1. How long have you wanted to write?

Forever. I’ve been scribbling short stories and poems since I was in elementary school, but it was in high school that I decided that writing novels was what I wanted to do with my life. So, in undergrad and graduate school, I studied literature and creative writing in the hopes of one day being a published author. But it wasn’t until I stayed home with my second son, a preemie with very bad lungs who couldn’t go to daycare, that I wrote my first novel, Full Exposure.

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2. How do you get ideas for your books? How do you know if they are viable?

I always start a novel by deciding who my main characters are and what they do for a living. Then I try to figure out what the main conflicts are-internal and external. From there, it’s just a matter of finding a story that will suit them and their baggage (and God knows, my characters have a lot of baggage!)

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3. Do you think writing contests really work?

Seeing as I got published because of a writing contest, I might be the wrong person to ask. My novel, A Christmas Wedding, took second place in the Harlequin Everlasting Love contest two years ago. As a direct result of that, the wonderful Beverley Sotolov bought my book and started me on the incredible journey to publication.

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4. Some of your love scenes are very racy. Do you really do everything you write about?

Ummm…no comment.

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5. How do you teach, write and juggle life with three young sons?

Very carefully. Thankfully, I’m a quick writer, so that’s half the battle right there. But it isn’t easy finding time away from homework, sports events, cooking, cleaning, grading essays, teaching and generally being a good wife, mother and professor to write. But I’m a much happier person when I’m writing, so my family is usually pretty good about giving me a few hours every day to do just that. Usually, being the operative word here.

I try to write three hours a day, with a minimum word count of 3000. Of course, some days life interferes and that just isn’t possible, but I do try—even if I have to get up at four-thirty in the morning to do it.

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6. Do you like hearing from your readers?

I love hearing from people who read my stories. Whether they want to talk about my characters, lament over a scene or discuss the places I set my novels, I absolutely love getting e-mails.