Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

As a writer, and, judging from your initial comment, you appear to be one who pays attention to the craft of writing quite closely, is it more or less difficult to write a fictional work based on characters and story threads that are not of your creation?

Sebastian Stuart: Writing is never easy, for me at least. I consider it my job to adapt to the demands of a specific assignment, to be flexible and responsive. Charm! was a first for me in that it was related to a TV show. Once I had watched the show long enough to capture its “feel” and get a sense of who Kendall was, I sat down and wrote Charm! as stand-alone entertainment. I’ll let the show’s fans ponder the parallels between the book and the show – and I hope they have a lot of fun doing so!’

Many of our readers are writers with multiple pseudonyms writing in multiple genres, and some have talked about pieces of clothing or pieces of music they use to tap into the writing voice of their different identities. Writing as Kendall Hart, did you have a process to “get into her head” or invoke her voice?

Sebastian Stuart: What a terrific question! What helped me most was talking to a couple of Kendall’s fans and hearing their subjective impressions of her. What came across most strongly were her drive, her moxie, and her cunning. This is a woman who goes after what she wants. I just kept that in my mind – and in my gut—at all times as I wrote.

Have you ghost written before?

Sebastian Stuart: I’ve done a lot of ghostwriting, and my last novel—24-Karat Kids —was co-written with Park Avenue pediatrician Dr. Judy Goldstein. I’ve ghostwritten business books, political books, self-help books – you name. I’ve always written plays and screenplays. My first novel was a psychological thriller, The Mentor. I’ve just finished a mystery set in New York State’s fascinating and beautiful Hudson Valley.

You’ve written previously about affluent microcosms in society; was a soap opera family that much of a stretch from the Upper East Side?

Sebastian Stuart: I set Charm! in Manhattan because I grew up there and I have an instinctive feel for the city. Once I started writing, I concentrated on Avery Wilkins and her struggles and romances. The drive for wealth and success is more interesting and dramatic then wealth itself. The same is true of romance – a happy couple is a lot less interesting and dramatic than a conflicted one. You see a lot of the same dynamics on the Upper East Side as you do in Pine Valley.

You mentioned that you interviewed the former head writer of the show and the fans, and that you watched a good amount of AMC. Which worked for you in terms of understanding the characters you were writing?

Sebastian Stuart: Talking to the fans was the most helpful. The show has a long and complicated history and I just didn’t have enough time to get up to speed on everyone. The headwriter at the time, Megan McTavish, is a fascinating gal who truly understands what soap fans want, and talking to her was very helpful. I hope fans of the show enjoy the book, but I also hope it’s fun for folks who’ve never watched. It’s filled with bad behavior, sex, drugs, betrayal—and perfume!

Lately, states attract attention because of political scheduling of primaries, and while there’s attention paid to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, not a great deal of focus is paid to the Dakotas...

(editorial insert by Lori –see? We’re still referred to as “The Dakotas” and North and South Dakota have been separate states since 1889)

Most people think of South Dakota as a barren wasteland full of barren wastelands, or one of the five “red stripe down the middle” states during election years. Set me straight - tell me about South Dakota - the best part about being relatively ignored by the rest of the country, and the worst part of the same.

Lori: Politically, yes, we are a red state, with three measly electoral votes so we don’t get any of the campaign stumping, which isn’t all bad. I think it’s easy to confuse “red state” with being a “redneck state” and it is not the same thing. We’re very independent voters out here. All the political party line bullshit aside, we continually elected Tom Daschle (at one time the senate minority leader) as our senator, and other democrats (2 of our 3 reps in congress are democrats) not because of party affiliation, but because of what he or they could do for our state.

As far as living in flyover country, beef country, the breadbasket of the word…the best part is the wide open spaces and geographical diversity. I see beauty in the rugged unpopulated country where there isn’t a store or town for 40 miles, and in the rolling plains where you can see for 50 miles, and in the mountains, and in the starkness of the Badlands, whereas folks from metro areas see…nothing. Or so they gleefully tell me. “How can you live there? There’s nothing to do!”

At one conference recently, a woman saw my name tag and said very condescendingly, “You’re from South Dakota? Oh, I’m sorry.” How do you counter that attitude? You don’t. While I admit I would’ve liked to punch her right in her botoxed mouth, (yeah, I know, how redneck), I refrained because secretly I felt a little smug; I knew she wasn’t tough enough to live here for a day, let alone 100+ years.

I’m 4th generation South Dakotan on both sides of my family. My great-grandparents and grandparents and parents have lived through years and years of drought. Dealing with blizzards which kill cattle and family members, worried about fires and floods and hailstorms that wipe out entire crops and an entire year’s wages. Why? Because we’re tied to the land and this way of life people who’ve never lived it can never understand. That’s what I try to get across in my books; the splendor and the horror of living in rural America, even if you’re not involved in agriculture, as many of us here aren’t, you are surviving and thriving in the modern day Wild West. I understand the next generation’s need to escape, and as you get older, the desire to never leave here. The mixture of the people who stick it out here, year after year, with low wages, limited choices in everything from transportation to jobs to healthcare to politics, the warring between the ‘old ways’ and the ‘new ways’ of changes not only in agriculture and business, but in dealing with racial prejudices, continued sexism, and the bias from outsiders who think ruralism = idiocy.

In the announcement for your book deal (congratulations!) it was mentioned you’re a former firearms professional. What in the world does that mean? You sold guns? Fixed them? Worked for the NRA? Did you twirl a pistol and jam it artfully into your tooled leather holster?

Lori: Have you been peeking in my windows, SB Sarah? What did you think of the metallic tassels on the bottom of the holster and the matching fringe on the chaps? Seriously, my husband, brother-in-law and sister-in-law own a firearms business, primarily manufacturing commemorative firearms. If you see gold-plated rifles or pistols or shotguns with intricate artwork, like the image of John Wayne, or state centennials, or fundraising guns for Pheasants Forever, chances are damn good it was created by their company, located right here in Rapid City. I worked in the family business for 10+ years as a bookkeeper, which meant in addition to the financial end of things, I logged in gun inventory purchases and dealt with some of the rigid regulations passed down by the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) for businesses with an FFL (Federal Firearms License). I never assembled or disassembled the various types of guns—that’s left to the gunsmiths and I stayed out of the sales end of it.

Which is your preferred gun?

Lori: I have a Walther P-22 (considered a ‘plinker’ by folks who like more firepower) and we have a Remington 870 shotgun. I’ve shot a variety of guns, and always thought I’d be the 9mm Glock kinda chick, but the ones I’ve tried don’t fit my hand very well— I’m not petite—and I’m not patient enough to dink around with different grips to get a good fit. My dream handgun was an H&K P7 – is very pricey, so I gave it to one of my characters in the Julie Collins series. I’ve had my eye on a sweet Sig Sauer, a Taurus Millennium Pro and a compact Kahr Arms pistol, but I haven’t ponied up the cash for either yet (Valentine’s Day is coming, hon! And you know what I want…) The cool thing is I can give my characters the guns I’d like to have, and I love doing hands on research messing with all different types of firearms.

Why do you think American culture in particular is so fascinated with firearms?

Lori: If you’ve never fired a gun, it is a heady experience, feeling that power in your hand. Out here, guns are tools; you have to have the right tool for the job, hence multiple guns, especially if you hunt. Then there’s the whole gun ‘collector’ side of the equation, which I’m thankful for every day because it keeps a roof over the Armstrong’s heads. It’s funny, whenever my husband and I go someplace and people learn he owns a gun business? All the men bombard him with questions, want to talk shop, and it’s like he’s living their dream: being paid to be around guns. All. The. Time. And I will admit, it freakin’ rocks to have a gun expert at my fingertips whenever I need one. But I will also admit, since he is around guns 50+ hours per week, we don’t personally own a lot of firearms, which shocks a lot of people. They expect us to have an arsenal, wear camo and have NRA mudflaps on the truck.

Writing question time! When constructing a mystery, where do you start - with the solution working backwards? From the beginning, writing without a plan, aka by the seat of your pants? Or from another point of access altogether?

Lori: It’s a little bit of all of that panster—plotter—then some heavy duty bargaining with the writing Gods. When I start, I know the main plot thread, who gets killed and why, who did it, and the 8 to 10 “black” moments. As far as the secondary plot threads, of which I usually have at least one, I sort of wing it and see where it goes. For me there’s already a bit of inherent knowledge when you’re writing a series character, so I’ve known up until the last Julie Collins book (SNOW BLIND, Oct. 08) where I’ve been headed with the series since the first book.

There have been big discussions in the mystery world the last few years of the demise of the purely plot driven mystery, meaning, where the characters are secondary to the discovery of ‘whodunit.’ My books are first and foremost character driven; the plot has to evolve out of the characters reaction to the situation, whatever it may be. Even as much as I plot—and I find I plot more, the more books I write - invariably things happen in the book I didn’t foresee. That’s the fun part, the magic part of writing and why I keep doing it. Oddly enough, I usually don’t have those AHA moments until I’m finished with the first crappy draft and I go back and start editing—which used to be my least favorite part of the process, but now is my favorite part. Seems like I can’t actually figure out what the hell the story is about until I’m done writing it and maneuver it into what I envisioned in the first place.

In fiction, there are a lot more male PIs than female PIs, though the female superpowered superhero in romance, paranormal, Fantasy and Science Fiction is becoming much more common. Do you think more female PIs who aren’t superpowered will come along?

Lori: Honestly? No clue. I’m afraid that sub-genre of any of those genres will get a bit James Bondish, which for me was getting stale until Daniel Craig slipped into the role and shook it up again, and made Bond a real man, not a caricature of the perfect stud. Don’t get me wrong, I like reading about chicks with special gifts, the ability to kick ass, then, have sex for three days straight with a guy hung like a bull…and still be able to behead the bad guy one-handed, and save the world in an evening gown and heels.

Why do you think superpowered women are more common than plain old everyday human mortal badasses who have investigatory skills and a penchant for cussing?

Lori: Because it’s a fantasy, and every woman would like to see herself in that role. I don’t think it’s a coincidence women are drawn to those ‘I can do everything, be everything’ types of books. My character, Julie, is a little over the top, as far as how many punches she can take without puking in the bar fights she gets into, the gruesome bodies she discovers and the umm…excessive drinking and smoking and sex, but she relies on her guts and her smarts, rather than a psychic insight or incredible physical strength. Sometimes she’s wrong. Sometimes she makes mistakes. It is her frailties and her hidden humanity, which we all have that fascinates me and wants me to peel back the layers to see what else she’s hiding—not a sudden knowledge of weaponry she didn’t know she possessed, but what makes her so bristly and ready to do the right thing, even if it isn’t necessarily the legal thing. I will admit I take some hits from folks on the rough language in the books. I refuse to apologize because it is true to the character and that’s what matters to me. There is so much diversity with strong female characters it is a great time to be a reader.

Let me ask you a question about biker culture: I don’t know many people who can afford a Harley, with the price point they demand nowadays, and, granted I’m in the wrong part of the country to be asking this question, it seems I see a lot of people “dressing up” in biker style rather than actually participating in that culture. Do you think biker culture is going to die out? Or is it a relatively ignored but thriving subculture in the US that only demands attention when a whole lotta bikers gather in the same spot?

Lori: No. I believe there will always be fringe groups, who see themselves as modern day rebels who are mindful and prideful about not fitting in. I live 30 miles from Sturgis South Dakota, home of the infamous Sturgis Bike Rally, where half a MILLION bikers descend on us the first two weeks of August, every year without fail (remember, we have 750K in our entire state). So we have a very large ‘real’ biker population of those people who’ve come here, found their niche and stayed permanently. I’ve watched the rally change over the years from a serious biker gathering—with deadly, big time, name recognizable biker clubs (don’t call them gangs, no seriously, don’t) fighting an all out turf war over the local drug trade, what ‘colors’ are acceptable to fly, and ownership of strippers and strip clubs, and bike shops—to yuppies having their bikes “trailered” in — meaning they don’t ride them across country, but have them shipped here, which signifies pussy in the real biker world. So there are a lot of poseurs in those two weeks. Mostly the doctors, lawyers, stock brokers and dot comers who can afford the hefty price tag Harley Davidson motorcycles come with these days, who grow their beards and their hair for a month before the rally starts so they think they look badass. They have new leathers and matching boots, and a fake attitude while they’re ‘roughing it’ in a hotel. The real bikers, you know the mechanics, cooks, welders, and other blue collar workers who still drive the piece of shit bikes that break down all the time and actually exist in that shady life 24/7, they camp out and suffer through the weather because it’s what they know and all they can afford.

One year during the rally, when I was still waitressing, I waited on the vice president of the Hells Angels. I was nervous as shit, because he had on the vest, with all those patches, proclaiming who he was. He was an absolute dream customer. Counter that with a guy I’ll name Dick, a high-powered attorney from the east coast, who literally made me cry and redefined prick. Give me a real biker any day of the week. Purchasing a $50K bike, slapping on a bandana and piercing your ear before coming to Sturgis does not make one the real deal—and usually these assholes want to prove how tough they are by being jerks to everyone around them.

It is interesting to watch them get their asses kicked. And no, I don’t feel sorry for them. Men and women who live that alternate lifestyle, officially as members of a particular biker club, are not people to mess around with. They are deadly. I use a fictional biker club in my books, but I do not sugar coat how ritualistic and barbaric some of the clubs behave toward each other—and women in particular.

Let’s see: you, and your heroine, are take-no-shit women who cuss a lot. (Obviously, I can’t understand that at all.) You are published with a newer publisher that “took a risk” with your books, and you’re both now reaping the benefits of that risk. Do you think established publishing houses will wake up to their missed opportunity and make the “risk” of a flawed but heroic female PI protagonist a more common entity? Or will new publishing houses continue to break molds and cause change from outside the established houses?

Lori: I have no earthly idea how things work, how decisions are arrived at in the publishing world. Medallion Press took a chance on me (the 16 yr old daughter of the CEO, Helen Rosburg pulled my submission out of the slush pile, read it, loved it and made her mother read my book, no shit) because my book was different—which is precisely why the NY pubs didn’t want it. And the series has gone on to be nominated for major awards in the mystery industry—as well as winning a literary award. Who’da thunk it?

There’s been talk that the PI genre is dead, for a number of years, but I don’t see where that’s necessarily true either, but I do believe there are trends no one can predict no matter how long you’ve been in the business. It’ll be interesting for me, to go from being published as a mass market paperback original with an independent house, to hardcover with a big house when the first book in my new series comes out from Touchstone/Fireside (Simon and Schuster) in April of 2009. I guess maybe the smaller houses are taking bigger risks, because they have less people to answer to. Case in point: the Edgar nominations were recently announced and a couple of independent publishers –Bleak House, Akashic Books and Busted Flesh Press—all had nominated works, which I think bodes well for all the smaller presses in all genres. But I’m mighty glad Touchstone/Fireside is taking a chance on me and my style of storytelling.

Thanks to Lori for tolerating my nosy ass questions, and for some smart responses. 

Now that you’ve had a glimpse of the romance world, has your idea of pillow talk changed? (Jenyfer Matthews)

Paul: My girlfriend and I had a lot of fun with the whole escapade, but the Cassie Edwards novel I bought was the only romance novel I’ve read since I was a horny young boy.

How do you answer people who ask, ‘Why should I care about ferrets, or the environment, when there’s starving children in other parts of the world, or genocide in Darfur?’ And what misperceptions or stereotypes do you face about your work as an environmental journalist? (Darlene Marshall, Jocelynne Weathers)

Paul: I think the environment is the biggest story of our era. The planet is literally burning, and there are species going extinct – which indicates that human impact and destruction comes with great consequence. As a journalist, I live vicariously through researchers, and I get outdoors and see personally what’s happening, so it’s important that I tell people what’s going on in places that they can’t see first hand. Climate change is hugely important.

Environmentalism is denigrated a great deal – the term “tree hugger” does a lot of damage because it implies that we care more about trees than about people. I’d rather we be called ‘children-huggers’ because I’m trying to help future generations see the wonder of the earth, and I worry about the future. I’m not a worrywart but we’ve got this young generation that’s electronically plugged in, and there’s a nature deficit disorder at work in that generation.

How have these revelations and the varied reactions to them shaped your impression of the romance community? (Carrie Lofty)

I had no idea there was this massive audience who read romance novels. You have a very caring, concerning audience who are eloquent with a great sense of humor. As a journalist, I see myself as an educator, teaching public about what they don’t get to learn about first hand. I’m thankful for a job that lets me ask questions, and I’d love to write a piece about the romance novel community.

What would you like to do next in terms of your writing?

Paul: I’d love to write about plagiarism, and use my experience of being plagiarized to explore the topic. What are the rights of a writer, what recourse do writers have? I’d love to explore legal history, and examine the issue. I was wronged, but I want to quantify the experience, not necessarily pursue it legally. I’d rather go on a journalistic journey, because this experience has revealed a huge community of people – I got email from more than 100 people who told me they were plagiarized, people from all walks of life. A veterinarian told me about a piece he’d written about a veterinary medical procedure and later he found it plagiarized. It’s a little known problem with a wide impact. I’d love to write more about it. I want to explore the topic of plagiarism because of journalistic curiosity, and because how big the problem is.

What about Cassie Edwards? Would you like to talk to her?

Paul: I’d love to talk to her, have a conversation about how it happened. I didn’t want to demonize her in my Newsweek article. You asked me earlier if I was pissed off, and I wasn’t. I would be really pissed off, and I have been, if it was a journalist [who plagiarized], like Jayson Blair and others.  It pisses me off if journalists betray their craft. This didn’t piss me off, but it’s probably because I’m not part of that craft, and I’m not a reader of romance.

What would you like to see happen because of this issue?

Paul: One thing that has happened is my Newsweek article has become a teaching tool. I’ve had a ton of email from high school teachers, professors and librarians saying they plan to use the story to discuss plagiarism. It’s a great opportunity for education, because it is sexy and humorous, but it opens the topic for a national teaching moment on plagiarism, and ferrets.

What’s your dog’s name?

Paul: That’s Rudy. He’s a yellow lab. We also have a second dog named Moose.

Ok, the big question: if we send you a romance to represent the best of the genre, would you read it?

Paul: Absolutely! I’d love to!

Thank you again to Paul for his time in answer our readers’ questions, and to our readers for sending me excellent inquiries.

There have been “secret writers,” “secret newspaper journalists,” and “secret math whizzes” in historical romances I’ve read – but this is my first encounter with a “secret” seamstress.  What was your inspiration, or point of access, for having Phoebe engaged in trade secretly, and why sewing?

Julia London: I was hoping you would say secret babies—wouldn’t that be a great historical romance?  Okay, maybe not so much. 

I suppose there are so many “secret” occupations because writers try to meld modern sensibilities with historic mores.  The fact is, ladies of breeding and wealth—the ones who usually appear as the heroine in historical romances—were not expected to work or to engage in anything more strenuous than painting or embroidery.  If they did “work” it was usually in the pursuit of charitable endeavors.  I think that life is appealing to modern women who do it all—wouldn’t it be great to have nothing to do but sit around in cool floor-length gowns and contemplate the clock?  Oh yeah! 

But only up to a point. 

Women don’t like women who are slackers, because most of us aren’t.  Women like women who manage to take on something important or meaningful in spite of the confines of their world.  As writers, we need those heroines to be doing something, because without something to do all day beside look at the clock, there is not much opportunity for external conflict or to run into that handsome, virile lord. 

As for Phoebe, the premise was set up in the first book of the Desperate Debutantes series (The Hazards of Hunting a Duke , The Perils of Pursuing a Prince , the Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount), in which the mother and aunt of the three heroines suddenly dies.  Her fortune is snatched up by her second husband (their stepfather), who figures the girls don’t need it as badly as he does.  He goes off to France but with a dire warning – when he comes back, they are getting married, if they like it or not.  So the three of them, industrious party animals that they are, decide they will snag husbands on their own terms before the stepfather can do it for them.  In order to do snag one that will keep them in the style to which they have become accustomed, they must keep up appearances, and appearances means money. 

As wellborn young women, they all would have been taught to embroider and sew.  So I took it one step further and gave Phoebe her own little Project Runway—a love of beautiful gowns, a talent for making them, and thus, a way to bring in a little extra cash.  But as she was trying to keep up appearances—that is, lots of money and no need to work—she had to keep it a secret, lest polite society be horrified by her trade, but giving her something that would be the catalyst for putting her in a dashing lord’s house. 

Have we run out of variations on the “lady meets lord” plotline, and thus writers looking for more authentic tension are crossing class line to create romantic tension between protagonists?

Julia London:  I think it may seem like it sometimes, but I think writers are looking to create more authentic tension, period.  Sometimes we find it crossing class lines, but mostly, the books are about emotion, regardless of how it happens.  I think what we are seeing is a trend away from the light historical with cute heroines where the hero and heroine meet under the I-will-never-marry-except-for-love! scenario to situations that seem more authentic and real.  For example, my next book, The Book of Scandal, is about a married couple who separate after the death of a child until a few years later when circumstances force them together again.  They have to reconstruct the scaffolding of their marriage against the backdrop of a scandal.  I think a lot of writers are looking for ways to deepen the romance, both the tension and the ultimate falling in love and HEA, and give the books a “real” feel. 

In the book, it appears that Phoebe is exposed to treatment to which she’s unaccustomed, and readers are exposed to how life is, or was, for servants and merchant class people during the time period.  That’s a big risk for a writer to take with her heroine!  Was there any concern on your part that it would reveal too much of the disparity in class and comfort that was common at the time, or that it would damage the fantasy fairy tale of historical romance too much? 

Julia London: No, I wasn’t worried about it.  I wondered how some readers would take it, naturally, but ultimately, it’s a Cinderella tale, and if any romantic fantasy has endured the test of time, that is one.  I got mail from a lot of readers who actually liked seeing a little more of how the other half lived.  The majority of my mail has been very favorable, but there are always a couple of readers who don’t like change.  I, for one, needed to do something a little different.  Just as readers get tired of reading the same sort of historical romance, I get tired of writing the same sort.  Don’t get me wrong—I love a good historical romance, but sometimes, I like to change it up for my own sake. 

Let’s talk reputation:  Why do you think readers of historical romance seek out and enjoy stories wherein the heroine’s reputation is at risk, such as in The Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount?  What’s the attraction there?  Do you think there’s a similar parallel to modern women’s lives, even though our life and future aren’t as dependent solely on our social reputations?

Julia London: I think a couple of things about that.  First, our lives aren’t as dependent on social reputations, but we still have them and we still care what they are.  Therefore, I think it is easy for the reader to put herself in the shoes of an historical heroine in that regard.  Secondly, without the higher stakes—such as a woman’s total ruin, which we can all relate to—the romantic pay-off isn’t as great.  The greater the stakes, the greater the romantic tension, the greater the romance novel reading experience.

What’s your guilty pleasure romance cliché?  What plotline do you fall for as a reader? 

Julia London: Good question!  I am probably in the minority here, but I like heroines who are trying to accomplish something or fix something or run from something and find the hero as an obstacle, but ultimately the only one who can help her out because he’s big and strong and smart and capable.  You know, me-Tarzan, You-Jane of thing.  HA!  I can’t believe I just said that.  Maybe it’s because in my own life I feel so responsible for so many things – it would be great to leave the responsibility for my happiness to someone else who is desperate to give it to me.  Now, there is a fantasy!  My husband is fabulous, but you know life is just too complicated for one person to do it anymore.  And he’s not really into the whole Tarzan thing.  He sort of likes the partnership route. 

Other topics ahoy!  A great deal has changed in a short time regarding how authors communicate with readers and the world at large.  You participate in two group blogs, for example, in addition to updating your own site.  How has blogging changed the way you relate to readers?  Are you surprised there is an audience of readers out there who want to learn more more more about the behind-the-scenes thoughts and musings of their favorite authors? 

Julia London: I think it is important as a writer to relate to readers.  The readers who seek me out are ones who are into my books.  I want to keep them up to date what is happening with my career.  I want them in the stores the first week a book is on sale.  I want to make them happy!  That being said, as a person, I just like getting to know people.  Blogging and bulletin boards—I just started one—make it possible for readers and authors to know each other beyond the confines of a particular book.  The romance novel industry is a huge, supportive community.  It’s really amazing when you think of it.  But it’s filled with women who have similar likes and dislikes.  Take Thanksgiving—through one blog, we heard about what people were planning.  Across the country and Canada, readers were talking about their holiday meals, family woes, drinking and football.  We all had the same issues, fears, and hopes. It almost feels like we’ve known each other a long time, when in reality, I’ve never met most of these women.  But the basis of our friendship started with a love of books and it grows from there.  It’s really cool, actually. 

writing question—don’t cringe!  Some authors, like Jenny Crusie, talk about making collages about their works.  Other authors have soundtracks for specific books, or visual images of hot dudes to inspire them as they write their latest.  What’s your inspirational tool, if you have one?

Julia London: Writing questions!  Argh!  I am so not a craft person and I don’t do anything as cool as any of that, I am sorry to say!  I have a notebook where I scribble notes, and a computer.  My inspiration comes from reading.  I read a lot, and mostly outside of the romance genre. I also use music as inspiration—sometimes a line from a song will inspire an entire book.  And then, for those times when the ideas aren’t flowing, there is chocolate and Jim Bean.  But that’s strictly to soothe my nerves until a great idea forms.  Really. 

Thank you to Julia London for answering my nebby-ass questions, and for taking the time to write long and thoughtful answers.