I was born in New Mexico back in the fifties (she said vaguely), mingling with the aliens and the big bombs.

My family settled in the northwest, where those rainy days led me to read constantly. I grew up with Nancy Drew, Anya Seton, Gene Stratton Porter, Charlotte Bronte, Thomas Hardy, anything to take me Far from the Madding Crowd!

Most of my inspiration comes from old movies, jazz, and real life. Old movies are a gold mine of character exploration. Romantic comedies from the 1930's and 1940's were absolutely amazing in their complexity, simplicity, and subtlety. When you watch a movie like His Girl Friday and listen to the dialogue banter, it's a thing of beauty. Well, it is for me anyway. Just put on Stella Dallas if you want to weep for an hour or The Thin Man series if you want some mystery and comedy mingled! Don't even get me started on Alfred Hitchcock, he was a genius with the medium. And the Selsnick films. Portrait of Jenny, Laura; magnificent! I've logged enough miles on Turner Classic Movies to build a stairway to Paradise.

My first novel titled RISKY BUSINESS was published by Avon Books in 2002 and no, it's not the one with Tom Cruise in his underwear, it's the one with Tom Riley in his underwear thinking he's the world's best imaginary detective. Film Noir was my muse, and it was a great beginning. Five years and seven novels later, I still love the job. My 2005 novel IN THE MOOD was nominated for the Rita Award in single title contemporary. Sitting next to the likes of Jennifer Crusie & Barbara Freethy, I got my taste of the glamorous life of a romance author!

I have been a writer since I was in third grade. Thank you Mrs. Craigrud, for making me the poet laureate of Wilkes Elementary. Poetry was my passion for a very long time. It never occurred to me to write a full length novel until contemporary romantic comedy and women's fiction caught my attention. The first book took me six years, the second book nine months. Now writing is my day job, along with being a mom, which fills up huge amounts of time. I also sing in a choir or two. I have a psychology background, which is helpful for delving into the motivations of the very large cast of characters running around in my head.

Communication is my big thing. Except when I don't want to. LOL – E-mail me or . . .

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And now – she blogs.

I also invented a new word—BLEGGING^©. That's when you beg your friends to comment on your blog.