That's easy. When I first learned to hold a pencil. Seriously about aged 9. I even published my own book in grade 4. It was all about bees. I sold exactly one copy - to my teacher.

I love sexy, sensual stories about adventurous men and women in any genre. I've written more contemporary romantica stories than historical. A Very Modern Lady was my first ever historical and I loved it. I'll be writing more historicals in the future.

Unfortunately, publishing is very precarious these days. It's not like the 80's when the advances were big and the sub-genres were small. Today, writers are writing more and more and getting less and less. You really have to work your butt off to make a living at it. I've always been a "don't put all your eggs in one basket" kind of person. I personally know of several writers who were devastated both financially and creatively by the collapse of houses and lines within houses. I say, take advantage of whatever you can.

Having too many stories in your head and not enough time to develop them all. Also, my friends and family had to get used to my writing schedule. It took them a while but now they understand that this is my "business" not just some cute little hobby. You have to take yourself seriously or no one else is going to.

Me. And my spouse. When I decided to take the plunge and write full time, we both knew it would be a big financial adjustment. We learned to live without a lot of luxuries we simply took for granted in the past. No more eating out, going to movies, using only one car, economizing. My spouse supports me in every way and that's a great load off my shoulders. Of course, my end of the bargain is that I have to sit at my desk in my office everyday and write for a specified number of hours. It's discipline and hard work - something I learned from my parents at a very early age.

It varies. A minimum of three to a maximum of 12. Depends on what I'm working on, where I am in the manuscript process.

Certainly! Winnifred Percy is a New York heiress in 1902. Her father, a wealthy lawyer, wants to keep up with the Jones - or the Vanderbilts - so he's auctioned his daughter's dowry off to an impoverished member of the British aristocracy, a common practice in the late 19th century and into the 20th century. Winnifred's dowry is the result of a legacy from one of her father's late clients, a wealthy New Orleans brothel owner named Louise Desjardin. According to the terms of Louise' will, Winnifred will receive the bulk of the estate when she turns 21 or is married.

David Knightsbridge, Lord Wolshingham, is the chosen husband. He's no more fond of the arrangement than Winnifred but is in desperate need of her money to save his family estate, Knightsbriar. Winn is determined not to see the marriage go through and decides to deter her fiancé by demonstrating she is not the meek, dutiful wife David expects. She learns to smoke, ride a bike, sing raucous ditties and embarrass David by her unladylike knowledge of sex. The problem is that Winn knows absolutely nothing about sex and what she learns are third hand rumors, whispered wives-tales or what she's seen by sneaking off to the Coney Island boardwalk. (Some of Winn's naive ideas about sex include the fear that David will eat her cat Josephine as part of some strange male sexual orientation - translated, she reads about a man eating a woman's pussy and takes it literally!)

She stumbles on Louise Desjardin's brothel diary (written in French) and decides that instead of regaling David with Shakespeare sonnets, she'll read from the diary even though she doesn't have a clue what she's reading. But she does know that it's naughty and will, therefore, render her an unsuitable bride for the traditional Lord W.

But, of course, her plan backfires, the evening deteriorates and the relationship unfolds. The fun is in watching Winn learn about life, David learn about Winn and the two of them learning that love has nothing to do with money.

I'm working on books two and three in the Rougemont Legacy. The Rougemont is the name of the New Orleans brothel owned by Louise Desjardin. The idea of the trilogy is that over the century, three women will encounter the diary and their lives will change because of it.

I cut my teeth on category romance, Dixie Browning, Jayne Ann Krentz, Linda Howard, Jude Devereaux, they all started in category. They are also great storytellers. I also read the old Zebra historicals - I have a weakness for swashbucklers (as evidenced by my umpteen viewings of 'Pirates Of The Caribbean'.) Later, when they went single title, I went with them. I still read a lot of Karin Robards, Bertrice Small, Virginia Henley.

Advances - any kind. Big ones. But seriously…I believe the fight for acceptance next to print books is a good fight far from over. We need to get into the big chain stores. I think that e-books will eventually evolve the way records-to-cd's-to-mp3's have. You used to walk into a chain record shop and by an LP of say, Elton John, now you stroll into HMV and pick up a CD. I think e-books should be marketed the same way, on disk, next to the print versions. Same boilerplate contract, same advances, same royalties. Not only that, you can put more books on a disk cheaper than you can manufacture them in print. I once told a skeptic to imagine carting around 20 hardback books, on vacation, on the subway, in transit. Now imagine those same 20 books compressed onto two or three disks. Makes a person think twice.

A three step "secret handshake" that I heard a long time ago in an RWA conference workshop given by Nora Roberts: 1) apply butt to chair, 2) apply fingers to keyboard, 3) apply mind to story. Keep in mind that writing is hard work and you'll keep on the "write" path.

See above. Seriously. Try. Try harder. Keep trying until someone says 'yes.'
Oh, and learn from your mistakes. Get better. With each manuscript. Just when you think, 'gee, I've done the best I can with this story,' do a better job with the next one. Also, never fall in love with your own words. Some of the best prose I think I've ever written is now stored in a 'notes' file because an editor said it didn't belong in the story. And guess what? She was absolutely right. I might use that prose in another book, but not the one I might sell to this editor. Always be willing to edit. The publisher really does know best.

Summer - gardening. Winter - skiing. I don't have a lot of time for anything else outside my office. My garden gives me a chance to think. Usually when I'm stuck on a plot point or a character attribute the solution will nearly always come to me when I'm up to my elbows in manure. My skiing just gives me a chance to cut loose and burn up some of the stored physical energy I have from sitting at my desk all day. I also swim and work out. The physical activity helps to clear my head.

I'm a Gemini - both minds are always filled with ideas. The well is never dry. I think that's my strongest attribute. My weakest? I'm a Gemini - my disciplined side wars with my lazy, fun loving side. I have an evil twin who likes to lure me out on warm, sunny days when I know darned well I have a manuscript to finish. Recently I had to meet a deadline while suffering through a painful root canal. I sent my evil twin to bed with an aspirin.

So far, it's Winnifred Percy. She's sassy, adventurous, willing to take risks. I think she defines her time in the century. However, my heroine from book two, Giselle Fornier, is a character of my heart. She is a shy, retiring soul whose quiet strength enables her to look death in the face and save lives. All my heroines have inner strength traits. I model them after my late great-grandmother, a modern woman of WWI, advocate for women's rights (including birth control) and a successful businesswoman when women didn't run businesses. She always told me I could do anything I wanted, things her generation couldn't do or things she had to fight to be able to do. I believe we should all stop and heave a big sigh of 'thank you' to all our mothers and grandmothers who fought and sacrificed for the freedoms we now enjoy.