As the youngest of nine children, I’ve learned a lot from my older siblings.  I am always amazed at how different all of us are, but at the same time, how much alike.  My family is spread out all over the world, from Iraq to California.  As such, it makes our yearly reunion much more special.

I was the only child in the house by the time I reached high school.  So I had plenty of time to nurture my reading and writing skills.  My favorite author at the time was V.C. Andrews, and my first story was basically fan fiction, with Indiana Jones as the main character.  In fact, one story I wrote had him switching planes in flight, and my mother pointed out that was impossible.  Who would have guess many years later that Harrison Ford would star in a movie in which he actually DID switch planes in flight (Air Force One, 1997)?!

I didn’t become serious with my writing until my ten year high school reunion in 1997.  Seeing all my friends reminded me of the goals I had set for myself way back when.  So I pulled out an old story that a friend had once told me sounded more like a novel than a short story.  I dusted it off, pulled out a pen and started scribbling.

It took me five years to finish Forever Yours, a vampire romance.  During that time, I re-wrote and submitted, and when I got rejected, I re-wrote and submitted some more.  It took me about ten years to get Forever Yours accepted by a publisher.  Wings ePress has this set to come out in May, 2008.

In the meantime, I began Convicted of Love in 2003.  It took about two and a half years to write and about eight months for Whiskey Creek press to accept it.  In February 2006, I signed a contract with them, and in February 2007, Convicted of Love was released.  So my second book was published before my first, but I’ve always heard that it’s hard to get the first one sold.

I am currently revising my third novel, A Pirate’s Kiss, which I began in August of 2004.  Obviously, it’s a pirate romance.  I finished the first draft in 2006 and sent it off to Kensington.  Six months later, I received a very nice and constructive rejection letter; hence the re-write.

I am also in the midst of Fallen Angelle, a story of a fallen angel trying to get back to Heaven.  I’ve had this story I my head for a few years but just began writing it in 2007.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get back to it since I began revising A Pirate’s Kiss in May of 2007.

I have several ideas in my head for future books.  Tentative titles include The Playaholic, a target for Harlequin’s super romance line, and My Mom’s a Vampire, targeted for teenagers.

I hope that one day I’ll be able to devote my days to writing, but for the time being, I have to keep my daytime job as an administrative assistant.  I’m positive, however, that my friends at HeartLa will keep me on track.  I’ve been a member of HeartLa and Romance Writers of America since 2001.