Actually, I started writing the books just for the fun of it. I never intended to let anyone else see them.
I'm an avid reader, always have been. But I found myself increasingly in a tough spot when it came to choosing my next book. I love female detective novels, but so many of the secular books go overboard with the bad language, sex and violence. But I also get tired of Christian books that are nowhere near realistic. I found myself either settling for a book I really didn't want to read or holding my nose while I picked up a book with a good story but horrible values.
I started writing something that I would like to read, realistic Christian fiction. Once I got going, I found I couldn't stop. Soon, I'd finished book one, three, four and six. (No, I did not write them in order. If I had an idea, I ran with it.). After much persuasion from my husband, I decided to finish book 2 and start publishing my own books.

I usually write on a laptop in the living room. My family is watching TV or playing video games, just hanging out. Years of working in a newsroom made me very good at tuning things out and concentrating on writing. But long before I actually write a story, I'm thinking about it a lot. I tend to plot out the major points in my head, then start writing the story, thinking about it along the way to see if I like the way it's going before I ever type a word. Once I have the whole thing worked out, then I can really push through to the end -- then the challenge is finding enough hours in the day.

I was writing stories from the time I was in junior high school but I don't actually remember them. It's called selective memory. It's a survival mechanism to protect ourselves from remembering something awful. Even as an adult, when I look at my newspaper clips from when I started as a reporter, I cringe at how bad they were. Maybe that's a little harsh, but I do immediately think of ten ways the story could have been better.

When I started writing "Vengeance Is Mine," I hit that problem right away. Emily was a new Christian. But for a long time she had worked in a newsroom and with law enforcement, which based on my experience, are both good places to develop a very colorful vocabulary. I tried really hard to write a "clean" book but the dialogue just sounded awful. I knew she wouldn't talk like that.
One of my goals with the book was to focus on an imperfect Christian. She has some bad habits and swearing is one of them. I left out any strong profanity, writing around it, but I tried to let her speak the way I thought she'd speak. I liked the way it turned out. I consider it realism.
But the profanity is not gratuitous. I hope readers see her cleaning up her act over time. Book 4, "Flesh and Blood," has a scene that addresses the contrast between her words and her faith. I also hope readers see the overall message that God uses us despite our imperfections. He cleans us up along the way.

Mostly, I think it was just figuring "Why not?" The opportunities for new writers in mainstream publishing are few and far between. That's particularly frustrating when you see books being published that aren't necessarily good, but were written by a celebrity so publishers are banking that fans will buy them. Or seeing books by established authors that seem to just be phoned in.
I didn't want to come to a point where I had a computer full of stories that no one else ever read. I decided if the whole thing was a giant failure, I could always just unpublish the books and pack it in. But, actually, it's been very rewarding and I'm glad I did it.

I don't know if "inspires" is the right word, but having a very demanding Beagle yipping at you when the sun comes up is usually a pretty good reason to get out of bed -- just to make him stop.

Ideally, I would be reading, cooking/baking, taking walks in the woods or watching (preferably new) episodes of "Sherlock." But realistically, I spend a lot of time parked in a lawn chair or on the bleachers watching my kids play baseball, listening to a band performance or going to some other school activity. And, really, I wouldn't have it any other way.

No, but the town of Winston and Ochre County are loosely based on the place I used to live in north central Illinois. I had a much easier time creating characters than I did laying out a community so I borrowed what I already knew, taking artistic license as needed.
Also, while none of the stories are true, I do like to use things I read about in the newspaper to say, "What if?" and make up a story from there. Several of my plot points began that way.

It's hard to pick a favorite book because I've read so many that I love. My all-time favorite would be The Bible, but here are five in addition to that (in no particular order):
1. "When Heaven Weeps," by Ted Dekker. I don't think I've ever read a more beautiful illustration of the love of God. It left me humbled.
2. "Pride and Prejudice," by Jane Austen. I love Elizabeth's wit and the way her relationship develops with the fabulous Mr. Darcy.
3. "Fatal Vision," by Joe McGinniss. I know McGinniss has his detractors but this was the book that made me see the power of the written word.
4. "The Complete Sherlock Holmes," by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Seriously, Sherlock Holmes was my very first crush.
5. "The Hunger Games" trilogy, by Suzanne Collins. I really enjoy some of the YA literature coming out, but this series is my favorite.

I'm working on the next Emily O'Brien book, "In the Presence of My Enemies." This one is still in the writing stage. But ... since I like to jump around in my writing, the rough draft of Book 6, "Extreme Measures," is already done. So my hope is that there won't be a huge wait between the next two books.