Being an independent author allows me to tell the stories I want to tell to the readers who want to read them. I want to share stories of powerful, passionate women who are driven to be their best selves while looking for true love.

These are the stories that keep me up nights, and I wanted to share those stories without having to limit my characters.

My desk is carefully controlled chaos - two different desktops, three monitors, and at least one laptop. I like using one system to get work done, while using another for ongoing research. I keep a notepad and pens/pencils handy for quick, low-tech notes, and usually have some sort of music playing.

I'm a big fan of the Amazon Kindle, and am currently using the Paperwhite. The Kindle reading app is also very versatile, and I've used it on several mobile platforms.

I started writing in my teens. Prompted by the fiction that I read voraciously, I wanted to create worlds of my own.

In BIG CITY BLUES, I wanted to explore the romantic possibility of meeting the right person, but in the wrong time and place. Allison Levy is an accomplished physician, but isn't happy in her world. When she takes a break from it to find a little adventure, she meets a woman who makes her question the choices she's made. Jane Walker is completely satisfied with her own world, but is hiding from her own ability to accomplish more professionally. Both women want love, but are convinced that it's not for them. Both of them are proved wrong, and find the answers in each other to the real questions in their lives.

Getting the story out of my head and into the world - and hearing from my readers that the stories have touched them. When I hear that a story made the reader crave more, then I know I'm on the right track and I'm eager to keep writing.

I have so many whose work I read again and again. Radcyffe was once the queen of lesbian romance, and I return to her earlier works often. Daniel Suarez consistently hits it out of the park when it comes to techno-thrillers. Sydney Gibson is a current favorite in the romance genre. Kelly McCullough is an excellent world-builder whose work I admire. These are just a few of my current favorites.

My next work is a paranormal short story for submission to an anthology. When that's finished, I'll continue writing my next novel, which is already halfway written - a techno-thriller and romance set against the backdrop of the criminal hacking underground.

Reading. I am always - *always* - reading. From science fiction to current events, romance to techno-thrillers, business development to the craft of writing, I am constantly trying to learn something new.

I begin with an idea or a question - or if I'm feeling adventurous, I'll roll the virtual dice for a new idea prompted by a writing wheel. Almost all of the stories I write are lesbian romances, so I'll envision the characters in one climactic scene of conflict or resolution, and then build the story out from there.

Sometimes the stories are quickly written, in which case I'll edit them swiftly and either post them online or shelve them for later publishing. Other times, the story is difficult to draw out, but ultimately I'll finish the draft. Very few ideas are tossed out altogether.

Once drafted, I'll edit for errors, and then, if I have the discipline, I'll shelve the story for later review. After a few weeks, I'll read the story again with a less emotional and more critical eye, ensuring that the story is solid, that the romance is moving, that the characters are vivid and true.

Readers are why I write.

I'm just screaming into a vacuum if I haven't entertained the reader with my story. It's simple - when someone reads my work and is moved enough to comment, that means I got it right. That is an incredible feeling for me as a writer - to know that someone else in the world is moved by the characters that I've created, that the story I've crafted has captivated someone else.

I can't thank them enough, but I hope that I show it when I keep writing.