Before I even thought of being a writer, I read somewhere that everyone has a book in them. I decided to find out if that was true. At the time, I liked romance fairly well, and heard it was a good seller - this was 20 years ago - so it seemed like a good place to start. It wasn't until I read Juliana Garnett's books, The Vow, and The Knight, that I was truly inspired. The way she wove actual historical events and people with fiction was amazing. I was hooked. I didn't know how hard it would be!

Non-Regency era historical romance is really under represented right now in the market place. The genre of romance is filled with so many sub-genres: dystonian, shapeshifters, hot alpha males, billionaire, time travel, alien, mystery, suspense, etc.

I really feel the need for classic historical romance with lot of great sex between consenting adults, the hero and heroine.

There needs to be real reasons that keep the hero and heroine from being a happy couple while still being together on the page. We want to read about them interacting a lot throughout the story even as they struggle with their differences. I never like reading long stretches where the hero and heroine are separated.

The differences can be cultural, ideological, or political, etc. It cannot simply be that they hate each other.

My preference in romance is for there to be a good deal of consenting adult sex between the hero and heroine, with at least some of it furthering the plot.

And of course, romance must have a spectacular happily ever after!

I actually write less about Vikings, and more about a specific time in England's history where Vikings played a major role. It was during King Alfred's reign when a lot of Vikings were settling peacefully, while others were still raiding, still bent on conquering England. I saw a built-in conflict between hero and heroine, but also much common ground.

How I came to discover Vikings in the first place was in a picture book in the children's section of the library!

But, again, the Viking aspect of my two historical romances is for setting and background. The essence of my stories and characters could be adapted and rewritten in nearly any time period.

I use Carol Greene's Prescription for Plotting. It helps me flesh out my characters and get a sense of my beginning, middle and end, and twists, etc. It's pretty loose, but it keeps me from writing myself into a corner.

And just sit in the chair and write. Write something, darn it! Anything! Put some words on the screen!

Oh, and I keep "The Synonym Finder" by J.I. Rodale by my side.

I kind of like the cheesiness of the covers from the 80's and 90's. So, after purchasing images from Dreamstime, I go to work, hoping my covers aren't *too* cheesy. I tend to over design them ...

My job, first and foremost, is a freelance graphic designer. I LOVE designing - mostly surface art - and I love being my own boss. Knowing I have the gift of another day to create something beautiful gets me out of bed.

Designing repeating patterns in Illustrator is the main other thing I do, but I am also an avid runner, gardener, and I enjoy working out.

I love to "trash pick" old furniture and refurbish it. My many years as a professional seamstress come in handy for slipcovers and new cushions.

My main source is the book section of Entertainment Weekly, and I often browse through Amazon's pick's for me. I also read samples of many books I've heard about through my Twitter feed.

I'm still waiting to find out what's most effective .. I'm fairly active on Twitter, have produced book trailers for both of my historical romances, have hired someone to manage a blog tour for me, have purchased book blasts with different bloggers, and am active with BooksGoSocial. It's a long haul, but I won't give up!