Based on Principal

What made you want to write this book?

I have a hard time writing a secondary character without giving them a happy ending, too. Chris appears in the first book of the series, Unmistaken Identity, and his backstory immediately came to mind. When he went into business with the heroine from Unmistaken Identity, I knew he had a book waiting for me. And I liked the idea of a character meeting a costumed hottie at a comic con and then running into them later.

Where do you get your storylines from?

I don’t even know! All it takes is one moment of inspiration. A line from a song, a scene in a movie, someone’s sarcastic remark and my mind starts piecing a scene together. Ultimately, it’s the feelings that inspire me, and trying to capture those emotions with words.

Was this book easier to write than others? Why?

Some books crank out line by line, others write themselves. Based on Principal was somewhere in between. I’m not an outliner, so it wasn’t until the end that I figured out who Natalia really was as a character.

Do you only write one genre?

I started in paranormal romance—and I still write it! My other big genre is modern western romance, but with a Midwest spin.

Do you have a specific place or setting where you write?

Since I’m from North Dakota, a lot of my books are set in Minnesota. I didn’t want my family or my in-laws to think I was writing about them, but I also wanted to write in settings I could envision easily. With four kids, it’s

hard to travel for research and online research doesn’t always capture the essence of a place.

Describe what made you want to be a writer?

Did I mention the four kids? Even when I was working part-time, the hubs and I could barely sort out our schedules. I was terrified of going back full-time when all the kids were in school. Then I saw a news segment on self-publishing. It was enough to prompt me into attempting to write the story I never thought I could write. My whole life, I’d always daydreamed stories, but they were scenes, never the full story. Whenever I tried to go further with the story, I got stuck. But once I committed, it was such a relief. Those scenes banging around in my head finally got freedom!

Check out all of the sites below for the GIVEAWAY

September 24: Notes From a Romantic's Heart
September 25: Christine Young
September 26: Romance Novel Giveaways
September 27: Fabulous and Brunette
September 28: The Reading Addict
October 1: Edgar's Books
October 2: Dena Garson-Real... Hot... Romance
October 3: Danita Minnnis
October 4: Bookaholic
October 5: Sharing Links and Wisdom
October 5: Long and Short Reviews