Jude Deveraux (I strongly urge any fan of the true romance novel to read A Knight in Shining Armor), Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Janis Reams Hudson.  These women are excellent writers whose books taught me more about storytelling than a quarter-long writing class in college did. Once Arabesque and Avon started publishing African-American romance, I found favorite authors who wrote about characters who looked like me: Beverly Jenkins, Angela Benson and Eboni Snoe.

The short answer is I finished a novel and submitted it to several publishers and one publisher – BET Books/Arabesque – finally took the bait. The long answer is... very long. I spent a few years submitting various novels to various publishers and getting my mountain of rejection letters. I eventually stumbled across Angela Benson’s website. I emailed her to let her know how much I enjoyed her novels and mentioned that I was a writer. She wrote me back and told me that Kensington/Arabesque (at that time) was looking for African-American romance writers. I queried Kensington and was asked to send in the full manuscript, which I immediately did. Unfortunately for me, I submitted my manuscript around the same time that ownership of the Arabesque line switched from Kensington to BET. Since several long, excruciating months passed and I hadn’t heard anything from Arabesque, I wrote to the publisher asking the fate of my manuscript. I was told that my full manuscript had gotten lost in the shuffle during the transfer. I was asked to re-send in my full manuscript, which I did. A short time later, I got "the call." Whoo-hoo! The whole process took about a year, but that is not normal.

It takes me about two to three months to write the first draft of a novel. This first draft is filled with typos, plot inconsistencies and (sometimes) major plot changes in the middle of the manuscript, but I just plow through this first draft before my muse decides to go play somewhere else. After the first draft is completed, the more arduous, less-fun part of writing begins. Revisions. I read through the manuscript and try to clean up the entire mess so it makes some sort of sense. I then print out a hard copy and read through it again for the more academic revision process – grammar and spelling. The revision process can take a month or more, depending on my schedule. Then I ship the whole thing to my editor, who more than likely has her own revisions and/or comments, which leads to more revisions that I’m not including in my grand total of time. From start to finish, if I have the time to work on the book straight through, it probably takes me four to six months.

I would love to complete the Riley family trilogy that started with Cary (in Love Undercover) and Logan (in When I Fall in Love) and give their sister, Maggie, her own story, but Maggie has not been cooperating with me. With two brothers like Cary and Logan, it’s very hard to find a man who can live up to Maggie’s high standards. I keep throwing men at Maggie and she keeps turning up her nose at them. I’m still trying to find a man she’ll accept and, hopefully, Maggie’s story will be published soon.

Nope, but if you know any single crowned princes with a small nation at his disposal (like Davis in A Royal Vow), give me a call.

I never have an answer to this question because my novels are like children – I can’t love one more than the other. On the other hand, I love each novel I’ve written for different reasons. For example, Love Undercover holds a special place in my heart because it was the first novel I had published. A Royal Vow is just as special to me because it was the non-traditional, Romancing the Stone romance novel that I always looked for on the bookshelves, but rarely found. I could list a different reason for each book to be my favorite.

Not intentionally, but my sister told me that Jake, the inn owner in Love Undercover, was obviously modeled after my grandfather (it was news to me!), and a friend insists that I modeled the structure of the extended Weston clan from When I Fall in Love on her step-family.

My overactive imagination (I can disappear into my own world very easily, which has caused me to sit at a stop sign waiting for the "light" to turn green). Hearing strangers, friends or family talk about anything from the color of the sky to eating at a new restaurant. Classes. Classic fairytales, like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast, that I like to do with my own twist.

Romance Writers of America has a great website, full of information for members and readers at www.rwanational.org. The review sites I frequently visit to check out the buzz on new books I plan to buy are www.romanceincolor.com, www.theromancereader.com, www.rawsistaz.com and www.sormag.com. A romance author site that I regularly browse for news and plain fun belongs to my good friend, Reon Laudat, at www.reonlaudat.com.

I write books about a man and a woman trying to find true love and acceptance in this insane world. If that is considered trash then mark me down under the "trashy writer" column.

Uh... I have no input on the covers of my books, but if it’s your dream, find a way and do it.