I'm one of those "late bloomers." Although I wrote some stories during my teenage years, I didn't seriously start working towards publishing and sharing my work until mid-life. It was so much fun, I kept doing it. I could lose myself for hours in my own stories.

I started out writing and publishing historical romance, since I loved reading that. Then this story with angels in it grabbed me, right in the middle of another historical romance. I just had to write it. An editor saw it and said it was perfect for a new line she had in mind, and bought it. It was the lead title for Dorchester's Angel's Touch line. So I sort of veered into writing paranormal romances. After ten books with New York publishers, I grew jaded with the publishing industry and quit writing. So I thought. But my Aunt Belle had gotten me interested in ghost hunting, and I was keeping diaries of all our fun times. A mystery started flopping around in my muse, and Dead Man Talking was born.

I grew up in Ohio, actually right next door to Aunt Belle. Only four years apart, she and I were like sisters, and we got kicked out of different bars together and at different times. We were country girls, as are a lot of my heroines. Our families frequently talked about our past history, so that may be what fostered my interest in historical romances. Come to think of it. Aunt Belle and I lived in different states for many years, and when we ended up getting back in touch, my writing veered into the paranormal, with her influence. So Ohio and Aunt Belle were big factors.

For close to twenty-five years now. And no, don't try to guess my age from that. <grin> Aunt Belle started me out, and made me aware of my own gifts. But I studied a lot under other psychics and even a Native American spiritualist. I've grown my abilities and learned to protect myself ... and Aunt Belle, at times. In return for what she showed me, I've taught her other things. We've run across some nasty entities during our years together, and are firm believers in protection measures.

I usually have two or three books going at once, although I focus mostly on whatever one I'm going to publish next. I always do an annual Halloween and Christmas story. Therefore, as of this writing, Monsters Among Us is being written for Halloween publication. I'm also working on Silent Prey, the next dark paranormal after Winter Prey. I'm keeping notes for another volume of true ghost stories, Ghost Hunting Diary Volume VI. After that, the fourth Dead Man Mystery is on the horizon, Dead Man Ohio, and my Christmas 2013 story.

I grew very tired of the editorial interference in what I truly wanted to write. And frankly, I thought my stories were better than what the NY editors turned them into before they would publish them. Then I found out an agent I had totally trusted was dishonest and fired her. I needed to recoup emotionally, and when I started writing again, I went with a small publisher. But I'd been watching the e-book business since its inception. (Still not going to reveal my age <grin>.) I even had the rights back on my romances and had placed them with an e-publisher, although they weren't doing much. So I started on one of my paths for information, like I always do when I'm ready to dive into something, and within months, put my first indie book up. It's been fantastic from there on!

Smashwords gave me confidence and showed me how exciting having control of my own work could be. I could track sales and see what was working, although it was a couple months down the road. It allowed me to make changes if I felt they were needed. It allowed my readers to have my books immediately, instead of three or four years down the road from being written to being published. It gave me a lot of the joy back in my writing.

Hearing from my readers. I get lots of warm fuzzies from them on Facebook or in email.

They are part of the enjoyment of the writing life. I love writing my stories, losing myself in them for hours, even reading them for editing. But there's nothing like hearing from fans who have read your stories and liked them.

Never! I've told my husband and family to wait until the hearse is at the curb outside the house. Then they can drag me kicking and screaming out to it.

I don't have a lot of time to read these days, since going indie also includes doing promotion for my books. However, I have a few authors I will make time to read. I love James Lee Burke, and J. D. Nance's earlier books, plus her J. P. Beaumont books even now. I didn't much care for her new heroine, Angie. I love C. J. Box. I started reading the Dean Koontz Odd Thomas books when he first started publishing them. Readers recommend books once in a while, and I'll usually try them. I love reading other true ghost stories, if they are well written, and also about other ghost hunters, like Ed and Lorraine Warren.

I'll usually wake up thinking I really want to snuggle down and sleep a bit more. But then whatever story I'm working on will start tugging at me. My best writing time is in the morning, so I usually get up and at 'em.

Ghost hunting, of course! Or on Facebook and in email. I'm not much of a telephone person, but I do try to stay in touch with family that way. I love to get outside, so I try to get some sun each day. My very favorite thing is traveling. My husband says all he has to do is say the word, "Go," and I'm in the car. Then I'll ask where we are going. Aunt Belle and I still try to get a few days away by ourselves now and then, with some ghosts for company.

I hear from fans. I also get a lot of e-book newsletters. I totally love my Kindle, but it's so easy to store up way too many books to read. However, in the alternative, if the book doesn't quite work for me, I can delete it rather than pack it away to give to a shelter. We used to call it a TBR pile (to be read pile). Maybe now it's a tbr file?

Yes. It was back in jr. high. The teacher thought it was so good, he read it aloud to the class. I was such a shy person, though, it embarrassed me to death, especially since I'd used some classmates' names in the story. I didn't write anything else I let anyone read for a long while. But now I am doing that, and I'm going back to it right now. Love y'all!