How long have you been writing? What and/or who inspired you to write?  

I wrote my first novel at age ten on notebook paper, bound with orange yarn. It was called Shelton and her Huskies. The story was awful, but I knew I had a passion to write even then. No one in particular inspired me, but I loved to read from an early age.

How did you come up with the premise for this book? Do you generally write romantic suspense or do you vary your genres? 

The idea for Family Secrets came to me one night, with the hero and heroine's names even- Crystal and Jack. Usually I struggle to find the perfect names! I enjoy reading romantic suspense and that's the genre of my novels so far. I've sold several short stories that have paranormal elements, but all are romance.

Both protagonists in Family Secrets are flawed individuals and you did an outstanding job making them real and sympathetic. Why did you choose to portray their flaws so realistically?  Are they based on anyone you know? 

Neither Crystal nor Jack is based on anyone I know. I wanted them to be real characters, attractive and likable, but in order to make them real I knew they had to have flaws. Smoking is a particularly fun thing to write, it gives the characters something to do with their hands!

Family Secrets’ plot had lots of unusual twists and turns and the ending was particularly surprising.  Did you find it difficult to maintain the high level of suspense throughout the book? 

Thanks for appreciating the level of suspense! It is tricky to keep things hopping sometimes, and often I don't know what's going to happen until I'm writing and an idea comes to me. I could never write the ending of a book first, because the story changes as I write it.

How do you develop your ideas, does the same thing inspire all your stories?  

I spend a lot of time mulling ideas over in my head. Not sure what inspires me exactly, sometimes a song or a photo. Sometimes I'll lay awake at night figuring out a scene. Trying to remember it the next day is always fun!

Have you always written romance? Is there any particular sub-genre of romance that interests you the most?  

So far everything I've written has been romance. I've gotten into the erotica market with my short stories and an erotic novella trilogy. The first book of the trilogy will be out in November from LoveStruck Books. I love the paranormal genre, too. I've written ghosts, vampires and even a sexy genie in a bottle ("I prefer to be called Eugene!")  I'm considering dipping my toe in the horror market as well. I love horror novelists Louise Bohmer, Nancy Jackson and Katherine Smith.

What influenced you to get published?

I've wanted to see my name on a book for as long as I can remember. I tried the traditional route and discovered it's not easy to get a foot in the door with the big boys! It took several years to figure that out.

How long did it take you to get your first book published? How is being published in electronic different from being published in print? 

I tried for a couple years to get my first book in with an agent. Once I discovered epublishing it took less than a month for my first sale—though I must admit that original first book never did sell!

Often a writer's first book is the toughest to write. Was this true for you? If it wasn't the first, which one was the most difficult to write? The easiest?  

The first book I wrote for serious publishing consideration was called Immediate Attraction. I took it from over a hundred thousand words to a neat and tidy 70K, but it still had numerous problems. It was probably the toughest. I'm sure I spent the most amount of time on it, trying to mold it into something someone wanted! Family Secrets was about the third novel I wrote, the first romantic suspense. I found the twists and turns in it very fun to write. The erotic novellas I'm doing now are really fun, too!

Do you usually outline your stories before you write them, or do you "go with the flow"?  

I use a character outline that describes a little about the main characters. This gets even more important when writing sequels, gotta keep track of lots of things! I do a rough outline of events, but as I start to write it changes.
 
Your characters come to life in your books. Do you feel each of your characters live with you as you write? Do their lives sometimes take over a part of your life? Can you give an example? 

They are definitely in my head the whole time I'm writing. Almost like friends. I'm not sure they've ever taken over my life, but I've spent countless hours thinking about them!

Most authors are also avid readers. Is this the case with you?  If so, who are some of your favorites?

As with most writers, I love to read. You almost have to love it, in order to go through what it takes to become an author. I like crime dramas by authors John Sandford, Mary Higgins Clark, Stuart Woods, Patricia Cornwell, Robert Tanenbaum, and Karin Slaughter. For romance I'd say Nora Roberts.

Have any of your favorite authors influenced your writing?

Nora Roberts was the first romance author who took me into the bedroom rather than shutting the door on the sex scenes. I liked that! Stuart Woods has a good sense of humor and writes sarcastic heroes. I like that, too.

Has anything influenced you from movies or television?
 

My favorite movies are scary ones! That's why I think I might try my hand at writing horror. When you write erotica, you find most romantic movies pretty tame. Unless you're watching with your sixteen year old son, and then everything is embarrassing.

Do you find it difficult at times to write love/sex scenes? 

Are you kidding? Those are my favorite scenes to write! The difficult thing is to not get caught up in clichés. My characters smile at each other-- a lot-- in the first drafts! And I have a tendency to overuse 'deeply'! I love to write heartfelt, emotional scenes.

Have you ever suffered from "writer's block"?  If so, what did you do to get out if it?

Every now and then I get stuck. I'm usually working on a couple things at once, and if I switch to the other story that gives me a break, and allows me to think about the first one some more. 

Do you ever expect your books to become popular? If so, what need do you expect your books to fulfill for readers?  

Of course I'd like to think my work could become popular! Let's face it, I'm not writing War and Peace. But if I can write something that gives people an enjoyable escape for a couple hours, I think that's pretty good. And if they say, "What else has she written?" then that's wonderful!
 

Can you give us a brief synopsis of your upcoming material?  

My vampire story comes out in August from Midnight Showcase, it's called Nightshade Inn. In September Aphrodite's Apples is publishing a Masquerade anthology including my story Water Lily. In October I'll have a story called Sweet Reunion in Whiskey Creek Press-Torrid's anthology, Fall Fires. December brings two Christmas anthologies: Candy Cane Kisses in WCPT's Christmas Candy, and Night Magic in MS's Spellfire Seasons. I'll also have two sets of short stories called Torrid Teasers in January and March from WCPT. 

Are you working on anything else right now and if so, can you tell us about it? 

I'm just finishing the third book in my erotic novella trilogy. Nothing to Lose comes out in November, Worth the Risk in February, and Having it All in May, 2007. The second book in my "Family" series is titled Family Ties. It's the story of Brady Marshall, Jack's partner and friend from Family Secrets. I have a third book outlined featuring Detective Melanie Curtis.  

Any final advice to aspiring authors? 

Find a good critique partner or two who will help you edit your stuff before submitting. A lot is riding on that initial presentation. And never give up. Rejection stings but signing contracts is so much fun!

Do you have anything to add? 

I'd like to thank my wonderful publishers for giving me a break! LoveStruck Books, Whiskey Creek Press- Torrid, Aphrodite's Apples, Midnight Showcase and Forbidden Publications. I'd also like to thank the author friends I've made in my journey so far, their support has been invaluable. And of course a big thank you to Love Romances for their reviews and to Leah for this interview! For more information about my work, please visit my website at www.jamiehill.biz