I like fantasy and historical romance. However, as a youth, I fell in love with the Trixie Beldon series, which is similar to the Nancy Drew mystery series. At the time I wanted to grow up and be a detective and write mystery novels. I drove our neighbors nuts sneaking around the neighborhood looking for clues to some, yet to be discovered, mystery.

For my non-fiction title: Surviving Denmark on a Bag of Peach Rings, I wanted a fun cover that complimented the title as well as the beautiful Kingdom of Denmark.

For Farewell, My Denmark, I hired a professional cover artist. We went through a lot of trial and error before we found the girl on the cover. She looks similar to Catherine Erichsen, the main character, the greenery is similar to that in Denmark.

I have a CRUZ tablet that my husband bought me for Christmas a few years ago. I like it because I can borrow books from the library, and it doesn't weigh as much as a book.

My current writing desk is one of those plastic folding tables. Although usually when I'm writing, I sit on the couch. It's much more comfortable than any office chair. My art desk has a variety of uncompleted projects on top with pencils, pens, erasers and ink all scattered about and waiting to be used.

I grew up in Mesa Arizona. My dad wouldn't buy a television, and so growing up I read a lot. My favorite place to read was nestled between the branches of our pecan tree. One of the reasons for this is that I was perfectly hidden and yet able to keep an eye out for mysterious happenings. However, that tree and I had a lot of other adventures because I also pretended it was magic and could take me aboard a pirate ship, back to Robin Hood days, or on any number of adventures with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.

As a child, I dreamed of being an author. Unfortunately, by the time I entered high school, the dream had long vanished. It resurfaced when I went to college. I loved English 101 and 102, and I took Kid's Lit and creative writing classes as well.

After I graduated, I joined a writer's group and started writing novels. I wasn't very good though and it took a lot of perseverance and practice and re-writing and attending seminars and workshops and buying and reading books on writing.

The fact that it takes traditional publishers up to six months or longer to decide if they want your book and another year or so after that before it's published. Many of the traditionally published authors I know also struggle to get paid by their publisher, or the publisher goes out of business. I didn't want to wait that long to be published, and I wanted more control over my fate.

I love getting new ideas, and since I'm also an artist I treat writing as another artistic medium. I get to create characters and scenes and bring them to life on the page. It's a great joy seeing the finished product and knowing I created it. My readers' appreciation is ultimately my greatest joy and satisfaction.

My next book is a companion to Farewell, My Denmark. Rather than immigrate to America, Berta stays in Denmark for love. Her story is titled, My Sweet Danish Rose. Its projected publication date is the fall of 2014.