"She is just an all around, wonderful writer and I look
forward to reading everything she writes."
Natasha Smith, Romance Junkies
 

(Looking back on it now, I realize that my heart was always destined for a love affair with the romance genre, though in my scholarly days I didn’t know it.  As it was, my decision to major in English was all the fault of a dark and brooding hero named Rochester.  Charlotte Bronte was perhaps my most effective guidance counselor ever.)

After two years of  trying to find myself - or rather, trying to find a career that would make me happy - I decided I should have a “real job” so I went back to university to study something practical:  Accounting.  I completed a degree in Business Administration and went to work for the Office of the Auditor General (with the Canadian government) while I continued to work towards a Chartered Accountancy designation.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t cut out to be an auditor.  I just didn’t care enough about those numbers matching up.  That’s when I decided to try to write a romance, because hey, it had to be easier than Corporate Income Tax, right?  (I was wrong, but that’s another debate....) So I sat down a month before my wedding and wrote the first paragraph of a book that never sold, which took me a year to write because I was lugging my laptop home from work and doing it only on the weekends (while avoiding studying for that Corporate Tax course I mentioned earlier).

Romance Writers of America came into the equation shortly after I finished that first book.  I saw best-selling author, Jo Beverley, on a local television show in Ottawa, where I was living at the time, and she was president of a romance writers’ group.  I called the number on the screen right away, and that’s when my education really began, and my goal of becoming a Chartered Accountant began to fade.  Quitting that career path -- after so many years invested -- was a tough thing to do, but my husband, bless his heart, was supportive and wanted me to be happy.

I quit my job, took a whole year off to do nothing but write and learn to write, then we moved and bought a house and a baby was on the way, so I took another year off and finished another manuscript (two weeks before going into labor) and that manuscript, I’m happy to say, did sell.  Prairie Bride was my first published novel.  I’ve been a happy, fulfilled stay-at-home Mom and a devoted  romance writer ever since.

I always strive to write books that have lots of heart and emotion.  And I've come to realize that I love to read historical romances that are rich in atmosphere and sweep you into the period.  So I research my settings extensively.

As far as characters are concerned, I like to write about strong, dark, tortured heroes who experience substantial growth throughout the story.  Some of my favorite heroes from other romances include Rothgar, from Devilish, Brand Malloren from Secrets of the Night, and Fitzroger from Dark Champion (these are books by Jo Beverley).  Other favorites: Peregrine from Mary Jo Putney's Silk and Shadows, and Devon Crandall from The Windflower, by Tom and Sharon Curtis.

I also strive to write heroines who are calm, reasonable and emotionally intelligent, even when times are tough.

Q.  Interesting trivia about you?

Q.  What are your favorite movies and books?

Books - In the classics, I loved The Bucanneers and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Washington Square by Henry James, Rebecca by Daphnie DuMaurier, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  And I can't forget my nostalgic favorite, Forever, by Judy Blume.

Recent favorites are The Thirteenth Tale, The Girls by Lori Lansens, and Crow Lake by Mary Lawson.

In the romance genre, I love Windflower by Tom and Sharon Curtis, practically everything by Jo Beverley, Mary Balogh, Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn.  I recently discovered Liz Carlyle, and I plan to read more of her books.

More Pictures...

		This is my husband, Stephen, reading over my shoulder in my office, which is in the farthest corner of my basement, where it's nice and quiet.  I have recently renovated my office, however, and need to update this photo. Sometimes I also write in coffeeshops with a notepad and pencil.
This is me with The Bachelor from Season One.  I met him at the Romantic Times Bookclub Convention in New York.
		This is Stephen, my amazing husband, who does triathlons, and recently went to Madeira, Portugal to compete in the World Age Group Championships.  I'm very proud of him. He also produced my video trailer for IN MY WILDEST FANTASIES.  You can see him interviewed at www.romancenovel.tv.
This is me and my fabulous agent, Paige Wheeler, of Folio Literary Management.  We've been together for eight years, and I think she's the best!
This is me enjoying the chocolate fountain at the Harlequin party in Reno.  Very delicious.
		This is my daughter and me at Marble Arch in London, where Seger met the mysterious letter writer in An Affair Most Wicked.
This is me with our new puppy, Molly, a darling Havanese.  She is 4 months old in these pictures, and we love her!