As a writer, I’m always looking for new story ideas. For most writers, past experiences can be a very big help. Have you ever survived a dangerous situation? How did you do it? When I was first learning to snow ski, I got caught on top of Stowe Mountain, Vermont in a blizzard, after the lifts had closed. It’s a huge ski area. It was my first day on skis and somehow I got separated from my friends and wound up on a black diamond run. Of course, I started falling, and falling, and falling. Throwing myself down in the snow was the only way I knew how to stop! By the time I got halfway down, it was pitch black and freezing cold. I tried taking off my skis and walking, but the snow was deep and it was even harder than trying to ski. The clothes I had on weren’t nearly thick enough for a New England winter and I was afraid hypothermia would set in. I knew I was in big trouble. Maybe the reason I started writing Romantic Suspense had something to do with that day. Just when I was ready to give up, just sit…

Sometimes what you think is going to be a great idea for a novel turns out to be a whole lot of work!  That’s what happens when you realize the idea you are now in the middle of isn’t going to work the way you thought it would. In THE CONSPIRACY, I got the idea for a book that started in Texas, moved to the Caribbean, and ended up in Venezuela.  With all the trouble country is having, I thought it would be a great setting for a Romantic Thriller. Unfortunately, after I was well into the book and started doing the necessary research for that segment of the story, I realized the geography I needed and the rural setting didn’t exist in Venezuela.  I I spent days digging around in South America, looking for a rainforest that could be reasonably reached from the Caribbean island of Aruba.  Nothing worked. Finally, I realized there actually was spot that exactly fit the image in my head.  (This happens to writers all the time. No one knows why.) The spot was in Colombia, a place I had no desire to write about, but fit the story exactly.   So I went to…

Harper hadn’t thought she would be this nervous. But as an ominous fall wind whipped her pale hair and dark clouds threatened rain, Harper’s mouth felt dry and her palms were sweating. Crossing the sidewalk, she paused to take a deep breath, then pushed through the glass front door into the single-story brick building that housed the offices of Maximum Security. For her meeting with Chase, she had dressed with care in a navy blue cotton pencil skirt, a crisp print blouse, tucked in and belted, and high-heeled navy pumps. Simple, classic pieces, moderately priced, from the latest Elemental Chic collection. “May I help you?” A perky little receptionist, pretty and dark-haired, with big blue eyes behind round tortoiseshell glasses, sat at the front desk. “I’m Harper Winston. We spoke on the phone yesterday. You made an appointment for me with Chase Garrett.” “Yes, I remember. Chase saw it when he checked his calendar this morning. I’ll let him know you’re here.” She buzzed him and announced Harper’s arrival. Harper had no idea what sort of greeting she would receive. The petite brunette smiled. “You can go on back. His office is just through that door.” Harper crossed the room,…

All year long I search for new and interesting stories.  Each year, they seem more elusive. November 1st, WAIT UNTIL DARK, a digital novella was released.  It’s a prequel, and introduction to my Maximum Security series that starts with THE CONSPIRACY, out January 22nd.   As I worked to come up with a plot, the only thing I knew was that Jonah Wolfe and April Vale would be thrown together in a tale of greed and murder.  I had no idea how the story would play out. Or who, exactly, would wind up being the villain. I knew the setting.  Maximum Security is the Dallas security company where Cassidy Jones, the heroine of Beyond Danger, worked as a private detective.  I wanted to introduce some of the other men and women who worked at The Max, and WAIT UNTIL DARK gave me the perfect opportunity.   I wasn’t sure how I was going to put Jonah and April together, but little by little, a plot began to unfold in my head.  Since the book is a novella, I thought I’d start right off with the action. A bloody murder? Humm…why not? Halfway through, I was still finding my way, trying…