You say that your grandfather was a "seanachie" - an Irish teller of tales. Would you say he was your greatest influence into the writing world?

I'm not certain he was my greatest influence into the actual writing world, because, like Brady - my heroine's father from A Woman's Heart -- he believed in the oral tradition and didn't write his stories down. He told stories like "normal" people breathe; it was that natural to him. Some were grand stories of kings and castles, battles and banishments, magic and miracles; others stemmed from everyday experiences he could, with his larger-than-life personality and lilting Irish brogue, turn into rousing epics. So, while he may not have directly influenced my writing, he did teach me the power of stories and the joy which can be found in the telling of them.

How do you construct your books; i.e., do you work up an outline and go from that; do you prepare extensive character sketches?

I always begin with characters, then find a story for them, but I don't work up extensive character sketches. In my early writing days, I did all the charts, worksheets, diagrams, etc, because that's what people said we should be doing. I soon discovered that while that method may work for others, it didn't for me. I prefer living with my characters for a while, getting to know them a bit at a time. This, naturally, can take a long time if a character's more complex, or secretive. I lived with Sister Molly of No Regrets (my pregnant nun story) for five long years before I felt I knew her well enough to write her story. Of course I wrote other books during that time, but Molly was never far from my mind. Thankfully most characters don't take that long to figure out.

I never do outlines because I'm one of those fly-into-the-mist people who writes the book to find out what happens. I usually know an opening scene, a pivotal scene, and the ending, although when I wrote 1-800-HERO, I had no idea who the romance convention killer was going to be until I got to the scene where it came time to unmask him/her.

I also always seem to know about six to ten scenes ahead of where I'm writing and as soon as I think of a new scene, I write it down on its own post-it on a large, 3x4 foot storyboard in my office. I use different colors for each major character, which allows me to tell at a glance how much story time each one is getting. The post-its also allow me to move the scenes around on the board to see which works best where.

What do you consider to be your most difficult challenge in writing?

Trying to make each book better than the previous one. I'm not certain I always succeed, but the challenge is there every time I raise the bar. Also, it's often very difficult to take the glorious misty story that's shimmering out there in the ether and turn it into two-dimensional words on a page.

What do you see as your greatest writing accomplishment? Greatest disappointment?

I suppose my greatest writing accomplishment is that I've managed to earn enough money writing that I could have, if necessary, supported my family by myself for the past eighteen years. Writing isn't a sprint, it's a marathon, and I'm pleased to have stayed in the running all this time.

Honestly, I can't think of a great disappointment. Since I'm one of those people who loves writing, and tries to focus on the work apart from the career, I have to say that even a bad day writing is a lot better than a day doing anything else.

What would you say inspires you?

People. Absolutely. How we interact with others has always fascinated me and I love exploring the various ways people fall in love and create their own idea of family.

You wrote your first novella when you were seven years old. Did you ever consider a career other than writing?

I had no doubt whatsoever that I'd play center field for the Yankees. Writing was my backup occupation, what I planned to do after I retired from baseball. Those were my only -- in my mind -- options. I figure making one out of two isn't bad.

You have a page of writing tips at your site, and you teach numerous workshops throughout the year. Why do you feel it's so important to reach down and help aspiring writers pull themselves up?

Wow. Do you know, that question really stopped me for a moment. Hmmm. I guess I've never thought about it, but I suppose having been so truly blessed to be able to live my dream, I get a kick out of doing whatever small thing I can to help others reach theirs. I've also made a lot of friends this way, which is one of the lovely side benefits.

What does a typical workday for you entail?

The past month it's been 18-20 hours a day, but my goal is to try to get back to regular work hours.

Do you have a favorite book or one that is more special to you than the others you've written? If so, which one and why?

The book I can't wait to get started on is always the most special, followed by the one I just turned in.

What are you currently working on? What can your fans expect next?

I'm just starting the second story in my Callahan Brothers trilogy for Pocket, which is set in the Louisiana Bayou. In Blue Bayou, the first book, destiny's about to grant Danielle Dupree and Bad Jack Callahan a second chance at love, but first they must confront their past. Blue Bayou will be out in March, 2002, River Road in September, and Magnolia Moon (we think that'll be the title) will be out six months after that, in March, 2003.

What is the most important piece of advice you can offer fellow writers?

Read, read, read. Write, write, write. Keep doing whatever you can to learn and hone your craft. Then read and write some more. Do not allow yourself to get bogged down by so-called "rules" that can stifle your creativity and keep you from discovering your own unique voice. Just as importantly, you have to risk disappointment and discouragement by sending your work out; no story ever got published while hidden away in a piano bench. (Which is where I used to hide mine.) Then, once you send a story off, get right to work on another one, then another after that. And finally, don't become so focused on your goal that you forget it's only writing; it's not brain surgery, little children won't die if you don't become published right away, and when you have a choice between writing another chapter or reading a story to a child or riding a bike with your family, I believe in the long run you'll be glad you chose family. Because when it comes right down to it, that's the most important thing any of us will ever have. Ha! I'll bet you knew I couldn't stick to just one piece of advice.

Is there anything we haven't covered here, that you'd like your fans to know?

Just that I appreciate them ever so much for having allowed me to live my dream for nearly two decades. Without them paying their hard earned money for my books, I'd be back writing insurance policies in my Allstate booth (which is where I wrote my first romance novel. But that's another story.)

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