Can you introduce yourself to my readers a little?
I was born in California, raised in the Midwest, and met my English husband during a year abroad. He was my best souvenir! Now we live north of Chicago with our two daughters. I run 5K races (badly), pride myself on useless movie trivia, and write full time in three genres.
I can be found at: website | Facebook | Twitter
Can you introduce us to the world that you have created?
For my Victorian era series for Pocket, I introduce the four Christie siblings. They’ve gathered for the reading of their father’s will. Sir William Christie was a self-made, industrialist who scratched his way up from the gutters of Glasgow, and each sibling had a very different relationship with him.
Rather than receive riches, the siblings receive individual challenges: they must make a business profitable within two years to earn a million dollar inheritance. Failure means they inherit nothing. In FLAWLESS (Sept 2011), older sister Viv and her estranged husband traveled to the diamond fields of colonial South Africa. Now in STARLIGHT (June 2012), older brother Alex meets his match in a feisty union leader when he’s assigned a cotton mill in his father’s hometown of Glasgow.
In May, even Sir William will get his own romance. “”A LITTLE MORE SCANDAL“” is a tie-in digital novella available in May from Pocket. Future novels will follow his youngest children, twins Gwyneth and Gareth, in 2013 and 2014 respectively. No telling where in the world they’ll wind up!
Will this be your first RT or are you a veteran? Any advice for those who are going for the first time?
“Luckily I’m a veteran! RT is unlike any other conference in the romance industry because the focus is on the readers, not the authors! My advice for both readers and authors is to dive right in! It’s an overwhelming experience, but you’ll never have more fun mingling with fellow romance enthusiasts. The camaraderie is so much fun! Participate in as many parties and dances as you can, and find your favorite authors at their workshops. Get rest when you can, then go go go!
Are you speaking on any panels during RT? Are there any you are looking forward to?
I’ll be co-hosting “”Speakeasies, Flappers & All That Jazz,”” a 20s-themed reader party that will also feature Victoria Alexander, Heather Graham, and Sabrina Jeffries. There will be awesome costumes–I already have mine!–and tons of prizes and goodie bags. Line up early, because the last two history parties have been packed! Reader parties are what really set RT apart.
I’ll also be on a panel with Larissa Ione and Ann Aguirre called “”Dystopian Delight — Making the Apocalypse Bad to the Bone.”” We hope to show how romance can take place in any setting, even at the end of the world!
If someone were wanting to meet up with you at RT, who should they look for?
A redhead laughing at a bar or shaking it on the dancefloor, surrounded by her best friends. I know that probably means 99% of the people at RT (other than, perhaps, the red hair), but it really is *the* convention where readers and authors alike let their hair down and have a great time!
