It is very exciting for us to have you here at Love Romances and More. Please make yourself at home and tell us a bit about yourself. 

What was your journey to becoming an author? 

It all started with those voices in my head <grin>. I’d written stories off and on over the years, but beginning in 1998 a switch flipped in my brain and I HAD to write. I didn’t bother to send my first three books to NY, which seemed a bit of an anathema to my fellow writers. Instead, I decided the best way to determine if my stories had any value was to self-publish. This was in 2001 and at that time self-pub was considered the ugly step-child of publishing. When I look back at those books now, I see a new writer learning her craft. Two of my self-pubbed books received Honorable Mentions for the Daphne du Maurier Award (Kiss of Death Chapter – RWA). That was pretty much the hint that maybe I should do this for real. 

Are there authors or books which inspired you or influenced your writing? 

Terry Pratchett and Jasper Fforde remind me that my creativity is still an apprentice compared to theirs. Anne Perry taught me to love Victorian England in her two mystery series (William Monk and Thomas Pitt). Lilith Saintcrow’s Dante Valentine Series reinforced my theory that all series have a logical endpoint and it is best that you respect that. Her series ended at the perfect point and I appreciate an author who can step away from the temptation to write the same characters forever. 

Is there a method that you use in order to help you slip into the frame of mind to write? 

Fanny in chair, iTunes, cup of hot tea and fingers on keyboard seem to work for me. I used to write ad copy for a living and never had the luxury of waiting for the mood to strike. If I can’t quite get into the moment, I reread what I wrote the previous day and that seems to do it. If it doesn’t, I threaten myself with having to clean a closet or muck out the cat box. That always puts me in the proper mood. 

Your award winning Time Rover series is nothing like any other time travel we have seen before.  How was the premise born? 

I originally wanted to write an erotic romp for Ellora’s Cave, if nothing more than to exercise those naughty writer genes. I set up the premise of a time traveler who mitigates her “time lag” by an endorphin rise (chocolate, sex and exercise). So far so good. This was gonna be a snap. I had everything lined up except my heroine, Jacynda, who promptly told me that she didn’t have time for sex, no matter how hunky the guy, because she was in 1888 to find a missing tourist. “My job comes first, got it?” End of erotic romp. In its place I ended up with a complex mystery leavened with a bit of science fiction and fantasy. I’ve got some wonderful characters, but only a tiny bit of sex. Lots of sexual tension, mind you, but it certainly isn’t erotica by any means. Luckily I listened to Jacynda. She knew best. 

I also wanted to explore the idea of someone from the future framing an innocent for some horrendous crime. What better set of crimes than those attributed to Jack the Ripper? When I combined the two notions, the Time Rovers Series^® was born. 

The future as seen in SOJOURN and VIRTUAL EVIL, the time travel described, as well as your shape-shifters called Transitives really capture one’s imagination.  What went into their creation? 

Lots of thought, actually. By 2057 we’ll have tons of advances in medicine, telecommunications, etc. So much so that I decided not to try to guess too far in the future or my readers wouldn’t be able to feel “at home” in the time period. Instead, I advanced some of our current trends: personal security, the increasing oversight of the insurance companies, lack of privacy, and mixed it with happenings at almost every company across the planet: backstabbing and the higher ups screwing the little guys.  

I figured that “safety and security” will be the rule of the day by 2057. It’s already headed that way now with the security cameras, the RFID chips and biometric scans. Taking it a step further was easy.  

As for the Transitives (shape-shifters) they required a lot of work. I wanted them different, which meant I had to do research into shifter legends, etc. and then try to go in the opposite direction. My shifters do not change form. Your perception of them is what is altered. They can look like anyone they choose. Scary. That led to their “society” and how they interact with each other and the Opaques (the folks who can’t shift). Actually, it was a lot of fun! 

Victorian London’s East End in 1888 during Jack the Ripper’s time is the setting of much of the stories.  What is it about that particular time period that fascinates you?  

It was such a vibrant time. I know most authors who write in the Victorian Era prefer the glittering ballrooms of the West End. I love the grit of the East End: everyday people just trying to survive. Victorian England was in the throes of social change. The class-based society was under threat, the wages were plummeting with the influx of cheap immigrant labor and anarchists were threatening to do some serious damage to the nation’s infrastructure. Sounds like today, doesn’t it? There are just so many stories to be told in that time period and I hope to get a few of them written. 

The Time Rover heroine Jacynda Lassiter, Detective Sergeant Jonathon Keats and Dr. Alastair Montrose all seem to share the trait of decency and wanting to “do the right thing” but have difficulties with their own organizations in order to satisfy personal moral codes.  They seem like wonderful people whom we would like to know.  Did you base these characters on real people or perhaps some of their personality on people you know? 

I probably borrowed a bit of their personalities from folks I’ve met over the years. There’s always someone in every organization that tries to do the right thing and gets nailed for it. Over time, higher-ups in most organizations (business or government) forget their original purpose, become more interested in preserving their jobs and the bottom line. In the midst of all that double dealing is someone trying to do what is right. I figure those folks should have their story told. Sometimes they even win <grin>. 

Both Harter Defoe, the man who pioneered Time Roving in your series, and Jacynda’s boss T.E. Morrisey are rather mysterious and intriguing.  Will we come to learn their stories in future works?  

In MADMAN’S DANCE we’ll learn a lot more about Harter and Theo, how they came to be what they are and what their future holds. They started out mysterious and intriguing because they didn’t tell this author very much. Apparently, they’re starting to trust me as they’re revealing a lot more now.  

With the blend in genres and the different plot threads, how difficult is it to keep everything straight as you write the story?  Do you outline your plot or do you let the characters take you where they will? 

<Sigh.> I wish I could outline. It would make life so much easier. Instead, my characters take me on their merry way, which often creates hassles when I don’t know all the little plot threads until the last moment. The Rovers Series is getting increasingly complex and I have to do a lot of heavy lifting to ensure it all makes sense. I do some outlining after I’ve completed the first draft of the book, if nothing more than to make sure that the dates and timelines are correct, that so-and-so doesn’t know something before he/she should, etc. Since I’m working against the actual 1888 calendar and genuine historical events, it becomes a necessity. 

If you could be a tourist like that in your series, what time period and place would you most wish to visit and why? 

1888, of course. I’d stand on the street corner across from the Princess Alice pub and people watch. Then I’d wander up to the Ten Bells and do the same thing. Then I might go to the one of the Ripper victim inquests to see what those were like. What I would not do is try to encounter Jack the Ripper. No need to go there. 

I would also like to go to 1893 Chicago and the Columbian Exposition (The Chicago World’s Fair). It sounded awesome. 

I understand that you really enjoy research.  What is the most striking bit of information that you found in the course of your work on your series? 

I can waste a LOT of time thumbing through old books and scoping out Victorian websites. My Victorian library is approaching 100 books now. I’m having to buy more bookcases and force myself to stay away from eBay.  

The most striking bit of information I found was how much time, effort and shoe leather the London cops threw at the Ripper case. It’s easy to dismiss their work as amateurish since they didn’t catch the guy, but they were sincerely hampered by the lack of technology. So they did it the old fashioned way—interviewed witnesses and questioned potential suspects. All that work, including countless plainclothes coppers on the streets of Whitechapel, and Jack still got away. Incredible. It gave me a deep respect for Inspector Abberline and the other cops who faced such an uphill battle. 

Can you share a bit about your current projects? 

I’m currently working on the third Time Rovers book (MADMAN’S DANCE) which is the final chapter in Jacynda Lassiter’s story arc. I hope to do additional books in this world, but most likely they will follow other Rovers with Jacynda making a cameo appearance from time to time. Once that’s off to the editor, I will be polishing a dark paranormal romance set in contemporary L.A. which I hope will attract some notice in NY. On top of all that are ten convention appearances. It’s going to be a full year.

Please describe a normal day in your life. 

I’m up about 7:30 or 8 in the morning if my characters haven’t spent a couple hours overnight keeping me awake. They’re known to do that. I scout out my coffee, brush a kiss on the spouse’s cheek and then park myself in front of the computer. I spend the next hour or hour and a half answering emails, reading blogs, major news sites, etc. Feeding the brain, as it were. I usually don’t have breakfast until ten or so. Very late for most people. I work on my current project until two or so, have lunch, a quick nap and then more work until the spouse returns from his daily grind. We have dinner and then I’m back at the keyboard until ten. 

However, I may not be working on my manuscript that entire time. I have a very bad habit of answering email immediately when it comes in, a tendency to surf more than is good for me. I can be easily distracted.  

On nights where my brain is fried, I curl up with a good book, a wee bit of single malt scotch and a purring cat. Heaven. 

How do you most enjoy spending your free time? 

I don’t have much free time, but when I do I like to travel. I’m returning to London in June to do more research (visiting an insane asylum and attending a criminal trial at the Old Bailey). I know how to have fun. <wink> Mostly I like to people watch, wander down old streets to try to see things through a new perspective, and try new food. I could easily be a hermit, so the trips are a needed “reboot” for my creativity. 

What would readers find in your to-be-read pile of books? And on your keeper shelf? 

Right now I am reading Carole Nelson Douglas’ Irene Adler series. Before that, I read her Dancing With Werewolves. I have Ilona Andrews’ Magic Bites for my urban fantasy read and I just finished Will Thomas’ To Kingdom Come. I’m eclectic when it comes to my reading. A bit of mystery, some paranormal, some historical. It’s all good. 

Keeper Shelf.  Hummm… That’s a problem because I usually keep most of the books I read.  I definitely hold onto all of the Terry Pratchett’s books, same thing with Jasper Fforde, Anne Perry, Will Thomas, and Jim Hines (he writes delightful stories where a goblin is the hero!). Okay, I admit it, I keep almost all of them.  Now you know why I need more bookshelves. 

Is there a fact about yourself which readers would be surprised to learn?  What is it? 

I talk to dogs, cats, birds, squirrels, even inanimate objects. Someday one of them will talk back and that will teach me. I also talk to myself. I get strange looks at the grocery store. I think I should get myself one of the Borg-like headsets so folks will think I’m talking to someone else. Does anyone else think those things are kinda creepy?  

Do you have any regrets?

We all do. I have a few, but not many. I’ve made mistakes and learned from them. That’s the trick. The “pick yourself up, dust yourself off” plan. Move forward. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow is an illusion, even for time travelers. Now is the only time that counts. 

Are there any last thoughts that you would like to leave us with, personal motto, or favorite recipe? 

A Recipe for a Long Life 

1 - Stressed Human

1 - Comfortable Recliner

1 - Cat or a Small Dog Inclined to Cuddle

1 – Book (Genre Optional) 

Place human in chair with animal of choice on lap, prop up feet, add one excellent book. Remain in this position while the rest of the world does its thing. They won’t miss you, trust me. 

Thank you so much for joining us today and congratulations on your wonderful success with SOJOURN and VIRTUAL EVIL.  We look forward to the next book in the Time Rover series. 

Thanks! Here’s hoping the next book makes everyone smile.