In December 2007

Questions have been asked at the various chats I have been in. I don't remember who asked what, but here are my answers...

How did you meet your significant other?	For those who don’t believe in second chances, guess again. My first marriage was a disaster and abusive. The man I’m happily married to is my second husband and my ex-husband’s former best friend who liked to say keep your friends close and your enemies closer. He took me away, helped me get divorced then married me. We’ve had our ups and down, but I wouldn’t trade a single moment because each down inspired countless ups. I met him in December 1981, was rescued by him in April 1982 and married him in April 1986. Someone once asked if I could change history, would I do so to avoid the abusive ex at the risk of losing the man I’m married to or would I repeat everything, including the abusive ex just to get back into the arms of my hero. The answer is yes, I would repeat everything because the man I love is forever the knight of my heart. Nice book title…I wonder if he’d like to be immortalized. To this day I believe that not having endured what I did might not have led to being where I am. Was it worth it? Yeah, he was and is worth it all. I condensed it, but the book idea is still floating… Hubby just brought me a coffee refill and I told him about what I wrote. He arched an eyebrow and asked how much detail the loves scenes will have. I just grinned. He sighed, shook his head and walked away with a chuckle. He told me to stop bragging on him.
Who was the last person to put their arm around you?	My best friend of twenty-six years who also happens to be my husband.
Do you still talk to the person you kissed last?	Oh yeah and he’s a good one.
Have you ever punched a tree?	nope, no fun in pain, well most pain.
Do you believe that if you want something bad enough you'll get it?	yes. Believing is half the battle.
Have you tried ecstasy?	nope. Never liked the idea of anything that controlled my mind or body, unless it was me or hubby.
Have you ever sneaked out of your house?	as a teen yes, oh you mean now, then the answer is no.
Kill or Be killed?	I have a husband and daughter I will not let anything take me away from so yes, I would kill if faced with the choice.
Never sleep or never eat?	I truly cannot answer this one.
Who was the last person you couldn't take your eyes off?	My husband. When wants my attention, he has this little knack for getting it.
When was the last time you and your mate made out at the drive-in or parked on Lover's Lane?	The last time we parked, it was at our apt complex in 1993 and we didn’t get very far when the manage caught us. The first last time we parked, it was in NC on a hill overlooking the city lights and we simply talked more than anything. That was the night I said I had to leave and he asked if I wanted a taxi. I told him I couldn’t afford it. He patted the dashboard of his 1973 Olds CS and called her my personal taxi, driver included.
Would you ever get a tattoo?	Have one, small butterfly.
Who was the last person you had a dream about?	One of my characters who is demanding his story told.
Are you a morning person or a night person?	Night.
What's the meanest thing you've ever done to someone?	Honestly, I have no idea. I do tell people never ask what you don’t want to know because sometimes the truth is brutal and you cannot soften it without a lie and I hate lies.
Do you snore?	Don’t we all?
What would you do if you opened up your front door to a dead body?	Presuming it’s no one I know, close the door, hope it gets up and walks away, reopen the door, rediscover the body, hope it doesn’t sit up and scowl, call 911 and consider it all just one more dramatic thing life challenged me to face.
Are you there for your friends?	24/7 and yes, I have driven several hundred miles to help a few.
Are you a forgiving person?	Hurt me, yes, hurt those I love and my vengeance can be pure evil.
Do you walk with your eyes open or closed?	In reality, open because I have to see what’s coming at me. In my dreams, closed because I command them…unless it’s a character. *grrr…*.
When someone takes a piece of your work to read and review what is it that you truly want someone who knows absolutely nothing about you personally, will interpret it from their perspective and a set of core values set long before they had any say about it, and even though they may wish to remain unbiased will be unable to go against ingrained prejudices set when they were smaller, to see, to pick up from your work?	My response to any review is to tell that reviewer thank you for taking their time to review my story and that I appreciate their honesty, words and time. I believe that a reviewer’s opinion is just that, an opinion. I value that of a reader just as much, sometimes more, than a reviewer’s. What one might get from one piece work, another might not. Not everyone is going to like what I write and that’s what makes being a writer risky, but also rewarding. The only thing I hope anyone gains out of my stories is how powerful love can be, how long it can last, how strong a weakness is, how weak a strength is, the oddities behind coincidence, how time, destiny and fate all play an integral part in chances, opportunities and the magic of soul mates and a smile. To know someone laughed, cried, gasped or had any emotional reaction at all, to know my story deeply touched or is destined for a keeper shelf or a re-read, is the greatest compliments at all.
New genres? I'd love to know if you're experimenting on page length as well. Do you follow your muse or let what's popular dictate what you write? Is there a genre that you would NEVER consider? Just wondering.....	I write romance in sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal and even a contemporary (didn’t know I did it till it was done lol). I cannot write anything not romance and never anything non-fiction. Page length experimentation? Yeah, where to split that 300k book! LOL As for writing popular or by the muse. By the muse, ever time. I wish I had just one muse or even two or three to deal with, but on this end, it’s all characters. When a new story starts, new characters enter. It’s a learning process with each book. When someone like Nyan says, “I would not say that.” I listen.
What is your favorite romantic movie? Romantic song? Romantic book?	Any Disney movie. Songs, wow, mostly old slow 80’s or Hairband ballads as they were called. Romantic book…far too many to list.
Favorite love scene?	One number should answer that one…300.
Could you write a children's book?	Um, no. After A Cry in the Night with Ditmyer and A Heart’s Chance with Mikeli, no, I could never write a children’s book.
Sexiest men?	One day, I'm going to make a list of men I want to find under my tree, or anywhere else in my life for that matter. Hmmm, Sam Elliot, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Bruce Willis, Gerard Butler, Clive Owen, Brad Pitt (only as Achilles), Hugh Jackman, Michael J Fox (he's just so adorable), okay that's enough. LOL
How many ebooks do you read a month?	At least five.
Favorite thing to give or receive as a gift?	Time.
If you could go anywhere in the world for a romantic weekend, where would you go and why?	North Carolina to do some gem mining because it was something hubby and I did on our way south.
Most unusual surprise you've ever received from a friend or SO?	A necklace, well, first it was this really huge box and in it was a box with a box and, well there were like dozen boxes and they kept shrinking until I got the last one that was no bigger than a few inches, but inside it was the beautiful heart locket engraved with my initials and the words ‘I love you’. That was on my birthday the year my hubby and I got together.
In your opinion, who is the sexiest man or woman ever? Is it their voice or their looks or their actions that makes them sexy?	Other than my hubby…hmmm, Sam Elliot with that sexy smile and slow drawl.

How do friends and family feel about your writing?	They are very supportive about my writing.
Has your life changed much since you became a writer?	Yes, I’ve met people I value highly that I would have never know otherwise.
Do you have any WIPs that you can tell us about?	The Cursed Hit and The Blessed Return are currently undergoing heavy edits to bring them up to today’s writing so they can be published.
When you're not writing, how do you like to spend your time?	Tending the family, pets and house.
Apart from writing, what are your other passions in life?	My family for without them, I wouldn’t have submitted my first story.
Who has been your biggest influence, as far as your writing is concerned?	My husband. He threw down the right challenge at the right time to get me moving. He just knows what buttons to push, when and how.
Do you have an inspirational quote that you live by?	Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. On a side note: life does like to fill in the blanks.
How did you feel when you received your first contract?	Shocked and stunned then the excitement set in.
What project for 2008 are you most excited about?	I’m leaning toward getting what I have written scanned over so I can give it to my editor.
What would you say are the three essential ingredients for a hero?	Strength tempered with the ability to bend when the need arises, knowledge of many things, but not even close to everything and at least one weakness in conjunction with a heart that can rule him.
Do you give your heroines, any of your own characteristics?	On occasion, one or two will slip in, but it’s not intentional.
Do you ever sneak friends and family into your stories as characters without them knowing?	Are kidding? No way. They read what I write and I’d be caught for sure. I have crossed several traits of my father and some of my husband, in A Second Chance as a way of honoring my father.
What are the four most important items that you keep on your desk?	Pens, post it notes, coffee or tea and a collection of figures consisting of a fairy, dragon with sword, mounted black knight, white tiger, baby dragon and Maleficent (my favorite villain from Disney, she’s such an inspiration at times). One day I plan to add a few more fantasy figures.
What does your writing area look like?	There honestly is no other description except organized clutter.

Would you rather go without chocolate or sex?	Chocolate is decadent, but I will not live without sex.
What if you find yourself single and dateless for several years?	I'd find a way to get one of those living dolls. They never make a mess, never argue and are always where you want them.
Favorite perfume?	I loved Magical Musk, but haven’t found it in decades. frown My personal favorite at the moment is Sunflower because it smells so fresh, or Primo because it’s flashy and flirty, then fades. Makes for a quick attention getter for hubby. LOL Above all, I love Sandalwood essential oil because it’s so subtle.
Favorite to read?	Paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy……..anything romance!
Tibetan personality test says...	Okay, interesting results. The defined priorities in my life are: Pride, Family, Career, Love, Money. Descriptions of: My personality-lovable, my partner-arrogant, my enemies-sneaky, interpretation of sex-delicious, my own life-freedom. My partner is my twin soul, my best friend is someone I really love, my daughter is someone I will remember for the rest of my life, one of my sisters I will never forget and the other is considered a true friend. Now, the question is, just how true is it? LOL
Why do you think paranormal (s.f. and fantasy) is so popular in the erotica genre?	Because it’s a door to another realm, a door into a domain filled the unknown. As much as I, and possibly many others, fear waling into the unknown with danger, there’s just something about opening a book and letting the heroine do it for us knowing the hero is right there. As for the sex, I try to put the emotion in it because I want love scenes, not just sex scenes. I want the characters to feel and I want the reader to pick up on that feeling. Hope that makes sense. A reader said: Makes perfect sense, and you've succeeded in your aim with your characters!