No, actually. In fact, I’m usually ready to boot the characters out the door by the time I’m two-thirds of the way through the book.

I think you have to show the good and the bad. People are human and have good qualities and bad qualities, good days and bad. You have to show it all and reveal the motivations behind the characters’ actions. That way, even if the character does something wrong, the reader will (hopefully) still understand and sympathize.

I've always loved reading and writing, and when I practiced law, the part I most looked forward to was the writing-memos, briefs, opinion letters, you name it. Plus, I've always been fascinated with how people fall in love. I guess my brain is just wired that way. No matter what I'm reading (or watching), I always focus on the love aspect.

For example, I love the movie A FEW GOOD MEN, which is a terrific drama about the military justice system. But I consider it one of the greatest love stories never told, because I'm positive the Demi Moore and Tom Cruise characters are falling in love over the course of this case. Has anyone else besides me ever thought that?

Anyway, before I digress too much more … Putting these two interests together, it seemed logical for me to write love stories.

I love to read about people falling in love and all those firsts—first glance, first smile, first touch, etc., etc. The story is as old as time, but it never gets boring.

I'm not sure anyone “introduced” me. I do remember reading Danielle Steel's THE PROMISE, and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss' ASHES IN THE WIND very early on. Oh, and JANE-EMILY, a turn of the century story where the dead girl's jealous spirit inhabits a decorative glass ball in the garden, and she tries to interfere with the young lovers.

Most memorable … most memorable … that's a hard one. Getting the call that TROUBLE had placed in the Orange Rose contest. Getting the call that Kensington had made an offer. Seeing the cover for the first time. Seeing the book on Amazon. Maybe the MOST memorable was when that e-mail popped up from my now agent, asking to see the full manuscript, because it said, “I am loving Trouble.” This was the first time a publishing professional had shown such enthusiasm for my work.

I love planning, writing and editing. I’m not very wild about research, but maybe that’s a side effect from my days of a lawyer, when I did tons of legal research all the time. When I was unpublished, I never realized how much time writers spend on marketing their books. That really cuts into the writing time, but if you don’t market, then no one will know you have a book out there.

People told me lots of things, but I sort of had to learn things for myself, you know? That the business is hard, that it can take a long time to get published, that you have to have a thick skin, that it can be very frustrating.

The advice I’d give to any aspiring writers who might be interested is a) don’t give up (remember what Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never quit”); and b) study hard. Check books out of the library and study the craft of writing. Learn everything you can about plotting, dialogue, description, etc. Your writing will thank you for it.

Hardest part? Wait! You mean there’s an EASY part??? Which part is EASY???

Just joking.

Well … no, I’m not joking. 😉

I certainly haven’t gotten any better at all the waiting this business requires, that’s for sure.

Ummm … that writers need lots of chocolate, champagne, and quiet time? That writers aren’t goofing off when they stare blankly into space? That writers aren’t ignoring you, they’re just thinking deep thoughts? Well … we’re not ALWAYS ignoring you. Let’s put it like that, LOL.

I do a lot of marketing (web site, blog, Facebook, Twitter, mailings, chats, ads, teaching workshops and online classes) and I have no idea which, if any, parts of it work. I think the biggest thing I try to do for each book is an ad in Romantic Times BOOKreviews.

• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (Stephen King)
• Scene & Structure (Jack M. Bickham)
• Writing the Breakout Novel (Donald Maass)
• Goal, Motivation & Conflict (Debra Dixon)
• The Writer’s Journey (Christopher Vogler)

These books are all fabulous, and every one of them has saved my butt at one time or another. They’re all dog-eared and highlighted because I’ve tried to suck as much information out of them as possible.

I used to practice yoga (which I highly recommend), but my schedule got crazier and I’ve REALLY slacked off. I read a lot, and the time I spend writing is wonderful because I love it so much. I also love to cook and bake (and eat, unfortunately!)