A: I can't remember ever consciously making a decision to be a writer -- I just was a writer. Even as a child, I felt compelled to make up stories and write them down. I think it was Toni Morrison who said that a writer is a reader moved to emulation. That's true for most of the writers I know. We talk about books with the same hushed fascination that many other people reserve for spiritual matters or sexual topics. We love books. We adore books. They were our first friends, our best friends -- and at some point, we read one and said to ourselves, "I could do that. I could write a book like that, maybe even better."

 Q: Do you write anything other than historical romance?

            A: No, not at this moment. I do have a couple of partially-completed manuscripts in the drawer that aren't historical. One is a young-adult romance and another is more of a women's lit kind of thing. I may finish them at some point in the future, but for right now, I'm having way too much fun traipsing around in Ancient Rome or Renaissance Spain.

 Q: How long does it take you to write a book?

            A: Too long (chuckle). I usually spend 3-4 months researching the time period before I ever write a word. The research will continue even after I begin writing, however, because I never know when some little obscure fact will click into place and fire up something powerful in my imagination, and I dearly love that part of writing historicals. The actual writing of my roughly 100,000 word novels usually takes 4-8 months, and the polishing and revising, a bit longer. At this present time, I'm trying for one book a year, mostly because I don't want to overextend myself in any one area of my life and I'm juggling several balls right now. I have a full-time teaching job and plenty of church and family obligations. One book a year is not too much of a stretch for me. I find that I'm getting faster as I go on, so maybe at some point in the near future, I'll try for two.

 Q: Do you write every day?

            A: No. I know all the writing books say to do that, but that's not how the process works for me. I tend to work in bursts. When I'm on a roll, I can get 10-20 pages a day. But then I sometimes have to stop and "percolate" a while before I can go on. I also tend to be an organic sort of writer. I have a rudimentary outline and know generally where I'm going with the story -- but not always exactly how I'm going to get there. I think I like to be surprised by my characters and the things they decide to do.

Q: What's your personal favorite of your stories? Who's your favorite hero? Heroine?

            A: Gee, that's kinda like asking a mother which child is her favorite. You love them all, for different reasons. But if you're twisting my arm, okay, I'll admit that I like TEMPTED BY INNOCENCE an awful lot, because I believe so strongly in its message of sacrificial love. And Diego from that story is probably my favorite hero, just because he's so honorable and decent and there's something enormously attractive about a man like that. My favorite heroine (so far) is Lelia from WARRIOR OR WIFE. She's suffered incredible setbacks and losses, and yet she carries on. I admire women with that sort of inner strength.

        But keep in mind that I'm still writing. There are yet more stories, yet more heroes and heroines to come. So for the future . . . who knows?

Q: What's a writer's life really like?

            A: Not glamorous, let me tell you. Oh, there are those moments that shine and sparkle, like when I get word that I've won a contest or when I go to a conference and get to sit alongside the celebrities of the writing world, but . . . for the most part, it's pretty mundane and solitary. I get up early so I can dash off two or three pages before I go to my day job. I come home after a long day of teaching and try to find strength to write two or three more. Saturdays I write longer hours, sometimes doing household chores during my breaks, muttering lines of dialogue as I clean the kitchen or cook a meal. I look and sound like a madwoman, I know I do. Sometimes I think I really might be certifiably crazy, to love this writing life so much. 

Q: What have you got "in the works" right now?

            A: For that answer, check out the news section on my welcome page. You may have to scroll down a little, but I'm going to try to keep everybody posted on how things are going for me. Or, for even more current information, go to my blog and read about the daily struggles. I promise I won't bore you with too much writerly angst!

Q: I'm thinking of writing a book. How do I get published?

            A: First of all, write the book -- the whole thing -- and revise it until it's as perfect as you know how to make it. Please don't expect to dash off the manuscript, mail it out, and receive a check in time to pay next month's rent. The process is laborious, the learning curve is long, and publishers aren't in any hurry to get back to you.

     Don't let this discourage you, however. There are many reasons to write and not all of them have to do with publication. Still, if you're intent of getting published, I recommend you start reading all you can on the craft of writing. Some books that I found particularly helpful :

  WRITING A ROMANCE NOVEL FOR DUMMIES, by Leslie Wainger

            HOW TO GROW A NOVEL, by Sol Stein

            STEIN ON WRITING, by Sol Stein

            WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL, by Donald Maass

            SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS, by Renni Browne and Dave King

            THE FIRST FIVE PAGES, by Noah Lukeman

            THE SELL YOUR NOVEL TOOL KIT, by Elizabeth Lyon

            THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR ROMANCE PUBLISHED, by Julie Beard

    Also, if you're planning on writing a romance novel, I strongly suggest you join Romance Writers of America. Its members are a wonderful resource and will provide you with knowledge and encouragement. I've provided the link for you on my LINKS page. There are RWA chapters all over the country and some online. Most sponsor writing workshops and many also have opportunities for participating in critique groups and contests, two things I recommend for getting invaluable feedback.

       And finally, don't give up. If you can do something else besides write, anything else -- do it. But if your dream is publication, prepare to endure rejection after rejection until you make it.

Q: You mention rejection. Have you endured rejection?

            A: Goodness, yes! What writer hasn't? But the ones who eventually make it to publication are those who are the most determined to learn from it, even to use it to catapult themselves to higher levels of skill. I will say that in the early days, when I was receiving those form letter rejections, I fully deserved the rejections I got. While it's tempting to take rejection personally, it's more productive to look at it as just business. If you keep trying, keep learning, every no brings you closer to yes. Most of the published authors I know did not sell their first novel, or even their second. Often it was their third or fourth -- or tenth. The first novel Stephen King sold was actually the seventh one he'd written. It takes time to develop your craft and hone your knowledge of the business, both of which are essential to making a sale.

Q: Finally, what do you hope to accomplish with your writing?

            A: I know this might sound corny in the worst possible way, but I want to encourage women to guard well all the fine things with which we've been entrusted. Life's not all about money. It's not about career success. And despite the current trend toward graphic eroticism in romance literature, it's not all about sex. The gratification that comes from those things is diverting at first, but ultimately doesn't satisfy.

      Some things matter much more than those transient pleasures -- things like faith and family and having deep peace within, and we women have historically been the bearers and protectors of those important things, shaping and molding our culture with our loving hearts and delicate hands. I'd like to encourage women to be proud of that role and to commit themselves wholeheartedly to it. I may be the eternal optimist, but I truly believe in forgiveness and redemption and the power of love to change our world. I hope that comes through in all my novels.