Was being an author something that was on your mind ever since you were a child?
Becoming an author was never something that crossed my mind when I was a child, although I was a voracious reader. Writing my own books wasn’t even a blip on my radar until I was in my late-twenties or early-thirties.
Where would you say your love for writing and storytelling comes from? Do your parents like to write?
I can’t say for sure where my love of writing and crafting stories comes from. It wasn’t something any of my immediate family ever did, although my father wrote several scientific books and a lot of technical papers. I traveled a different path, straying to the creative side of things, something my mother always nurtured. While Mom had a very orderly brain, she, too, had a creative side, something we always shared a love of.
Do you remember the first book you read?
Who can remember back that far? What I do remember reading are many of the classic childrens stories: Where the Wild Things Are, Charlotte’s Web, Black Beauty, The Jungle Book, and Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series, to name a few.
What was the basis of inspiration for the book, Disavowed?
Disavowed was the third book in the NYPD Blue & Gold series. Detective Dominick Carew is the hero of this story, and he began wedging a special place in my heart as Detective Cassie Yates’ partner in Burnout, book 1 of this series. By the time I started writing Blood Money, book 2, Dom’s fun character traits, along with the dark shadows of his past, started to crystalize in my mind. Dom needed a spunky heroine to match wits with him, enter Daisy, the woman he spars with verbally at every turn, but in the end, can’t live without.
Do you think it would be possible for an author to create a powerful character without being able to relate to them in some way?
Well, that would certainly make creating such a character more difficult. I think that even if we don’t consider ourselves as being strong or powerful, there is always a part inside everyone that wants that, in some shape or form. So I do believe it’s possible to create a powerful character by asking yourself: What do I believe makes a person strong? It doesn’t have to be muscles or IQ score. It could be one of a hundred other things that a person values.
What was your thought process while writing "Dark 'N' Deadly"?
Dark ’N’ Deadly was written about the threat from domestic terrorism, Sovereign Citizen-type of groups that were active and in the news around the time this book was being written. I had just taken at course at a state police academy about Sovereign Citizens, so the topic was fresh on my mind.
Of all your books, which has the most complexity in terms of research done?
That’s an easy question to answer. For me, Tough Justice was the most complex and required the most research because there was a fair amount of medical expertise and lingo required. Aside from periodic first-aid and CPR classes, I don’t have a medical background. So I wound up interviewing an ER doctor, a physician, a NYC Fire Department Rescue Paramedic, and the head of security for a major hospital. It still took quite a bit of editing and finessing to get the field medicine and ER scenes just right.
How exactly do best-selling authors become best-selling authors?
By committing a lot of time and perseverance. What a lot of new authors don’t realize at first, is just how much marketing and promotion is necessary on the author’s part to be successful. Most, not all, authors are not overnight successes. I spend about half the day actually writing or editing, and the other half doing all kinds of things ranging from creating ads, writing guest blog posts, doing podcasts, participating in cross-promo with other authors, and spending time on social media to maintain contact with readers. There’s no written plan that authors use to become best-sellers. That path differs for everyone.
What do you think characterizes your writing?
I love reading romance, but I also love suspense and thrillers. With my background, it seemed like a natural fit to combine the two. I also feel that the backdrop of danger and suspense provides great fodder for heightened emotions, which play well into the romance.
When you're not writing or reading, what are some other things you like to do for fun?
I love cooking, gardening, entertaining with friends and family, creating fun martinis, and hanging with my Belgian Sheepdogs, Loki & Kyrie. I also love hanging out on the water anywhere there’s a boat and water sports.
How do your books compare to the sort of books you like to read?
Romantic suspense is still my fave genre to read, and it’s also the genre I write, thus far (hint, hint!) I love a good HEA, but I also love a good suspense to go with an epic love story. Suspense and danger tend to amp up emotions between the two main characters of a RS story. That said, I also like to read an occasional rom com.
Imagine you were stranded on an island with nothing but a small tent and enough food for three people. Which one real person and one character from your book would you choose to be on that island with you?
I’d want to spend more time with either of my parents, so I can’t really choose between the two of them. I miss them every day and still dream about them. As for the book character, I’d say Sgt. Nick Houston, the hero of Armed ’N’ Ready. I’m pretty happy with the way all my heroes turned out, but there’s something about Nick that’s always stayed with me. If you read the book, you’ll see what I mean.
What is the next book you are looking forward to writing? What is it about?
Next year I’ll be starting a thriller series that partners an FBI agent and a local detective. It won’t be a romance, but there will be some fun interactions with a Seeley and Bones, Mulder and Scully flair. I’m looking forward to writing something different, but I’ll probably always have my feet in the romantic suspense genre.
How did you first come across the AllAuthor website? Do you have any feedback for us?
I can’t recall for sure, but I think I received a random email from AllAuthor, then clicked to your site to see what you were about.
