Here are some of the questions I've been asked
about writing and the writer's life:

Q:  Where do you get your ideas?

A: My ideas come from almost anywhere; a piece of
music, a painting, bits of overheard conversation, a scene
from a movie or facts from a book. My second book, Lord
Rotham's Wager, was originally titled 'The Fan Lottery.'
While doing research, I read that a ritual popular during
balls held in the Georgian period was a sort of fan lottery.
Ladies threw their fans on a table and the men chose a
fan. The lady then became the gentleman's partner for the
next dance. I loved that idea and knew I wanted to use it
in a book. Of course, the hero would choose the heroine's
fan. But then all sorts of questions arose. Would this be
the first time the hero and heroine had ever met? What
happened after their dance? Or what if the fan lottery
actually went a step further and it was a marriage lottery-
my hero would be obligated to marry owner of the fan. But
why would he have to marry her? Had he made a wager?
And what if the hero and heroine had met before and now
detested each other? But why did he choose her
particular fan? By the time I'm done with the questions I
hope I have a plot. I did for Lord Rotham's Wager, but
sometimes the idea just doesn't work and I either discard
it or put it away for another time.

Q: Don't romance writers use a formula?

A: A similar question-don't you just write the same book
over and over again? I figure that people who ask me this
haven't ever read a romance! There is no 'formula' for writing
romances. Different romance lines do ask for specific word
counts. Mills and Boon Historical romances need to be
between 75,000-85,000 words. That works out to around
300-340 double-spaced type-written pages. Short
contemporary romances are usually about 55,000 words.
Lines differ in their sensuality requirements. A few kisses
are about as far as the hero and heroine go in the 'sweet'
romance lines.  On the other hand, in some lines, the
sensuality is so hot the book nearly burns your hand

Other than that the only 'formula' is to write an emotionally
satisfying story about a man and a woman and the
obstacles they must overcome to truly learn to love each
other.

Q: How many hours a day do you spend
writing?  How long does it take you to write a
book?

A: I will confess right away that there are days when
I don't write at all. I usually take a short break
between finishing a book and starting the next one.
Sometimes the needs of my family are very intense
and I must put my writing aside. I usually write about
three hours a day but as I get towards the end of a
book I tend to increase my writing time. It usually
takes me about nine months to finish a book.

Q: How do you research your books?

A: I have a bookshelf full of reference books related to the Regency
period of England. Some are general reference books and others cover
specific topics such as Regency gardens. I also have books on
costume, architecture, English history, furnishings and houses. I read
books written by such authors as Jane Austen. I also belong to the
Jane Austen Society of North America. We're fortunate to have a
wonderful group of writers who belong to the Beaumonde, the Regency
special interest chapter of RWA. They have so much knowledge about
details of life during that period and willingly share it with other authors.
I've gained a great deal of general knowledge about the period from my
reading and don't need to look up every detail of costume, language,
social customs, etc. when I write. I sometimes write about topics I
know very little about. For instance, in my most current manuscript,
the hero and heroine play billiards in one scene. I knew enough to
realize they probably didn't use hard plastic colored balls but that was
it.  I asked the on-line members of the Beaumonde if they had any
references and sure enough, several members had already researched
the topic. I also found a couple of books in the library that dealt with
the history of billiards and found a very comprehensive website as well.

See the Regency Resource page for some of my favorite research
sources.

Q: Do you write only when you're inspired or feel
creative?

A: If I did that, I'd probably never finish a book! There are
those wonderful days when the words seem to flow and I'm
so involved in the book I hardly notice anything else. And
then there are other days when cleaning the bathroom tile
with a toothpick sounds like more fun. On those days, my
characters seem to be yawning their way through each
scene and I'll find myself staring at the same sentence over
and over. I was relieved to learn most writers have the same
struggles.

Their advice: write anyway, even if you think it's the most
worthless thing you've ever done. At least you have
something to fix. With a blank page you don't have anything
to work with at all.

Q: Where can I get one of your books?

A: One of my favorite questions!  My books are
originally published in the UK. They can be
ordered through amazon.co.uk.  I'm thrilled to
report my first book, A Bargain With Fate, was
published in the U.S. under Harlequin's Reader's
Choice program in November 2001. My second
book, Lord Rotham's Wager, will be published in
the U.S. in April 2002, as a Harlequin Historical.