On Writing and Reading...
What do you love most about being a writer?
I live for that moment that hour or day or week when the story has taken root and begins to write itself. When things happen that I didn’t expect. When characters arrive on the scene and introduce themselves to me, taking me completely by surprise. When it feels as though my fingers on the keys are mere conduits and I had nothing to do with the creation of the novel.
What do you like least about being a writer?
I like least when I stare at a blank computer screen and it stares back at me, pitying me for my pathetic dearth of ideas. The only thing worse is sitting at a card table, in a mall, behind a stack of brand new books, (a book signing) and giving directions to the ladies’ room or Macy’s shoe sale.
Do you have a favourite locale or setting for your novels? What is it and why is it your favourite?
I’m particularly fond of northern California: the mountains and ocean, quaint little Victorian towns, sophisticated cities. I lived in Sacramento, right between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, in the late '70s and loved it there.
I've visited many times since and placed the fictional Grace Valley in upper Medocino County, far from the rush of the city life, smack in the beauty of Redwoods, mountain streams, cool breezes off the ocean, wildlife...the occasional bear. But this isn’t Mayberry make no mistake. Back in the mountains the Sheriff, Forestry Department, and other law enforcement agencies are busy routing out hidden marijuana growers. A little of everything, I guess you’d say with the accent on beauty.
Which of the books you have written is your favourite?
It’s so hard to pin an author down to this, but if forced I’d have to say The House On Olive Street because it’s about women writers of all stages and all levels of success so in that way I can relate on a variety of levels. And it was also a book in which I experienced that tremendous "high" of feeling it wrote itself as I observed.
What is your favourite recent Mills & boon or Silhouette or MIRA title by another author?
The Waterfall by Carla Neggers
What are your five all-time favourite books?
The Prince of Tides by Pat ConroyThe Education of Little Tree by Forrest CarterThe Shell Seekers by Rosamund PilcherForeign Affairs by Alison LurieThe Eight by Katherine NevilleOn Romance...
Describe the ultimate romantic meal.
Fruit and cheese, bread and wine because it’s not about the food, is it?
What is your all-time favourite romantic movie?
Shining Through, with Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith.
What is your all-time favourite romantic song or composition?
The theme song from The Apartment.
What is the most romantic gesture or gift you have received?
When I fell in love with a little mountain town, my husband urged the purchase of land there and we escaped there whenever possible.
How do you keep the romance alive in your relationship?
By making sure there’s plenty of time to talk!
What tip would you give your readers to make their lives more romantic?
Keep humour alive in your life you can easily adore someone you can laugh with.
Where is the most romantic place you’ve ever travelled to?
Bath, in Somerset, England.
All About Me...
Besides writing, what other talent would you most like to have?
I would love to make music, to sing, play an instrument. But it’s hopeless. Nonetheless, my children have been so blessed.
Who is someone you admire and why?
My husband’s grandmother, Alice Entzminger, was one of the smartest, most compassionate, fiercely independent women I’ve ever known. When she was widowed in her 50s she drove home to Sebastopol, California, from Oklahoma in her loaded down litt
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