As the author, how would you describe your book?
Immortal Desires offers the reader more than just the common romance where the man and woman go through a ridiculous amount of external and internal conflict before they finally end up living happily ever after. It encroaches upon the idea of immortality, laced with the appeal of everlasting love. The characters' dark existence is portrayed through their actions and behaviors, giving any reader who loves supernatural or paranormal ideations a taste of romance in the underworld. This immortal romance takes its reader beyond the scope of falling in love and living the rest of your life together; it takes him/her into a whole new realm of eternal love, intense emotions, determination, and the characters' struggle with their vampiric nature. Not only does the essence of the characters' immortality play a role in the plot's layout, but so does the impact of interacting with mortals. There's plenty of action, excitement, and intimacy; and just enough blood letting to keep the reader on the edge of their seat until the very last page. I believe Immortal Desires will appeal to anyone who has an open imagination and is looking for an intriging romance.

Can you tell us the behind-the-scenes story about how Immortal Desires came into being? What was the germ? How did the characters come to life? Is there a character who still lives inside of you?
The idea to write Immortal Desires came to me one day while sitting at work, thinking about a television show I'd seen the night before. I actually only had the idea for the meeting of the hero and heroine and the ending when I knew I had to write about them. The notion of an immortal man (Adrien), filled with misery and self-loathing, seeing a mortal woman (Elizabeth) and knowing that she was his destiny, a ray of light in his realm of darkness, was so romantic to me, that I couldn't help myself. I had to write it. I had no idea what their external conflicts were going to be at that point. I only knew that he was in an eternal state of misery, and she was going to be thrust into an existence that was abhorrent and went against every mortal grain in her essence, and somehow, by the time I put THE END, they would have developed a love so strong that it would carry them through eternity. This was obviously not going to be an easy task, since all I had was about one chapter's worth of idea. I never write from an outline or synopsis because I feel that it limits me. I want to let the plot carry me, without restraining my creativity. The other characters in the story just seem to come to life where I needed them to. I would sit down to write one scene, and before I knew it, I had written two or three and I hadn't even had the idea for them before. All the loose ends just seemed to come together in their own logical sense. As I wrote, the characters became more and more real to me, until they were constantly in my head. I knew what they would think or feel, how they would react to something, even how they would use their senses to experience a certain smell or taste, etc. I found that I not only fell in love with Adrien and Elizabeth, but also the villian, Mikel. Although his behavior is atrocious and he is evil, the driving force behind his cruelty is pain, hurt, and lost love. By the end of the story, I knew I couldn't just let him go. I am planning on writing another book based on his character and a mortal that he meets in Immortal Desires, not a spin-off, but a deeper look into his personality and a story that's all his own. I would also like to write a book based on Adrien's character, prior to meeting Mikel and Elizabeth. I'd like to take the reader through Adrien's turning from a mortal into an immortal, and develop the relationship he had with his mentor, Antoine, who is mentioned briefly in Immortal Desires. It's quite possible that after I've completed these stories and I've introduced new characters that haven't even been thought of yet, I might have a few more ideas for future books.

Can you tell us something about you as a writer, i.e. when you started writing, what's your creative process is like, what inspires you, etc.?
I started writing when I was about 10 years old. My first book was a written as a project for school. It was a horror story along the lines of Friday the 13th. My fellow classmates weren't too thrilled with it since they were my unfortunate victims. I wrote a lot of poetry in middle school, usually related to how I felt about someone else, love, and emotions. In high school, I really started to write more romance. I wrote several short stories and shared them with my friends, but I never pursued publishing or a full length novel. It wasn't until about 3 years ago that I decided to try my hand at knocking out a 90,000 word manuscript. Actually, I had started on a different story, More Than Prophecy, which I'm currently finishing. I got the idea for Immortal Desires just out of the blue one day and knew I had to write it first. I put the other book on hold for a while and wrote what was pressing in my mind. Six months later, I had approximately 360 pages of Paranormal Romance. I started reading romance novels at the age of 12. I found that I loved anything which occurred in another era, another country, or on a ship. I never really liked modern romance and stuck to more historical genres. I also loved anything supernatural, mystical, or otherwise paranormal. When I wasn't reading romance, I had my nose buried in fantasy. I've always had a vampire fetish, and felt that combining my love of Nosferatu with romance was the best way to express my true essence. I get my ideas on a whim. I'll see or envision something out of the blue, and suddenly, I have an idea in my head with a couple of characters and a good lead on a plot. Usually, I'll meditate on the idea, try to play out the general story line in my head before I write, where I want it to start, maybe a few major occurrences in the middle, and then the ending. As I stated before, I don't use an outline or synopsis. Trying to conform to a preset scenario limits my creativity. I get a general idea in my head and start on that. If it doesn't work, then I adjust it. I spend a lot of time daydreaming about what I'm writing about. This helps me see my characters in a realistic light and makes it possible for me to describe them in a way that others can too. I also read what I've written out loud, trying to imitate how the characters would say their part and feel what they should be feeling. This helps me to create more reality with the words so that when someone else reads them, they see what I want them to see. I believe a good book is one that takes you from words on a page, black and white, to a vivid picture in your head, filling your senses with a description that allows you to see, touch, taste, smell, and hear what the characters are. If you can pick up my book and start on page one, and then suddenly find you are on page 100 without recalling turning a single page, then I've accomplished my goal.

How do you keep a balance between family, work, and your writing?
As a mother of three young children, its very difficult to find the quiet time I need to write. I usually write a lot late at night, after my children have gone to sleep. Occasionally, I can jot down a few ideas or a quick scene, depending on how busy I am. I can't concentrate when there is too much noise or distraction. That's why I find staying up late is the best time for me to write.

Can you tell us something about you as a person?
I like to do things for other people. Even little things like helping them with a project for their home, or giving them a small gift. Making someone else happy makes me happy. I like to try new things and am open to new experiences and ideas. I enjoy problem solving and trying to come up with new ways to do things. I am goal-oriented and like the feeling of accomplishment when I complete something that I've set out to do, such as writing a book.

If you had a chance to be mentored by one author (living or dead), who would you choose and why?
I think Steven King is phenomenal. He is very creative and capable of writing amazing works in different genres. He has a lot of the same ideas that I do about writing, such as leaving yourself open for creativity. Everywhere he goes is a possiblility for a book to him. I think that is absolutely incredible. He never stops thinking, never misses an opportunity for a good idea. I think that sets him apart from other writers. He has incorporated his talent as a writer into his daily routine. I think many writers separate themselves into different roles. When they aren't in their "writer role", they don't look for new ideas, they are confined to accomplishing whatever task they are doing, and possibly missing an opportunity or inspiration for another great book.

Despite the wisdom that says you can't take it with you, if you could take four things with you when you leave this world, what would they be?
There isn't anything material that I care about taking with me. My family is all that matters to me; although I don't like the thought of ever being separated from them, I wouldn't be fair to take them with me when I go. They have to live their lives to the fullest and can join me later on. I suppose if it didn't necessarily have to be material things, then I would want to retain my memory of life on this planet. I wouldn't want to forget a single moment or experience, good or bad, or the people I came in contact with.

What is your view of epublishing? What opportunities does it provide for you and for other authors? What do you think is the future of epublishing?
I think things are moving more towards computers and away from traditional publishers. Let's face it, there are only so many resources for paper, and when they run out then what's left? Computers. I think it will take a while for people to adapt to the idea of reading a book from a terminal or hand-held apparatus, but I think things are definitely moving that way. I also think that since epublishing is relatively new, first time authors have a better chance at getting noticed by an epublisher than a traditional publisher. It seems nearly impossible to get your foot in the door anywhere in the publishing world, unless you are already published and have proven yourself capable of drawing a profit. This is very discouraging to a new author whose work may be as good or even better than an author with a known name, but who can't get anyone to take notice. I am very pleased that DLSIJ Press has invited me to become one of their authors. I believe this is a great opportunity for me to get my work noticed by the public, and also gives me an entry into what I believe to be the future of publishing.

What other published works do you want us to know about?
Immortal Desires is my first published work.

What projects are you currently working on?
I am currently working on More Than Prophecy and hope to have it ready for publication in the next few months. I have plans for several future books and plan to start on them soon. I also want to look into creating web pages and marketing my work.

Do you have any words of wisdom for propective authors?
Absolutely. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done. Research what you want to write. See what's been done before and come up with something better. Then, write your book letting your personality and talent shine through. When it comes time to find a publisher, explore every avenue out there. Once again, research your options. And most importantly, brush off the rejections and keep trying. What one publisher hates, another might love. You have to keep trying until you find a publisher who shares the same ideas as you. There are a lot of them out there; if you keep trying, you'll find one.