Q. So, we’ve talked about the Rakehell series a lot–what about your
other novels?
A. Well, living in Ireland, it is certainly a place I draw my inspiration from, and I love the history and people. As for the contemporary romances I wrote, again, they were for series romance lines, and I did quite well with them. But while they were fun to write, I leave them to you.

Writing historicals are my greatest real love. I find it much easier to motivate the characters and have some real life and death situations that I can have them deal with as a major obstacle to the happily ever after. In contemporaries, the stakes are not so
high. And I like suspense romance, but mostly, I find it to be a
lot of suspense (and dumb moves on the part of the heroine) and not
enough romance. Just a pet peeve of mine, but for me romance is a
hero and heroine falling in love. I try to show that in every one
of my novels, and hope I’ve succeeded.

Q-You certainly have with this reader. The Rakehell Regency
romance novels are all great, but as you say, go from traditional
to sensual romantic fiction as the series progresses, and no two
books are alike.

A-Because no two heroes and heroines are alike. So for instance, two couples can meet in the same way, like in a coffee house, but what happens next will be based on who they are, their past, secrets, motives, and so on.

Q-Exactly. As you said, you say to yourself, “What would happen if…” and then spin off a dozen or so ideas and follow them to the startling conclusion.
A-I can see someone has been peeking in my Idea book! But
yes, that’s pretty much it, and after the inspiration is the
perspiration. But it’s all worth it if I capture the magic and
power of falling in love, and true love being able to not only
survive all things, but become all the stronger for having been
tested and proven deep and true.

Q-A perfect way to describe them. So, what about the Renaissance Irish books? Sea of Love and The Faithful Heart were so good, I feel sure they should be made into a movie, with a soundtrack by Enya or Clannad.
A. I would love that. Yes, two different heroines, two impossible situations with Ireland being invaded, some great heroes, mix, and yes, explosions abound.

Q. Yes, sparks sure do fly, between your couples, and on the high seas in those books. Then you went back to the Middle Ages for The Hart and the Harp. That one is a bit of a sleeper novel for you. I mean, I couldn’t put it down, but I’m not as sure it’s as popular as the others?
A. It got sandwiched in between my agent at the time trying to get me to write even more than I already do, hence the contemporaries that I wrote. They were fun and certainly I loved writing the love scenes between the character. Star Attraction and Ghost from the Past also have a strong suspense element in them, along with Heart’s Desire too, to a certain extent. So that was a challenge and those three books sort of grabbed the limelight.

Q. Yes, what was that story you told about Ghost?
A. Oh, yes, we were all in a critique forum where you post a chapter at a time and everyone helps with grammar and so on. Well, I posted the first chapter and I had about 10 emails saying, “Oh, goodness, what happens next.” You’re only supposed to post one chapter a month to get one critique a month, but everyone said to put up Chapter 2. Then 3. Then 4.

By Chapter 6 the whole list decided to suspend their usual business to do my book because they couldn’t wait to see what happened next. It was very embarrassing but also very gratifying to get such a huge response. Now I know how Charles Dickens felt when he found out that people were lining the shores on either side of the harbor to get the next chapters of his novels.

Q. It certainly is a ripping tale, as you’d say.
A. And one that was well before its time, sadly, in terms of the world we live in now.

Q. Yes, a powerful biological weapon, extremists in the Middle East, very scary stuff in that book, and yet you wrote it long before 9/11.
A. True.

Q. And the heroine–she walks right into a spider web and wow, does she have a lot of hard decisions to make.
A. But she sure kicks butt in the end.

Q. (Laughs) Yes, another really unlikely heroine who rises to the occasion.
A. Well, who can say what any of us would be capable of doing to save the people we love?

Q. Too true. So let’s go back to The Sea of Love. If I’m not mistaken, Sea of Love was your first published romance?
A. That’s right. And first written one too. Sometimes that is not always the case. So, I read a single line from a history book one day when I was in the college library and the rest as they say, was history. I got the book done in less than 6 months and found a publisher within a week after the first polish of the novel. I tweaked it a bit for subsequent new editions, but yes, it was the first and the reviews and reception I got encouraged me to start writing even more.

Q. Was that hard?
A. Oh yeah. As I tell aspiring writers, the only thing harder than your first book is your second, then your third and fourth. If you have a hit on your hands, the second book is probably going to suffer a lot by the comparison. Not so much of a hit, well, you’re going to be in even more trouble if it’s not good to great.
The third book is going to be make or break one way or the other and the fourth had better be spectacular, because if it isn’t, your writing career will probably fizzle, because either the first house will have dropped you and you need to find a new one, or your book contract is over and you need to come up with something attention-grabbing enough that will get them to keep you on.

Q. Wow, I never thought of it that way.
A. A lot of writers just think of the first book, and usually the New York Times Bestseller’s list in the same breath.

Q. (Laughs) Totally true.
A. I look at your books and I see the same thing, a good steady progression in books 1 through three, clear writing talent, then in books 4 and five you took off like a meteor.

Q. Uh-oh, sounds like you’re trying to interview me now.
A. Well, I think it’s only fair. (Winks)

Q. Next time for sure. For now let me just say thanks for taking time from your
busy schedule to talk with us.
A-My pleasure. Thank you and all my readers for adoring the Rakehell series
so much, and all my other books.

Q-With more to come soon, we hope?
A-Oh, yes, certainly! Ciao for now.