When I tell people I write contemporary romance, I usually get a slightly surprised “Oh! Well, good for you!” kind of reaction. In some cases, this is clearly a (scandalized? titillated? intrigued?) reaction to the word “romance.”  But amongst romance readers and writers, that same “Oh!” usually has more to do with the other part of what I write.

Contemporary.

Tough sell, they say. Not as hot as paranormals or historicals. So why bother?

Easy. I love to write them.

I love to play in the real world—in my case, the neighborhoods of New York City. I love the slangy modern language my characters use, and the fact that I don’t have to figure out how space-age technology meshes with magical elements in order to get my hero from a restaurant uptown to a bar in Soho. I have the deepest respect for authors to whom that kind of worldbuilding comes naturally, but I’m not one of them.

Which is not to say there’s no worldbuilding in contemporary romance. Every story inhabits its own world; the mark of a good storyteller is how well she makes that world come alive. My series explores the Manhattan culinary scene, so the world I had to construct for my characters was that of the professional restaurant kitchen.

I’m not a chef. Let’s get that out of the way right up front. I’ve never cooked in a restaurant kitchen, although I’ve waited tables. To research the Recipe for Love series, I’ve trailed chef friends in their kitchens, talked my way into others, and generally made a nuisance of myself with questions. I read lots of amazing kitchen memoirs like Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, Heat by Bill Buford, The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlmann, and Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay.

But the best inspiration, by far, comes from my own adventures in the kitchen. Cooking is exciting because you never know what’s going to happen. Trying out a new recipe is like starting a new novel; you have all these ingredients that seem as if they’ll compliment and enhance each other, but really, it’s up to you to bring out the best possible flavor in each one.

I tie on my apron with the same thrill of anticipation I get when I sit down at my computer. A pristine kitchen (okay, my kitchen is never what you’d call “pristine,” but you know what I mean) is like a fresh, blank page. It’s ready and waiting for you to come in and make things happen! And once you start, even if you follow the recipe exactly, you never know quite where you’ll end up.

I ended up writing a book that unites my passion for all things foodie with my love of romance novels. In Can’t Stand the Heat, I pit a sexy, hot-tempered chef against an acid-tongued food critic who doesn’t know how to cook. So, of course, he has to teach her! How to poach an egg…and other things.

Tell me about your kitchen escapades! Ever had any huge disasters? Major triumphs? Share your stories along with your favorite fall recipes!

Hurts so good

I like to write about teenagers because I love angst.  Seriously, I can’t get enough of it.  There’s nothing more cathartic than a good tearjerker.  I want to cry along with the characters, and laugh with them, too.  In a romance novel, I feel more satisfied when a boatload of heartache comes before the happily ever after.

As an awkward adolescent and a rebellious teenager, I experienced my share of angst.  This time period stands out in my mind as an intensely difficult one.  I did a lot of stupid, dangerous things.  My parents were baffled by my behavior.  In creating the teen characters for my books, I draw from some of my own experiences.

Crash Into Me

Carly Fortune is the 16-year-old daughter of Ben Fortune, the world’s most famous surfer.  He hasn’t been the world’s greatest father.  Her mother was murdered three years before the story starts, and Carly feels lost without her.  She’s experimented with drugs and frequently cuts herself, choosing to mask her emotional turmoil with physical pain.

James Matthews is the boy from the wrong side of the tracks who’s been secretly in love with Carly for years.  She’s rich and beautiful and way out of his league.  His home life is even more screwed up than hers, and he’s desperate for an escape.  Together, they try to heal each other.

Set the Dark on Fire

Dylan Phillips is the younger brother of Shay Phillips, a wildlife biologist in Tenaja Falls, California.  Both of their parents are gone, and Shay has been struggling to raise Dylan on her own.  She isn’t the best role model.  Dylan has a brilliant mind and a bright future, but his penchant for playing with fire leads him into trouble.

Angel Martinez is the really hot girl next door.  She quit school to help take care of her younger siblings.  Now she feels smothered by the lack of opportunities in their dusty desert town.  Dylan has what she’s always wanted—a way out—and she’s frustrated with him for jeopardizing it.

Warning:  strong language and sexual situations!

I try to incorporate a lot of realism in my books.  My teens are flawed.  Their parents and caretakers are flawed.  They have real problems and make serious mistakes.  I don’t know any other way to build characters, maybe because I’m also an imperfect person who has made her share of mistakes!

Why are you so angsty, Jill Sorenson?

Actually, I’m not.  I left most of my angst behind as a teenager, thank God.  Back then, I think a combination of things caused me to act in a self-destructive way.  My family moved from a small town in Kansas to a rough neighborhood in California when I was 12, so that was a culture shock.  Like, whoa.  We moved again the next year.  I always had trouble making friends (because I’m a nerd!), and after three different schools in as many years, I gave up.

I also developed early, and I felt painfully self-conscious about my body.  I thought I was fat because I had breasts and hips.  And I was “smart.”  Instead of finding a positive creative outlet, I actively sought out all things negative and dark.

I’m thankful for the love and support of my family, and I’m glad I made it through those difficult years.  So many kids take a wrong turn at that age and don’t find their way back.  I also want to thank every author who has created a character teens can relate to.  Romance can make a positive difference in young people’s lives.  Sometimes we all need the optimism of a happy ending.

What do you think about teens reading romance? Did you experience teen angst? Are any of your favorite secondary characters teenagers?

Leave a comment for a chance to win Set the Dark on Fire.

And there was this great group of kids rocking a Harry Potter theme. They’d vamped it up with a Gossip Girl flair. How cool is that! Tons of fans were showing their Star Wars luv, wearing awesome costumes. I even saw an killer R2D2 replica. There were so many amazing characters and aliens and creatures of the night. People roaming the halls and ballrooms and lobbies in full makeup and costume 24/7. It was a non-stop spectacle that I can’t describe in words. So, here are a few pics to get you in the mood ;o) Check out the rest at my blog and Facebook Dragon Con photo album .

Now, where was I? Right—me pretending to belong somewhere where folks let their imaginations take over and fly their freak flags with pride. Why? Because I’ve pretty much been doing that since last November, when I partnered with Dorchester to publish Dark Legacy—Book 1 in my Legacy series.

You know, me—the two-time Romantic Times Award winning Harlequin series author. A writer who started her commercial fiction career penning heart-warming family stories, then discovered that she loved what a good suspense plot did for her books. An author whose earliest memories are devouring fantasy novels like T.H. White’s Once and Future King and watching sci-fi movies and TV shows like Star Wars and Star Trek. A reader who’s been a paranormal romance fan since the genre took off.

But could I really pull off a mainstream suspense series that turned out to be a combination of all those loves: family drama (Dark Legacy’s twins hate each other almost as much as they hate the mad government scientists hunting them); psychic paranormal elements (my twins can control minds, and those nasty scientists are determined to use the sisters’ talents to weaponize daydreams); action and adventure sequences (both in reality and dreams); and spicy love scenes (ditto with the reality AND the hot and sexy dreams—yummy!).

Fast forward to DragonCon ‘09, and picture me pitching my tent as part of Georgia Fantasy Authors, raising my spooky freak flag and announcing to the world that my romantic suspense/paranormal romance/urban fantasy debut was ready to greet its public. Was I nervous? Sure—right up until I walked through DragonCon’s doors that first day.

Because once I was there, I found a welcoming home full of people indulging their own fantasies, dreams and passions. I talked to avid readers whose eyes lit up as they listened to the new and unusual and exciting things I’d crafted into Dark Legacy. I found myself talking with writers and fans who loved the paranormal and fantasy parts of my altered contemporary world, as much as my romance fans are digging the characters and relationships I’ve woven through the story. I spoke on panels filled with genre authors who’d been part of this scene for years, and I was welcomed by one and all.

It’s been a wild ride, crafting my new, outside-the-box series. Letting my imagination rule. Playing with an idea and giving it room to grow into what it was supposed to be. What a great journey! What an amazing destination, now that Dark Legacy’s on shelves, and I get to see readers smile and reach for it and ask when there’s going to be more. Both at DragonCon, and at every stop I’ve made on my Dark Legacy blog tour.

Will I write the sequel, 2010’s Secret Legacy, and as many more Legacy stories as Dorchester will buy? You bet! Oh, I’ll keep writing the classic romantic suspense I love, too. But there’s no going back, now that I’ve found a creative outlet for the more outlandish side of my imagination. I want it all. Classic romance and paranormal thrills. And why not, when there’s a whole world out there eager to celebrate both with me?

Will I find my way back to DragonCon next year, to celebrate how my psychotic, psychic twins and their lovers and wicked government scientists and ancient brotherhood of watchers belong right there, in the midst of the fun and fantasy and make-believe that thrive at the “Con?” I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

So tell me, what’s your fantasy? What’s your dream? If you could fly your freak flag and do something totally out of character, what would your destination be? I’m giving away two signed copies of Dark Legacy to lucky commenters today, so tell us what you think!

For more chances to win, check out my Dark Legacy Couture Necklace contest where to enter you get to read free Dark Legacy excerpts and chose your favorite. Dorchester’s also giving away a Kindle (, spotlighting three free digital downloads, including Dark Legacy!

Don’t get me wrong, I can’t figure everything out. Heaven help me if the kids aren’t home and I try to figure out how to set the TV and DVD player so I can actually watch and hear a movie at the same time. But once that movie’s on, I am 100% focused on paying attention to every twist, turn and bit of dialogue that will lead me to the right conclusion.

Obviously, when I started writing dark romantic-thrillers, this was in the forefront of my mind. One of the most common reactions readers and reviewers have had to the Black CATs books is that they just did not figure out the villains before they were supposed to.

There’s a reason for that, of course. I wanted it to be really tough to figure out! I set the bar for the suspense plot to my own personal satisfaction level, continually asking myself, “If I read this line, would it immediately lead me to think this?” Or “When this character came on the page, what is it about him that would make me say, ‘Aha! It’s him!’”

Whatever the answer was, I most definitely wouldn’t do that!

My good friend (and fabulous writer) Roxanne St. Claire once wrote an article for my RWA chapter newsletter, comparing plotting to braiding her daughter’s hair–weaving this thread into that one to make a nice, tightly plotted book. I really like that analogy, and sometimes think of narrowing it even further: the mystery thread in a romantic suspense novel should have its own braid. The possible suspects should weave in and out, the clues leading you in one direction, then suddenly turning and wrapping around and into another whole possible scenario.

All that said, I definitely wanted to “play fair” with the reader. I followed a few basic rules: Get the villain on the page early—he might not have to be a major figure in the book, but he can’t come out of nowhere. Leave a whole lot of subtle clues and maybe one pretty obvious one. I like for there to be a moment at the end, when it all comes together, when the reader will say, “Oh, MAN! Of COURSE it was him, I should have known when X happened.” (That’s especially true in the 2^nd book, PITCH BLACK. A lot of readers have told me they just couldn’t believe they hadn’t seen ‘it’–that one big honking clue–before the truth came out.)

I have to say, I didn’t write the books this way in order to frustrate anybody, or even to challenge them the way I like to be challenged to figure things out before the author’s ready for me to. It’s just that I absolutely love it when I can’t figure it out! The very best reading (or movie-watching) experiences are the ones where I am just guessing and guessing throughout and am completely surprised and delighted when it all ties up in the end. The movie The Usual Suspects did that for me. And to this day it remains one of my absolute favorite movies.

I’ll admit—it doesn’t happen often. So I tried my utmost to try to make it happen for other readers. And I sincerely hope it worked.

What about you? Anyone else who can’t just watch a movie, or read a book, but has to figure it all out before you’re supposed to? And if you’re read any of the Black CATs books—what did you think? Did you figure things out, see the clues?

If so, I’d really like to know what gave it away…so I can do better the next time.

Today Leslie is giving away a copy of Pitch Black to one random poster.

For those of you just joining us, the purpose of this Haunted tour is to celebrate the release of my Gothic Victorian Fantasy Romance debut, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, first in the Strangely Beautiful series.  This Tour will introduce you to some of the real, documented London haunts who “ghost-star” in my book.  When Professor Alexi Rychman and his Guard of spectral police make their rounds, it is to any number of London phantasms.  Since these characters are familiar to The Guard, I don’t get to tell their full story in the book. But here I can give them their due and show how they’ve inspired parts of the book.  Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win a signed copy!

Today’s Haunt:

The ghostly couple of St. Mary the Virgin – Overton Drive, Wanstead E11

There’s a very poignant scene here in this small, old graveyard, full of character and steeped in history. In the graveyard of St. Mary’s Church in Wanstead, a lovely space of 18th century vintage, two curious figures appear in the hist.  First, a white skeleton is seen wheeling a cart.  The cart bears a coffin.  The skeleton approaches a particular tomb and in response, a shrouded white spectre is said to arise, beckoned.  The two wraiths embrace.  Supposedly they were a married couple who were for some reason buried in separate plots, drawn together again in an eternal reunion.  Even death is no barrier for true love.

This ghost story gave me an idea that became one of my favourite moments from The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker as Miss Percy struggles with her strange life, love-sick heart and sense of impending fate…:

–

For the second time that day, Constance startled Percy by bursting through the wall. “Forgive my intrusion, Miss Percy, but you simply must come to the Apollo lot!” The ghost’s transparent eyes were sparkling. “If you don’t, you surely will regret—”

Percy motioned the spectre to silence. She wasn’t sure how Marianna would feel about Constance and had not yet brought up any of her abilities regarding the dead. She had no idea how to begin.

“Percy?” the German girl said, seeing her friend’s shifted focus.

“Marianna, my dear,” Percy replied, deciding to take a chance. “Would you like a little adventure?”

“Always.”

“Come on then.” Gesturing for the ghost to lead the way, Percy dragged Marianna to her feet and out the door.

“What are we—?”

“The night is beautiful,” Percy explained. Then, “Out for a bit of fresh air, Miss Jennings!” she called as they rushed past the front desk.

“You won’t get beyond the courtyard!” the woman shrieked.

“Don’t worry, we’re not trying!”

“Where are we going?” Marianna breathed.

“There.” Percy pointed.

“The little graveyard behind Apollo Hall? Why? Are we allowed? Is there a guard?”

“Don’t worry,” Percy promised. “We’re still within school grounds.”

“Who lies buried there?” Marianna asked.

“I was told it’s for students and professors who have no other family. Oh! I suppose I might be buried here someday …”

Constance hovered nearby. “Once a year, Miss Percy, near my headstone, the ghosts of two professors celebrate their wedding anniversary. I thought you might appreciate it.”

Through an open arch in the courtyard, behind Apollo Hall, the two living girls and one specter approached a heavy, spiked gate bordered by a rough stone wall. Marianna remained at the entrance, shaking her head.

Respecting the limits of her friend’s comfort but unwilling to turn back, Percy opened the hefty gate enough to wedge herself through. Gliding up a stone path that led to an inlaid circle, she took in the sight before her: two transparent figures in midcentury clothes, a man and a woman, waltzing. Their weightless feet spun gracefully above the ground, and their featherlight forms held each other with confidence and care.

“Oh, to dance … To merely be touched,” Percy whispered, dropping to her knees. Constance hovered silently nearby.

“What is it you see?” Marianna called.

Percy gave an aching sigh, which was caught by the breeze. “A waltz.”

My research owes so much to Richard Jones (www.haunted-britain.com ) founder of the fabulous Discovery Walks of London (www.haunted-london.com ) and author of the fantastic compendium “Haunted London” and “Walking Haunted London” published by Barnes & Noble Books.  Plus he’s a really nice guy, thanks Richard!!

Come visit me at www.leannareneehieber.com to find out more about The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker and follow along on the rest of the Haunted London Blog Tour! I hope you’ll pick up a copy of the book and I hope you’ll love it as much as I loved writing it!  Be sure to leave a comment to be entered to win a signed copy!

Blessings!
Leanna Renee Hieber
www.leannareneehieber.com
www.twitter.com/leannarenee

See more of Leanna’s video interview on our video page.

Gentlemen:
*Instead of relying on giving a lady more flowers and more gifts, try to rely on giving more of yourself.
*The art of pleasure involves more than just that stick between your legs.
*As a side note to number 2, most women’s delicate little pearls cannot be reached by said stick, no matter how long or how large. Which leaves a woman quite wanting. It is up to you to ensure that little pearl is properly tended to.
*Lust can be quite a terrible predicament. Learn to control it, lest it control you.
*A dildo is a fun little accessory every man should keep at his bedside. Not for himself, mind you (although if it strikes your fancy…), but rather, for his lady.
*You cannot thoroughly pleasure a woman you do not know. Take the time to understand who she is. Not just what she looks like.
*Men are peacocks. With much emphasis on the cocks.
*Love isn’t something meant to be understood. But felt.
*No, not all men are created equal. Because some of you possess qualities that go beyond a woman’s wildest dreams. You just have to learn what those qualities are.
*If you are enrolled in this school, you are already taking your first step toward pleasuring your lady. Be proud of it.
*Though earlier it was mentioned you should give more of yourself than flowers or gifts, expenseive gifts, such as jewelry, do come in handy when words simply elude you. But I do suggest you start reading the dictionary on a more frequent basis to help you build your vocabulary as words are necessary to maintaining a relationship.
*Ask your lady what it is she wants most from you. Then try not to run.
*You cannot become the Lord of Pleasure until your lady dubs you as such.

The question of the day? Would you enroll your gentleman in a school that would educate him in the topic of love and seduction? And if so, why? (And don’t worry, we won’t tell him what you posted!)

P.S.
If you’re curious about naughty history (and I know you are…), I invite you to not only pick up my latest release, but to visit my blog, A BIT O’MUSLIN at www.DelilahMarvelle.blogspot.com where every first of the month I post a new topic relating to the history of sex.

Julie James is the author of Just the Sexiest Man Alive and Practice Makes Perfect. Her third book, Something About You, comes out in March 2010.

The other day, someone posed an interesting question to me:  which five fictional characters would I invite to a dinner party, and why?  This question intrigued me so much, I thought it merited further consideration.

I enjoy throwing dinner parties.  Sure, it’s a lot of work, and sometimes going to a restaurant is more convenient, but I like the cozy, relaxed feel of entertaining in my own home.  (And I get to pick the wine.)  When planning such an event, I give some thought to the guest list—who will mix well together (and more important, who won’t), and what interesting things they bring to the table, so to speak.

With that in mind, I’ve come up with my list.  Boy, there were some tough cuts to make.  I’ve included both literary and film characters, and I’ll tell you—I gave some serious thought to inviting Darth Vader.  I don’t care if you’re a Star Wars fan or not, how cool would it be to say something like, “So I had Darth Vader over for dinner the other night… How was I supposed to know he’s allergic to shellfish?  It took three of us to figure out how to get that damn mask off when he started hyperventilating over the buffet table.”

So without further ado, here are the five fictional characters I would invite to my dinner party (and why):

Mr. Darcy.  Quite possibly the person I would choose if I could only invite one fictional character.  The hero of my favorite book, Pride and Prejudice, and in so many ways the inspiration for the heroes I write myself.  The most sought-after man in town, knocked head over heels by a heroine who has no problem telling him just where he can stick his cocky, arrogant attitude.  (Now where have I heard that before…?)  Plain and simple, this man makes me sigh.

Speaking of sighing…

Indiana Jones.  Aside from having what I think has to be one of the coolest names in film history, I’m betting this guy would have some pretty interesting tales to tell.  And remember ladies, this is no mere adventuring-seeking piece of eye-candy—he’s a scholarly professor, too.  And he knows how to use his whip.

From Indiana, we go to…

Bridget Jones.   If for no other reason, I think she’d be a riot to have dinner with.  And I can’t be the only woman at this party—I need someone to keep Darcy and Dr. Jones occupied while I have a little chat with…

Jake Ryan.  If the red Porsche doesn’t give it away, think Sixteen Candles.  Oh, how my dreamy, pre-teen heart fluttered at that scene at the end of the movie when Molly Ringwald’s character comes out of the church and sees Jake Ryan waiting for her.   Every girl’s fantasy: gorgeous, rich, and sensitive, too.  Remember the ending, where they kiss on the table over the birthday cake?  It doesn’t get any better than that.

And last but not least…

The mysterious Jay Gatsby.  A self-made man who rose from a life of poverty to become ridiculously wealthy—all to make himself worthy in the eyes of the woman he loves.  There’s something so compelling about this man who has it all, except the only thing he really wants.  And, boy, does he look good in that suit.

So there you have it—my choices for the five fictional characters I would invite to a dinner party: Mr. Darcy, Indiana Jones, Bridget Jones, Jake Ryan, and the Great Gatsby.  Should make for some pretty interesting conversation, I’d say…

And how about you?  Which five characters would be on your list?

I don’t think I could ever write a science fiction. While I enjoy reading it and love watching documentaries on Discovery Channel; physics, chemistry, and biology were a grim and painful struggle for me back in high-school and I’d never willingly submit to studying them again-certainly not to the extent required to write a plausible science fiction. I choose to write about things I have some affinity for, so usually research is a pleasure rather than a pain. Far from being boring, it’s one of the great-and for me unexpected- joys of writing; often exciting, sometimes down right spooky, and at times the door to fabulous adventures I’d never have otherwise had.

As you’d probably expect I’ve spent hours researching on the internet and in libraries, I’ve found some great maps and historical documents, and I have a wonderful dictionary that includes information and dates on a words first recorded use.  When it’s a topic I think I’ll go back to in future or something that fascinates me, I’ll buy a good reference book or first hand account to keep on my shelf. I’ve found some real treasures browsing  history and biography bargain bins and second hand bookstores, including a 325 year old first edition of the Earl of Rochester’s deathbed confession. That man (played by Johnny Depp in The Libertine) was the equivalent of a 17^th century rock star who wrote poetry that would make a rapper blush.

Ok…All very interesting to a history geek no doubt…but exciting? A door to adventure? Well here’s the part many people don’t realize. It’s not all libraries and books. A lot of it involves doing. For Broken Wing I took fiddle lessons with a handsome virtuoso, toured the Louvre, and visited the oldest café in Paris, the Café Procope where Voltaire used to drink his coffee and Marat, Robespierre and Danton planned the French Revolution. For Highland Rebel I took a couple of fencing lessons to get a better feel for the sword fighting Cat. A white-water rafting adventure helped me with the scenes in the Killiecrankie Pass and I toured London, Ireland, and visited Blarney Castle and kissed the stone (a good idea for any story teller I think). I love to travel and hooray, it’s a business expense!

It’s also surprising how helpful people can be. Under the guise of research I’ve sailed on a tall ship and held the wheel with a really cute captain steadying my shoulder, interviewed a handsome lieutenant at the local military base for information on helicopters, and met and interviewed a ghost hunting team and got to play with some of their gadgets. All just by calling and asking. I’d have never had the nerve to approach people and ask to try any of these things without the excuse of   “…ahem…I’m researching a book on…and I need to know…I wonder if you can help me?”

That has to me one of my favorite lines for meeting people and exploring things I find interesting. So I’m more than happy to answer any questions you may have about research, my new release Highland Rebel which I hope you will all read and enjoy, or writing in general, but my inner research demon is itching to ask something of you. If you could ask that question of anyone…who would you ask and what would be the topic?

About the Author

Judith James has worked as a legal assistant, trail guide, and counselor. Living in Nova Scotia, her personal journey has taken her to the Arctic and the West Coast. Her writing combines her love of history and adventure with her keen interest in the complexities of human nature and the heart’s capacity to heal. For more information about Judith, please visit http://www.judithjamesauthor.com/

Today Judith is giving away 3 copies of Highland Rebel to 3 lucky posters living in the US or Canada.

The first time I sat down to write a novel, I didn’t know my life had just changed.  I had always balanced my technical and creative sides, usually working in a lab and relegating my creativity to playtime (when I let myself dabble in woodcraft, painting, landscaping, sewing … pretty much whatever appealed at the moment).  So it wasn’t totally unprecedented when, as I was hammering out my PhD thesis while interviewing for biotech patent jobs, I started seeing … well … random scenes playing out inside my head.  And hearing voices.  I just figured I’d let the creative part of me slide for too long, and my other brain (I can never remember my left from right in brain-terms) needed to let off some steam.  So I went home and painted a bit.  I doodled in charcoal.  I fiddled with a rock garden.  But the scenes and voices kept coming.  What was more, they were telling a story that I hadn’t read, but rather seemed to be creating itself somewhere inside my subconscious.

Okay.  That was new.

Now, given that I read incessantly, the idea of writing fiction wasn’t entirely foreign-I had aced an Other Worlds writing course while an undergrad, and had once filled most of a spiral bound notebook (in my heinous lefty’s scrawl) with the first few chapters of a story told in the POV of several blue whales who were actually aliens, and had to team up and save the world (not surprisingly, this was around the time Star Trek IV was released).  I’d even, in another of my creative-dabble moments, gone so far as to submit a short story to a sci-fi magazine.  But when that submission had come back with a photocopied “Dear Author, we’re sorry but…” rejection, I had just shrugged and gone on about my life.

This time was different, though.  This time, the story I was seeing in my mind wasn’t so much a case of letting off steam, it was the steam.  The more I wrote, the more I wanted to write, until the compulsion (obsession?) was taking over my formerly free time, and occasionally sneaking its way into the lab.  About a year and just over a quarter of a million words later (half written on the ancient Mac II plus that had seen me through college, half on the HP desktop I bought when the Mac blew up), I had a finished manuscript.  Of sorts, anyway.  In the meantime, I had joined Romance Writers of America, and had taken a writing class taught by an author named Suzanne Brockmann, who had just made the jump from a successful category career to her first couple of single titles. The woman who sat next to me in that class, Dalton Diaz, is still today (a decade later) one of my closest writing friends.  I was learning about the business side of writing even as I studied the craft itself.  What was more, I was soaking it up, sucking it in, and resenting the hours I had to spend away from my stories.

And this time around, when I opened the first of those dreaded SASEs and saw “Dear Author, We’re sorry, but…” I burst into tears, because it mattered now. My life had changed.  And the creativity that used to be my outlet had become my passion … and now it’s my life.



The seed of an idea for this story germinated last spring as my family and I moved into an old mill house (110 years old!) and started the necessary renovations.  Trust me, it was not pretty.  Many of the proud old homes had fallen into disrepair and had for years been owned by absentee landlords.  When the mill closed and was torn down more than two decades ago, the village started to spiral downhill. The school and medical clinic, as well as the community center that had been built for the village, which housed only the mill workers until the late 1940’s, were closed.  Despair, poverty and crime rose. For more than twenty years life in the village was very sad with little or no hope for better things.

A few years ago a wonderfully giving couple took over the old community center and worked long and hard to bring it back to life. It is now Merrimack Hall where the likes of Billy Bob Thornton has performed with his band.  It’s a wonderful place with an amazing outreach program for kids who would not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in dance and theatre programs.  Along with this resurrection of the community center, came another handful of families who decided to buy these old homes and restore them.  Last year my family joined that move.  My teenage daughter was not thrilled, but she jumped in and helped clear away decades of coal dust and neglect right alongside us.

Though we still have our problems, many of which are reflected (somewhat more dramatically and with this author’s embellishments) in EVERYWHERE SHE TURNS, we are making wonderful progress.  Like CJ Patterson, the protagonist in the story, my family and I ride out the burglaries around the neighborhood and the occasional drug-deal-gone-bad where someone gets shot at (and occasionally hit-not fatally thankfully) with amazing calm and determination.  We keep our heads down when necessary but we never, ever lose our perspective and pride for our goal.  We will bring this village back!  Just as CJ must return to the village and face her past, as well as her future, we’ve dug in our heels and we’re moving forward, one day at a time.

I’d love to answer any questions about writing a story that maybe hits a little too close to home!  Or just the business of writing and publishing in general!

Debra Webb wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen.  It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the military behind the Iron Curtain and within the confining political Walls of Berlin, Germany, that she realized her true calling.  A five-year stint with NASA on the Space Shuttle Program reinforced her love of the endless possibilities within her grasp as a storyteller.  A collision course between suspense and romance was set.  Debra has been writing romantic suspense and action packed romantic thrillers since.