author interview: annie solomon

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The author of Two Lethal Lies (and a number of other romantic suspense novels), Annie Solomon, gave me the opportunity to ask some questions about her writing and share the answers with all of you.  Plus, be sure to check out the giveaway for Two Lethal Lies!

Until reading Two Lethal Lies, I had no idea there was a Disney World tunnel system to allow the characters to move around unseen. How did you discover the existence of the tunnels?

While doing research on Disneyworld I came across a video that mentioned the tunnels. I was fascinated, and immediately knew I had to use them somehow. If you want to see the tunnels or get more behind-the-scenes Disney info, you can watch the video on my website, http://anniesolomon.com/tll_behindthescenes.html. I’ve got other interesting research tidbits there, too.

What’s your writing routine?

I’m a morning person and a procrastinator, so if I don’t write first thing there’s a good chance I won’t write at all. I get up, have breakfast, and go right to work. Depending on what I’m working on—first draft or rewrites—I’ll last until my brain pops, or until lunch, whichever comes first.

Jules from Two Lethal Lies loves to read. What was your favorite book as a child?

Oh, man—so many! The Edward Eager books were a fave— Magic or Not?, Magic by the Lake, Half Magic. Also the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. I had no idea they were written so long ago! Oh—and anything by Beverly Cleary.

What book (your own or someone else’s) has had the most impact on your life?

I can’t point to one book, but rather to the whole experience of reading. Some of my earliest memories are going to the library with my mother and picking out books to take home. I’ve always been a dreamer, and books took me to other worlds and new people. I’ve wanted to write for as long as I can remember, if for no other reason than to recreate that delicious feeling of being transported elsewhere.

What’s up next for you?

I just finished the first in a trilogy, tentatively called The Chronicles of Stella Moon. It’s a sci fi book set 500 years in the future during a time when most of the world has traded their humanity for The Gift--a restructured genome that suppresses violence and strong emotion, but brings with it perfect health and long life. Stella Moon is my heroine, and over the course of the books she discovers that Gifted civilization is based on a vast array of lies that extends over her whole world and even to herself. Forced to flee the
authorities, she finds forbidden love, becomes an unwitting instrument of death, and in the end must decide if she wants to stay with the oppressors or give up her immortality and rejoin old humanity. I’m very excited about this project, and will let you know when it’s released!

Thanks, Nicole, for the chance to talk to your readers. Good luck everyone with the giveaway!

author interview: francine pascal

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Back in 1983 Francine Pascal created the series Sweet Valley High starring identical twins, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield.  A number of spin-off series (following the twins not only in their early years, but eventually moving on to college life) came after that and there was even a TV show that briefly aired.  Now decades later, the twins are back!  Their creator took some time to answer questions about Sweet Valley.

The first Sweet Valley High came out nearly 30 years ago and inspired many spin-offs.  What’s kept the saga going?

The characters.  Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield.  Everyone could identify with at least one of them and wish they were the other. Even though the twins were blond and from Los Angeles, girls all over the world loved them and their adventures. I didn't expect that, but I should have because some many teenage girls were going through the same feelings as the twins no matter where they lived or who they were. 

Diablo Cody is adapting Sweet Valley High for the big screen.  What are your thoughts?  Have you been involved with the screenplay?

I'm delighted that Diablo is adapting the books. She's a very good writer and particularly good with teenage girls. Up until now I've had little to do with the screenplay, but now that I've read it I've given them some of my ideas and they seem to like them so I will be more involved.

Which of the many Sweet Valley characters is your favorite and why?  

Elizabeth. I identified with her because she was closer to my teenage life than Jessica or any of the others. We both wrote for the school paper and I gave her many of my own feelings. 

What book (your own or someone else’s) has had the most impact on your life?  

The Wandering Jew by Eugene Sue. He was the French Dickens and his novels had fabulous characters and stories.

Any more adventures planned for the Wakefield twins? 

Well, now that The Sweet Life has done so well, perhaps I will do more. I liked the novella style and writing the serial was fun for me.

author interview: allison leotta

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Allison Leotta, the author of two excellent books about Assistant US Attorney Anna Curtis, stopped by to answer some questions about her writing!

You spent 12 years as a federal prosecutor.  How did your experiences shape your two novels, Law of Attraction and Discretion?

I specialized in prosecuting sex crimes and domestic violence. Every day was fascinating. I was immersed in the extremes of human behavior: incredible evil and heartbreaking tragedies, but also great courage, love and heroism, and moments of pure absurdity. My colleagues and I would often say, “Someone needs to put this in a book.”

When I got pregnant, a weird sort of biological clock went off. I realized that if I was ever going to write that novel, I had to do it now. So I started writing every morning for a couple of hours before work. I wove those fascinating real-life details into the plot of my first book, “Law of Attraction.”

My latest book, “Discretion,” is about a sex scandal and murder investigation following the death of a high-priced escort in a congressman’s Capitol hideaway.  I was fascinated by several real-life escort cases, including the “DC Madam” and New York’s “Millionaire Madam.”  I tried to include the most interesting details from those cases in “Discretion.”

Because of your job, the Department of Justice had to review your first book for security breaches.  What was that experience like?

DOJ ethics attorneys did have to vet “Law of Attraction” to make sure I wasn’t divulging state secrets or violating rules of professional responsibility. I was worried about the process. What if they wouldn’t let me publish it? But the reviewers were very nice. Their main concern was to make sure that nothing in the book violated DOJ ethics rules or compromised national security. Thankfully, sex crimes and domestic violence generally don’t affect national security.  The clearance process took about four months.

The worst part was knowing my bosses had read my sex scenes.  It made for some awkward elevator rides at the U.S. Attorney’s Office!

You have a blog called The Prime-Time Crime Review where you point out the things TV shows get right and wrong about crime.  What’s the most common mistake that drives you crazy?

I’ve been delighted by the response to my blog. Folks love hearing what’s real and what’s not – it’s been far more rewarding for me than throwing slippers at the TV!

A few of my pet peeves: Rapists rarely lurk in bushes. You’re far more likely to be killed or raped by someone you know than by a stranger. Cops hardly ever get usable fingerprints from guns. Human DNA does not coat the earth’s surface. And most crime victims are not beautiful young heiresses who secretly work as strippers.

What book (your own or someone else’s) has had the most impact on your life?

I’ve always been a voracious reader, but writing my own book has definitely had the most impact on my life.  I have a completely different life now – the life of a novelist.  I now sit at my kitchen table all day making up imaginary bad guys instead of going into an office and putting the real ones in jail.

Writing novels has also made me a better reader.  I have a new appreciation for the skill it takes for an author to create her world, now that I’ve grappled with the same challenges myself.

Some of my favorite recent reads include: “Defending Jacob,” by William Landay; “The Post-Birthday World,” by Lionel Shriver; and “The Cloud Atlas,” by David Mitchell.

What’s up next for you?  Will there be another Anna Curtis book?

Funny you should ask, I just turned in the manuscript for my next book last Friday!  It’s another Anna Curtis book, and this time she’s dealing with a brutal gang called MS-13 and the mystery surrounding a colleague’s death.  I’m really excited about the story.

author interview: lauren clark

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Lauren Clark, the author of Stay Tuned, is currently on a blog tour in promotion of her debut novel. She took the time to answer a few questions about her life and the book. As part of the tour, you have the opportunity to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Just leave a comment on her tour page to enter. (And if you comment here, I'm entered to win too in a separate giveaway!)

Like Melissa, you worked in TV news. How did your experiences in the industry shape Stay Tuned?

Stay Tuned is based—in part—on a true story. Before I began work at an Upstate New York television station as a reporter, the two main anchors (who were in a romantic relationship) got into a fistfight in the parking lot of the television station. They were fired, the incident made the newspaper, and a lot of ugly editorials and threats were exchanged. The story—and the irony of these two successful people losing their jobs—has always stayed with me. When I began to write Stay Tuned, I thought about something similar happening—this time, while the anchors were on live TV—and then let the readers watch what unfolded behind the scenes.

I also wanted the characters in Stay Tuned to be memorable, since the TV news industry is so full of amazing, unique people. My favorite weatherman used to bring his Dachshund in to the station, dress him in a tiny superhero cape, and carry him around in the studio. He actually went on the air with his dog during one show, but our news director quickly put a stop to that! One reporter—when stressed—used to bang on his keyboard with his fists and shout cuss words at the top of his lungs. We were all so used to it that everyone smiled and kept working when it happened! Also—one of the most talented anchors I worked with used to break into “Who Let The Dogs Out?” whenever he got into the mood—you can’t do that in many office jobs!

Who or what was the inspiration for Candace? She seemed like a great friend despite all her Dr. Phil quotes!

What hairdresser doesn’t like to give advice—even if it is from Dr. Phil? In all seriousness, Candace Daughtry is based on my best friend, Lisa. I took all of her wonderful qualities, turned her into a hair stylist, and made her (a little bit) obsessed with Dr. Phil! Like Lisa, Candace is the best friend a girl could ever have—someone you can call at midnight, the person you laugh the hardest with, the person who knows your worst faults and loves you anyway. My friend Lisa has overcome some of the toughest obstacles in life a person could face, and I wanted to draw on that same tenacity and inner fire in Candace. She’s a true friend—I hope everyone is blessed to have a Candace (or Lisa) in her life!

The Dr. Phil obsession was added to make her character stand out. Candace is close to perfect in every other way, so being addicted to Dr. Phil’s advice seemed like a way to add a quirky edge and round out her personality.

What book has had the most impact on your life?

It’s a tie between two novels: For a book that explores the bonds between women, I’d have to say The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I loved the setting, the characters, and the beautiful symbolism. It’s a coming of age story, a ‘triumph over tragedy’ novel written in a way that is both fresh and unforgettable.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, to me, is hands-down a masterpiece (the ending made my cry). Picoult explores the relationships between sisters and how grave illness impacts a family. The author tells the story from more than half a dozen points of view, manages to give each a distinct personality, all the while weaving a story that breaks your heart and leaves you shell-shocked at the end. I hope to (someday) write a novel that leaves readers with that level of lasting, emotional impact.

What’s your writing routine?

I write best in the morning and need absolute quiet. I often go to the library at the local university near our house—if I stay home, the doorbell rings, the phone rings, and the Internet is too much of a distraction! The other essentials are lots of flavored coffee (yes, I am on a first-name basis with everyone at two coffee shops in town) and I have to have my MacBook!

Just sitting down and typing does not work well for me. I have to have a plan and a rough outline. Once I have the story fixed in my mind, index cards come in handy for switching up scenes and seeing a timeline develop. The novel I’m working on now took about 60 index cards. I lined them up on the floor of my tiny office—there was no room to walk in there for about a week! I also keep a notebook by the bed, in my car, and in my bag to jot down ideas.

What’s up next for you?

Dancing Naked in Dixie is the working title of my next novel. It’s a story about a writer for a travel magazine based in New York City. She’s talented, but really scattered, and is on the verge of being fired. She gets one last chance to pull her career back together and gets sent to the ‘Heart of Dixie’—Eufaula, Alabama—for the city’s annual Pilgrimage. The Pilgrimage is an actual event, a tour of historic homes held every spring. (Part of the movie Sweet Home Alabama with Reese Witherspoon was filmed in Eufaula, Alabama).

In Dancing Naked in Dixie, the main character can’t help but fall in love with the area and its people. She soon discovers, though, that a real estate developer has his eye on making Eufaula into a tourist spot. This challenge divides the city, but helps the writer grow and realize that her job is much more than telling stories about pretty places—her article could help prevent Eufaula from being bulldozed into another strip of vacation condos. As she works on her story, she dreams up an idea that could help save the historic district and the people who love it.

I hope you enjoy Stay Tuned as much as I loved writing it! I’d love to hear what you think about the story and characters. Feel free to drop me at line at laurenclarkbooks @ gmail.com.

author interview: kimberley freeman

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Kimberley Freeman, the author of the amazing Wildflower Hill, was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions.

Wildflower Hill is set in both the 1920s and 2009. What research did you do to create the 1920s setting?

Historical research is one of the things I really enjoy about my job. I have learned so much about different time periods for the novels I've written, and the 1920s and 1930s were such interesting eras to write about.

Authors have so much at their fingertips now with the internet as a tool for research. I actually started with images of the clothes. It was really important for me to be able to see the character: not just her face and hair, but her body, how she wore her clothes. The wonderful thing about this period, especially the 1920s, is that the fashions were so wonderful. I would have loved to wear a flapper dress!

Another great way to do historical research is to read first-hand accounts of the time. I found a wonderful published version of a young woman's diary of the time, and so I was able to find all those little details of what people called things, and what their concerns were especially during the Great Depression. The most horrifying revelation for me was that some people were so poor that they made soup from grass. Not only did it give me a bone-achingly clear idea of how desperate times were, it gave me a wonderful image to work within the story.

You’ve published a number of books as Kim Wilkins. What made you decide to write Wildflower Hill as Kimberley Freeman?

Kim Wilkins (which is my birth name) writes fantasy fiction, and some of it quite dark. I wanted to explore this other side of myself, where stories could be uplifting and set in the real world, but I knew if I published them as Kim Wilkins (at least in the Australian market where I am known) they wouldn't meet the right audience. Freeman is my grandmother's maiden name, but Kim Freeman sounded like it might be a man's name. So I changed it to "Kimberley" because it was much more feminine. Something about writing under the other name really inspired me to write in a different way. I really love going into my office and changing into Kimberley Freeman: she's a fun girl!

You list a number of music-related top tens on your website. What music inspires your writing?

It depends on what I'm writing. I like music that has drama and scope in it. At the moment I'm really enjoying Zoe Keating, a fabulous cellist. I also love music that creates a mood, and for that reason I love Hammock. I find it very hard to write with singing on, so it always has to be instrumental.

What book (your own or someone else’s) has had the most impact on your life?

When I was a little girl, I read a book that affected me profoundly. It was Gladys Malvern’s The Dancing Star, first published in 1944, an account of the life of Anna Pavlova, written for children. Like many little girls, I dreamed of being a ballet dancer but it wasn’t the stuff about ballet that affected me so deeply, it was the stuff about work.

According to the book, Anna Pavlova was obsessed with dancing. She practised all the time. She did it until her toes bled and she just. kept. going. This notion, that one could work so hard and push through barriers of extreme discomfort, really took hold of my imagination. From that moment on, I understood the incredible romance of work: diligent hours spent on something that mattered to make an outcome appear in the world. Art is not a divine bolt from above, but the sweet, constant labour of real human beings manifesting things with their feet in the soil. And there is no idea about art more pleasing to me than that.

What’s up next for you?

I am working on a novel, provisionally titled "Isabella's Gift", about a woman who survives a shipwreck off the coast of Australia in 1901. She has many reasons for wanting to run away from her old life, but has trouble making a new life for herself, especially when somebody from the old life comes after her. The historical plot is mirrored in a contemporary plot about a woman who comes to the same small seaside town in 2011, and has to make some difficult decisions of her own in order to reconcile with her estranged sister. I am having such a wonderful time writing it. I should be done in about a month, so very close to the end now.

author interview: emilie richards

Emilie Richards, the author of the Happiness Key series, was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions!

Happiness Key was originally intended as a standalone, yet here's the third in the series, Sunset Bridge. What prompted you to continue to the story?

While the first book did what I intended, which was to establish how possible friendship can be for women with nothing in common--at least on the surface--it also set up characters I wanted to explore even further. So my publisher and I decided three books were in order. The number felt right to me. I could continue threads I'd introduced in Happiness Key, and tie them up by Sunset Bridge.

Some of your books have been turned into films for German television. What's it like to see your characters on the screen? Any plans for English-language versions to be made?

It's a kick, to be honest. They've chosen some of my very first books along with later ones, and it's so much fun to see how the stories are cast, and how the plots are rewritten for the screen. Some are very true to my stories, and some are so different that I almost don't recognize them. But the producers and screenwriters are good at what they do, and nice people to boot. I've had the opportunity to go to New Zealand, where they're all being filmed, to spend time on set, and to Germany to do promotion, so I've gotten to know and appreciate the talent of everyone connected. As for English language versions? One can always hope.

What was your favorite book as a child?

I was a fan of the Oz books, which I read and re-read. But later Little Women and Jane Eyre were huge for me, as well.

What book (your own or someone else's) has had the most impact on your life?

No one book springs to mind. But I've taken some of this and some of that from so many books, including my own. When you're writing a book, you do so much thinking about your story and your characters' growth, that you can't help but be changed.

What's up next for you?

I'm working on a new series for Mira Books, entitled Goddesses Anonymous. It's women's fiction, like Happiness Key, and it stories are interrelated, but each book focuses on only a few characters at a time. It has a different "feel" than the Happiness Key series, but shares a lot with it, too. The series is set in the North Carolina mountains.

author interview: jill myles

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I love The Succubus Diaries series from Jill Myles. So how excited was I when she agreed to answer some questions!!

What inspired you to write The Succubus Diaries? Did you intend to make it a series?

I'd written a few books in varying genres before writing GENTLEMEN PREFER SUCCUBI but nothing was clicking. I wanted to write something modern, sexy and fun. I'd had an idea to write something with fallen angels but it wasn't clicking, and I couldn't figure out why. I was at lunch with my sister and she was talking about a vampire book she'd read and made a comment about the vampire being blood starved. I then cracked a joke about it also being sex starved, and BOOM. The idea for a succubus that had to have sex to 'feed' sort of landed in my head. It took me a little bit longer to figure out what a succubus would be doing with vampires and angels, but once it all came together, it was like everything in my head just clicked at once. :) That was a good day!

Of all the vampire and fallen angel books I’ve read (quite a few!), yours stand out for a number of reasons including being both sexy and funny. How much research went into the mythology before you created your succubus, vampire, and fallen angel characters?

I'd done some research on fallen angels (I've always had a thing for angels and the Book of Enoch) and knew the basics about vampires and succubi. More research into succubi was intimidating, though - it wasn't the direction I wanted to take my characters. I ended up creating my own mythology and just running with it and I've been really happy with the results. As for being funny...well, I am rarely, rarely serious in person! So it made sense to tell a slightly off-beat sort of story. :)

Delilah is one of my favorite characters. Any chance that she’ll get a “Delilah’s Tale” short story the way Zane did?

The 'tales' that I've done so far came up because I had a scene that I wanted to 'tell' but couldn't because the stories are written in Jackie's very specific POV. Foreplay was Jackie's POV as well, but it was something she'd forgotten so I couldn't exactly have her share it! But there will be more 'tales' coming this year, I think. I have Noah's brewing in my head and have more up my sleeve. Nothing for Delilah yet, but never say never! I know her origins but I'm not sure if it's a fully fleshed short story yet. :)

What book (your own or someone else’s) has had the most impact on your life?

Oh jeez. That is a tough one! I'd guess I'd have to say Bulfinch's Mythology. I was mythology obsessed as a child. Still am, years and years later. It opened up a really fascinating world with new rules.

What’s up next for you?

I'm currently working on edits for my next book! It's not in the Succubus Diaries but is a new series that stars a human woman that works at a paranormal dating agency and gets mixed up with one of the clients.

author interview: laura griffin

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If you've read my reviews of Laura Griffin's Tracers series, you already know I absolutely love it! So I was ecstatic with Laura agreed to answer a few questions.

Thanks so much for inviting me to drop in and visit!

The Tracers series follows a different female protagonist each time with the common thread being the sexy Troy Stockton. Why did you go this route rather than the more traditional series path of following the same lead?

Troy first comes onto the scene in the initial Tracers book, but he gets his happily ever after in UNSPEAKABLE, so I’m taking a break from him for a bit. The new book, UNFORGIVABLE, features homicide cop Ric Santos as the hero, and the mystery involves a case in which DNA expert Mia Voss (the book’s female lead) plays a major role. Ric and Mia have worked together before, but now they are in the spotlight.

You have “Mia’s Playlist” on your website. Which song(s) most inspired you while writing Unforgivable?

The U2 song “Acrobat” reminds me of a turning point in the story when Mia feels like her life is spinning out of control. Another very emotional song is “Useless Desires” by Patty Griffin. Mia goes on such a roller coaster of emotions through the story, and that song kept going through my head.

Music is a big source of inspiration for me, which is why I thought it would be fun to do the iPod giveaway with this release. If your readers are interested, they can enter the contest at http://www.lauragriffin.com/contest.php

The quality of your novels shows that you do your research! Since Mia is a DNA expert, what have you discovered about forensics that surprised you?

So many things I’ve learned through research have surprised (and shocked) me. As for DNA, I was shocked to learn that most DNA samples collected at crime scenes are not tested until a case is going to trial. In other words, they have a suspect to compare the DNA with and see if there is a match. There is such a backlog of DNA evidence sitting in crime labs collecting dust (I’m talking about rape kids, bloody clothes, etc…). One of the reasons Mia is passionate about her job in the story is because she wants to help clear that backlog and use DNA to help get repeat, violent offenders behind bars.

What book (your own or someone else’s) has had the most impact on your life?

I would have to go with the Nancy Drew series, which my grandmother had at her house when I was a kid. Those little books got me hooked on reading (and they were my first mysteries!) The start of my addiction to books…

What comes next in the Tracers series?

I have been so excited with the success of the Tracers series! My publisher has asked me to do three more Tracers books. The next one is SNAPPED in 2011. People ask if they should read the Tracers books in order, and I always tell them it’s not necessary. The characters overlap, but each suspense plot stands alone, so feel free to plunge right in!

author interview: rosemary harris

Rosemary Harris, the author of the A Dirty Business Mystery series, stopped by to answer some questions about the series!

The star of your mystery series seems to have quite a bit in common with you (used to work in television, enjoys gardening). How much of you went into Paula?

More than a little in the first book. I guess that's typical with new writers, but Paula's come into her own in the last two books. In addition to a story arc, there's a series or character arc. Conventional wisdom says that your character should change - at least somewhat - by the end of the book and Paula's doing that.

Did you intend to create a series when you started writing Pushing Up Daisies?

Nope. I didn't even really think about getting published, I just wanted to see if I could put down on paper the story that was in my head. When my agent asked if it was a series I said, Absolutely!

Elsewhere you’ve stated that you write each book in pencil first. What’s your reason for doing so?

It's not easy to tell friends that you're writing a book. The reactions can be anything from a polite smile (they think you're delusional) to "cool, are they going to make a movie out of it" (you think they're delusional.) One friend walked me to an art supply store and presented me with a bag of pencils - Faber-Castell 5Bs. And now every time I start a book, I go to the same store and buy the pencils. I like the fact that it forces me to slow down. I also buy erasers.

What book (your own or someone else’s) has had the most impact on your life?

There are a lot of books that have been important to me at various stages of my life from Harold and the Purple Crayon to Small Changes by Marge Piercy to Easter Parade by Richard Yates to The Golden Bowl by Henry James to Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen. (And lots I've forgotten!) One that always stand out is The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham. It's about an extraordinary young man who...I don't want to tell you if you haven't read it. He just changes his life and the lives of those around him.

Any more adventures for Paula planned?

Next spring Paula heads to a New York and gets drawn into a murder investigation involving blackmail, sabotage, and horticultural homicide at a legendary flower show. The book is called SLUGFEST and it will be out next April.

author interview: christine lemmon

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Christine Lemmon, the author of Sand in My Eyes and a number of other titles, stopped by to answer a couple of questions. Also, check out the giveaway for your chance to win Sand in My Eyes!

You once lived in a house attached to your family's ice cream shot. What was that like? And what's your recommendation for an ice cream treat on a hot summer day?

It was a dream-come-true for a young girl when all I had to do was run through our kitchen, then through a bathroom and there I was in this pink kingdom of sorts with fifty flavors and a pop machine, too! It had me believing at a young age that anything in life is possible and even at the start of my novel, Portion of the Sea, I wrote: “There is a time in every woman’s life when pink is her favorite color, when anything is believable and the lines separating the possible and the impossible are blurred.” The ice-cream shop was in Saugatuck, Michigan, a thriving resort town. There were lines out our door until midnight and I worked side-by-side with my family scooping ice-cream. When I needed a break, I would sit in the sugar cone closet and write in my diary all about the adventures I was having and the characters I was encountering.

My sister and I would make ourselves a cone with as many flavors as we could fit on it before it began to tilt (pink bubblegum and blue moon were two of my favorites early on). I haven’t let my own children try this at home. I do, however, have them scoop their own ice-cream and they use the silver scooper I grabbed when my parents sold the shop. I let them make a mess and never get upset. Ice-cream was too good of an experience for me as a kid so I want it to be fun for my kids, too.

Flowers play a central theme in Sand in My Eyes. What's your favorite flower?

Because I went to school in Holland, Michigan, and was a Dutch Dancer in the annual Tulip Time Festival, the sight of tulips make me want to dance and scrub streets with buckets of cold water and old-fashioned brooms, and sometimes makes me homesick. But roses—-the kind that look picked from the backyard—-are my favorite. I live on an island filled with tropical flowers, and oddly, there happens to be a large rose bush thriving alongside my house. Sitting on my porch and looking out at its pink blooms is what inspired me one day to write in Sand in My Eyes that women, like roses need rest—-periods of non-productivity—-in order to prepare for their next bloom.

In addition to writing novels, you've worked for newspapers, radio, and TV. How have your experiences there influenced your books?

In Portion of the Sea, I write of two women (Ava and Lydia) living almost a century apart but bonded as if they are friends by a journal that Ava writes and Lydia reads. They arrive on the same island, enter womanhood, fall in love, and leave the island behind to follow their dreams and pursue careers and they do all of this side-by-side as if they are friends. Having worked in news, I enjoy researching, and in writing this story I gained a fresh appreciation of the rights we women have today. Ava pursues a writing career in New York for a magazine at a time when women were supposed to focus only on being ladies and she was pressured to only write about fashion. Lydia pursues a career in journalism in Chicago when society had women thinking the only reason they should go to college is so they might talk more intelligently with their husbands.

I also researched the history of Sanibel Island, where I live and where my stories take place. I had fun incorporating the interesting facts such as in the late 1800s people from all over the country were arriving to the island because they believed it to be a ‘healing paradise.’ And women were walking around wearing hats made of pink roseate spoonbill feathers (no wonder the birds shortly after became endangered for a time). And the school house here on the island blew over in a strong wind (my kids loved hearing that fact).

Which of your books has had the most impact on your life?

The writing of Sand in My Eyes helped me through a specific stage when my children were small and my house a mess and my greatest accomplishment was getting us all dressed and out the door each day. I remember going into my kitchen, forgetting why I had gone in there in the first place, spinning like a top, responding to the demands of three little ones, and feeling more like a chicken with its head cut off than the logical, upbeat, ambitious, organized woman I once was.

I used to beg and plead with the sun to go down so my house would be quiet and I could think my own thoughts, and write! It was during this time that I created the characters of Fedelina and Cora and had them saying all this stuff, like one day your house will be perfectly clean and quiet but your children will be grown and gone and you would do anything if you could to have that messy house and your children back. My characters pulled me through and gave me insight to see beauty right here and now in the midst of the chaos.

In addition, during the writing of Sand in My Eyes, my mom was diagnosed with a horrible cancer. I found myself waking in the middle of the night stricken with worry-filled insomnia. My character Cora came up with an idea to try when unable to sleep at night and crazy as it sounds, because I wrote it, I then tried it, and it truly did work. I did as she said and handed it all over to God in the middle of the night.

In a way, I feel like the writing of Sand in My Eyes was the older me talking to the present me, telling me it all will pass—that the stages a woman goes through in her life are brief and once we go through them our lives are over, so why hurry? Why allow ourselves to live in constant states of stress? It’s as if we’re walking around with sand in our eyes, unable to see all the beauty around us.

What's up next for you?

I have been at a fork in the road with ideas coming at me for two different novels. One is more comfortable and the other more challenging. It confused me to be getting ideas for two stories because typically, I am quite focused, working on one at a time. I stood at this fork, praying and discerning which way to go and have since taken steps in the direction of the more challenging story. My youngest will be starting preschool a few mornings a week come fall so I may decide to try writing during daylight hours for the very first time. Usually I only write from nine to eleven at night, or five to seven in the morning when my children are sleeping.

I will continue writing blogs, keeping in touch with readers via my website (www.christinelemmon.com) and also writing my newspaper column (Long Story Short) which appears in the Island Sun.