Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Deborah Boyer. Thanks for being here today Deborah, welcome to FAR!

My pleasure, Tammy, and thank you for the interview. Since FAR gave me the first review I ever received, I have a particular soft spot for the website.

Could you tell readers a little bit about your current release, Rock Paper Scissors?

I used to envy authors who talked about 'books of the heart', stories that practically wrote themselves, and wish I could tap into something half so awe-inspiring. Then I set out to write a novella about the difference between intimacy and sex, and discovered exactly what a book of your heart means. Not only did the characters in Rock Paper Scissors become very real for me, they refused to shut up, constantly invaded my dreams and interrupted almost all non-writing trains of thought when I was awake.

Two years later, the novella had become an intricate novel spanning more than twenty years and three relationships. Although the younger man angle had been planned, the twins showed up unannounced, and I can't say I'm sorry they did. In all honesty, I remain amazed that a book which received such high praise from readers and reviewers alike, spouted from my little old brain!

When writing, do you adhere to a strict writing schedule or wait until the muse hits you?

For the past five years, I've written at least a few hours every weekday and on the weekends when time permits and the muse struck strong. Unfortunately, my husband was diagnosed with Stage III non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in early February, and his subsequent chemotherapy makes it difficult to maintain a schedule. But things are progressing extremely well for him, and I hope to be back in the daily groove by the end of summer.

Do you have a favorite author or all-time favorite book and why?

Like potato chips, I could never narrow the books I love to just one.

Although my favorite authors change from time to time, right now they're Sue Miller and Megan Hart.

Ms. Miller's mainstream, literary women's fiction not only captures, but pulses with all those complex, evocative and compelling emotions we equate with being female. If you're not familiar with her work, I recommend The World Below as an introduction.

Ms. Hart builds imaginative, believable worlds. Her characters are not only interesting and layered, but the sex is delicious and infused with just the right amount of naughty fun. If you're not familiar with her work, I recommend starting with Passion Model, and its sequel, Driven.

Is there any one book out there that you read that you could say, I want to write like that some day? Or, did you just decide that someday you wanted to write books?

I've been writing since I was 14 and can't remember ever wanting to write like anyone else. The impetus for writing with an eye toward publication, though, didn't come until my mid-30's, when I emerged from a shattering life crisis. I discussed with a friend how, as bad as everything else had been, my relationship with my husband never faltered, and he remained my rock. She threw down a gauntlet, insisted I write a piece of erotica with a long-term marriage as the cornerstone.

I had never done full-blown sex scenes before and as a result, the first story I wrote sucked eggs better than appendages. Not one to give up without some sort of battle, eventually I managed to meet my girlfriend's challenge, and Cycles became the first story I sold.

Could you tell us more about Still Life in Chocolate?

Although published first, I actually wrote Still Life in Chocolate about a year after I finished Rock Paper Scissors. I've had readers ask if I intend Still Life to be a sequel, and the answer is yes and no. Having lived near and downwind of the various chocolate plants in Hershey, I wanted to use that unique atmosphere in a story. Sam Madison, on the other hand, simply refused to leave me alone until I threw him a final ménage bone. So, since Sam combined with the thick fudginess a heat wave in Hershey can create, struck me as a perfect meld, I invited him to have his way with Kes and Rune.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I guess my number one quirk would be rampant metaphors and similes. From the time a high school teacher described them as ways to impart huge information in a small space; I've been fascinated with both tools. Beyond the challenge of twisting hackneyed versions into something fresh, discovering new similarities to use can be just as much of a vocabulary exercise as a challenging crossword puzzle.

What is one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

Some may call it feminist blasphemy, yet my marriage always comes first. And after 27 years, I wouldn't trade even one instance where it did for the reverse.

What can your fans look forward to in the next twelve months from you?

In erotica, a novella with the working title Homebody. When it comes to men, Quinn Kelly thinks a checklist will keep her heart safe--until Simon Hunter breaks her rules.

I'm also working on an autobiographical series of vignettes, Scenes From a Marriage, which stem from my experiences as a cancer caregiver. Overwhelmed by my husband's diagnosis and subsequently dismayed at how few accounts there are from a wife's perspective, I began to memorialize some of the difficulties we must absorb.

In the beginning, I felt very alone and completely unanchored. My hope is to provide some sort of recognizable emotional touchstone, perhaps offer an empathetic chord, for other women in similar straits. I will not seek a publisher, but house the series on my website for free.

In your writing career, have you received any awards or nominations for your work you'd like to tell your fans about?

No awards per se, only glowing reviews for all of my books so far.

How do you keep your ideas fresh and imaginative?

Friends and relatives joke that I have an invisible tattoo on my forehead that says, "talk to me", because strangers love to engage me in lengthy conversations, and tell me things they likely wouldn't tell a member of the clergy offering guaranteed forgiveness.

In reality, despite being cautioned against it as a child, strangers talk to me simply because I talk to them. There's inspiration to be found in every life, every human experience has a story waiting to be told, and all I have to do is figure out what that story is.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Read to your children, especially toddlers! Instill love for the written word early, and books will enrich their lives long after you're gone.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today Deborah! Readers can learn more about Deborah and her books on her website

Interviewed by: Tammy