I'm most comfortable writing at night when all my family has gone to bed, the house is quiet and the phone isn't likely to ring. However, when those ideas hit I will scramble to get them down on paper as quickly as possible no matter where I am. Once that rough draft is done, I print a copy and often carry it with me to work on editing (or adding) if the opportunity arises.

I have been working on a series for some years. The characters have evolved as each story needed them. The same as the stories have evolved from a question in the previous story. Pigeon in a Snare was about Lex and Lisa but there was the question of 'Who is Jani?'. So number 2 in the series became Jani's story, Roses for the Sparrow. Susie was introduced in Sparrow so number three became Susie's story, Plight of the Wren. Stephanie was introduced in Wren. So number four became Stephanie's story, Robin Unaware. The story characters are connected, but each of their stories involves a different dilemma, and a different plot. Each story ends with an unspoken question to be solved in the next story, but only one (Wren) ends with a written cliffhanger. A car accident, and who was in that accident, is solved at the beginning of Robin. As for my other stories, I tend to base them in rural areas. All of my characters are 'educated, successful country'. Some characters are even based on people I have known over the years.

Hell. I'm still recovering from a six-year battle with writer's block. Serious health problems and medication interfered with my ability to write or to sit in front of a computer for long hours. I'm recovering now but I don't have the stamina for writing six or eight hours a day like I used to. Writing is sporadic at best. I may plan to write every day, but that doesn't mean that I will be able to. It's still frustrating, but I've managed to complete and publish two books writing when I can, as I can

Luckily, I don't remember receiving more than one negative review. It was more critical than hurtful. I was disappointed and a bit peeved because the critique obviously knew nothing about romance or fiction in general. I wondered why he bothered to read my book when it clearly was not his usual kind of reading

That first draft. After the story is written there are only improvements. But getting it out of my head in some organized form that first time...now that is work

I was making up stories before I knew how to write or read them. I've always written something. In school, I always made better grades in classes where essays and reports were frequent assignments. My mother was a published poetess. I like to think I inherited some talent from her. Although, I have a really difficult time writing poetry.

Just do it. No one else can take that story, article, or poem from your head and put it on paper or a computer screen. So just write as the words flow. You can correct and organize them later.

That's kind of a tough question to answer. Other than keeping to the rural setting and country theme, unless I have a specific image in my mind, that story may go anywhere. The Sweet Pea Trilogy is based on life as I knew it back in the 60s,70s, and 80s. The primary character is my age and sees life much as I do. However, nothing about her reflects my life as I have lived, other than location. I grew up in a rural community in MidMissouri like the setting for all three stories in the Sweet Pea Trilogy. My other stories evolved from many reasons. Shattered Image evolved from the question, "What happens to the criminal's family when a criminal is convicted and sentenced to a long period in jail?"

Dino, Godzilla and the Pigs was the only non-fiction. It's my life as a young farmer's wife. I was asked to give my point of view about modern farming from a modern woman. So I did. The other nine books are all fiction romantic suspense. I like all of them, but I think I like Sweet Pea the most because it reflects so much of the life I knew back when.

I'm not sure there has been any specific problem in any of the books. Some scenes came more slowly and some scenes had to be rewritten multiple times. Perhaps the most difficult thing has been making the scenes and conversations so realistic my readers can imagine themselves being there, being witness to the conversation. That is always my goal.

Quiet. No interruptions of any kind.

I have a number of writer friends I keep in contact with. However, if I had a wish come true it would be to attend another two-day Heartland Writers Conference (like we had in the 90s) with those writers/members who not only gave me the courage to forge ahead but have become very dear friends over the years

years ago. At the time, I was writing articles for a Civil War website and all of my articles were listed. This was before my fiction books were published. The only book listed was Dino, Godzilla and the Pigs.