Velvet Vaughn

I was born and raised in Indiana and went to college in Indiana, as well. I relocated to upstate New York and lived there for about ten years before moving back a few years ago.

My major in college was Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Marketing. After I graduated, I landed an internship with the governing body of international baseball. From there, I transitioned into Olympic sports. I’ve had so many memorable experiences, from working as press officer at two Olympic Games and numerous national and international events, to having my stories published in official Olympic Commemorative Books to being named Executive Director of an Olympic sport. One of my most memorable experience was writing, designing and producing a magazine for the inaugural baseball competition in the Olympic Games. I was visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York and I turned a corner and there was my magazine on display behind glass. I had no idea! So I tell people I’ve been enshrined in Cooperstowns.

I’ve always loved to read and I had several story ideas swimming around in my head, but I didn’t have time to pursue them. Then one day, I sat down and started to put the thoughts to paper and from that moment on, I knew that writing romantic suspense was what I wanted to do with my life. I haven’t been able to stop writing since.

It gave me the discipline I need to write. There were always deadlines that needed to be met, so I had to learn to manage my time, whether it be with research or interviews or just getting the story done on time.

I didn’t visit a psychiatric ward, but my mother works in the psychology department of a university, so I had access to world-class research materials. I can’t think of anything crazy I’ve done, except for traveling to different cities for research purposes.

It’s a conscious effort to balance suspense with romance. Sometimes I get caught up in the suspense and I have to remember it’s a love story, too. Or vice versa. I always want the romance to be the main focus of the book, but I don’t like to make it easy on the characters! I think Trust No One was the most complex in the series.

I definitely plan on adding more stories to the COBRA Security series. There are several characters that have made appearances in books that need their own happily ever after.

The inspiration behind A Christmas Miracle is that I do believe there are angels among us and I’d like to think that they help us every day. I would ask Tony how the events of his childhood led to his decision to become a cop. I’d also ask how he stays positive when faced with evil people like Ernest March.

I think A Christmas Miracle has more suspense, especially since it includes a touch of the paranormal and it’s the one I’d rather have adapted into a movie. For the cast, I’d have to pick Channing Tatum and Reese Witherspoon.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today without writing. I find inspiration daily and many times I hear something or read about a story and think, “that would make a great plot” or “how can I use that in a book?”

I haven’t had any dark moments, yet, knock on wood. It is hard when there are so many other obligations, to find the time to sit down and write, but if it’s important, you find time.

My favorite holiday is definitely Christmas. I put up a tree right after Thanksgiving so I can enjoy the lights all of December. I love to celebrate it with my family.

I definitely think luck plays a major part. Also, perseverance. You have to be willing to keep going, through the trials and tribulations. It’s not easy, but if it’s what you really want to do, then you have to be willing to go the extra mile.