1.Tell us about
your book/books?
I wrote New York and then Portland immediately followed, and Justice followed and
suddenly the First Class Novels series was born. It tells the story of the
Lathem family of New York City; 7 boys, although one is already in a committed
relationship, so we have six very sexy eligible bachelors to work with. There’s
a total of 9 books in the series and I miss them already and the last book only
came out in November. They should be read in order but they can hold their own
as individual books. Most of the family show up in every book, so it’s nice to
know who everyone is from the beginning. J Each brother has their own story
of how their heart was captured by the women they never knew they desired. And
there are a couple of books about the entire Lathem clan that was an absolute
blast to write. They have become my family and I adore every one of them. The
new series, Sky Romance Novels, will all be stand-alone books and are
characters that begin their literary journey on a flight on Sky Airlines. The
first book, due out in just a few weeks, San Diego, tells three stories
connected together because the book begins as they all board a flight to San
Diego, for one reason or another, complete strangers whose lives intersect
because of their destination. I have one
novella available on Amazon, Beginning Again, and I’ve started working on my
next book (not a part of the Sky Romance series) which I am SUPER excited
about, which will be available this summer. I’m staying busy! J
2. How did you get
started as a writer?
I was dared to write a better novel than a popular trilogy series I said I
wasn’t overly impressed with. The rest, as they say, is history. I’ve been a
full time writer for 18 months and I can’t imagine doing anything else! I am
amazed that I had the guts to take the challenge and the commitment to actually
finish First Class to New York. When I was done, I was hooked and I knew I had
made a life-changing decision to become an author. I feel truly blessed.
3. What’s a typical
day like for you? I’m
addicted to Facebook, so the first hour (or two) is spent browsing, answering
messages, sharing and posting, and then I move on to emails. Finally, around
the middle of the morning, I open up my current WIP and attempt to get the
juices flowing. Sometimes I can just delve right in where I left off, but a lot
of the time I have to re-read, do some editing and then its lunch time! J I really work my best in the afternoons. I can
crank out a few thousand words once my fingers hit the keyboard. At some point
during the day I do try to say Hi to my husband (he works from home, too,
although on the other end of the house) and my dog, Max, quite often interrupts
me and demands attention. And of course, I’m ALWAYS on Facebook!! My husband
and I always have dinner together and spend an hour or two watching a TV show,
or movie, or playing a game, and then I’m back on the computer – back to
Facebook and sometimes back to writing. Then it starts all over again the next
day.
4. Describe your
workspace. I
have a home office where I work. It’s bright and has big windows where I can
sit and look out over the Columbia River Gorge and I find it inspiring to have
such a beautiful view. There are pictures of my kids and my husband and my dog
all over and I always have music playing on Xbox Music or Pandora. It helps me
think. Oh, there’s also a treadmill in here – it’s covered in boxes…and dust!
LOL
5. Favorite books? All of Jane Austen’s books,
although Persuasion is my favorite. I love Men in Kilts by Katie MacAllister
and I read everything by Stephanie Laurens and Mary Balogh. I love contemporary
romance but love Historical too and these women are the bomb!
6. Tell us 3
interesting things about you.
Ummm, well, I’m from Australia and consider myself a true blue Aussie. I would
love to be on the Food Network show Chopped, although I’m sure I’d get chopped
in the first round. And I have to be near water – it is pretty much a necessity
for me to exist.
7. Favorite quote: Practically anything ever said
by Oliver Wendell Holmes. But my favorite is probably, “What lies before us and
what lies beyond us is tiny compared to what lies within us.”
8. Best and worst
part of being a writer? The
freedom and flexibility to write when the urge arises is a great blessing.
However I often lack the self-discipline to make myself write.
9. Advice to
writers? Just
sit down and write! Lots of people ask me how I made the time to write three
novels while I was working full-time. I just did! I didn’t watch TV, I barely
ate. Every spare minute was spent giving these characters in my head a life and
story they demanded. Just do it!!
Get her books here:
