When and why did you begin writing?

I used to write a lot when I was a teenager. Nothing I ever thought I would publish, but I’ve always loved reading, and so it was a fantasy of mine to be an author. Interestingly, the very first romance story I ever wrote was a collaborative effort with my best friend at the time. We had a notebook we’d pass back and forth between us, and we’d take turns writing chapters of the story. It was great fun. It was also quite a challenge to try to deal with the plot twists we’d throw at each other. The other person would have to come up with something really imaginative to get our characters out of the jam the first person had put them in!

I decided to start writing novels as an adult because I wanted to write the kinds of stories I wanted to read. For my first full-length novel, I was a total Sons of Anarchy addict, and started reading some motorcycle club romances. I thought maybe, just maybe, I could write one, too, so I decided to try.

Where do you get your ideas? 

Well, I’ve never been an old lady in a motorcycle club! I do know how to ride a motorcycle, though, and I used to have one. None of the events in my books have really happened to me, exactly. But I have been in love. And I’ve definitely had the experience of relationships that were passionate but bad for me, as well as relationships where the person I was with was wonderful, but I just didn’t feel the passion I needed to feel. I really love creating two people who may not be perfect, but who end up being perfect for each other. I think it would be really hard to write convincing romance without some life experiences, both good and bad. I guess that’s one way that age and wisdom might be an advantage. Maybe the older I get, the better my books will be. When I’m eighty, my novels will be amazing!

Who are your favorite writers?

That’s almost impossible for me to answer. I read practically everything I can get my hands on, from the mystery novels of Sue Grafton, to Russian writers like Dostoevsky, to Jane Austen, to biker romance authors like Kristen Ashley. And practically everything in between!