will name a couple of my “formative” authors,
writers whose books I read when I was younger who really inspired me to
try my hand at writing romance. On the historical side, Penelope
Williamson is a master. Her book, A Wild Yearning is sadly out of
print, but I've read it about a hundred times, and it's one of my go to
reads when I want to get a refresher course on writing a really
emotionally intense, gut wrenching love story. On the contemporary
side, I adore Susan Elizabeth Phillips. In my opinion, It Had to
Be You is a perfect book. It's got everything I could possibly want
from a contemporary romance.
Do you blog?
Currently I'm not blogging regularly, but you can
find me on Facebook and Twitter. I'm much better about keeping up to
date there than I am here!
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