Tell us about your book(s)! 

My Writing:

I mainly write historicals and a vamp series called the Argeneaus and I always write with some level of humor . . . mostly because I find life and people in general funny.  We're all so contrary in many ways. We spend the first twenty years of our lives impatient to grow up and longing to be older, and the next forty wishing time would stop and we wouldn't age. The grass is definitely always greener for humans and I find that funny. 

The Argeneau series explained:

The general story line of my Argeneau series is that there are immortal people living among the mortal population today.  They are descendents of an ancient civilization that was advanced technologically to the point that they began to work with bio-engineered nanos as a medical aid to fight disease and repair injuries from inside the body without the need for invasive surgery. These nanos used blood to make repairs and fuel themselves which meant the host needed more blood than a body could supply to support the nanos. In that civilization this was dealt with through transfusions. However, when a series of natural disasters (earthquakes and volcanoes) brought an end to that civilization, only those people the nanos had been tested on survived, and they suddenly found themselves without their advanced technology and joining the rest of the world, which was still in the dark age technologically speaking. Without their much needed blood transfusions, many died, but in others the nanos lived up to their programming to keep the host at their peak condition and forced a sort of evolution on them, bringing on fangs and other skills so that their hosts could get the blood they needed.

That's the background, but my stories are based mostly around one particular family of immortals, the Argeneaus. They are your typical family. I think everyone would recognize at least one member of their own family among this group. My stories tell how each member finds his life mate despite all the good intentioned interference and harassment of their loving family.

Upcoming books:

I have a couple of reissues coming out; Sweet Revenge, an older historical that I’ve been told is hard to find, will come out at the end of November, and The Loving Daylights, a spy novel I wrote as part of the BLISS series, will come out at the end of December.

The Immortal Who Loved Me is scheduled to come out on February 24th, 2015. This is book #21 in the Argeneau series and it’s about Katricia’s father, Basileios Argeneau and newcomer Sherry Carne. Many familiar faces are drawn into this story including the gifted but troubled teenager Stephanie McGill, the infamous Basha Argeneau and Marcus Notte just to name a few. This story starts with a bang and never really slows down so if you like nonstop action then you might like this book.

And I have handed in book #22 in the Argeneau series, Bricker's story, however I don’t have a publication date set for it yet.

Who was your greatest  inspiration in helping you develop your writing career?

That would be my mother and a seventh grade teacher. My seventh grade teacher, Mr. Brady, really encouraged my writing and told my mother that if she gave me the least little bit of encouragement, I’d some day be published. She took it to heart and always encouraged me in that area….despite wanting me to be a singer or a lawyer.  LOL

Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?

I often have more than one story on the go so if I get stuck on one then I just switch to the other story.  Usually the block is resolved by the time I return to the original one I was writing.

Another option is to head out to a coffee shop.   I don’t know why, but for some reason working in a coffee shop or restaurant and writing by hand has always helped kick me out of a block.  Personally, I think that’s just my contradictory mind finding it amusing that I’m sitting under the glare of fluorescents, surrounded by truck drivers and police officers (I usually write at night and that’s who’s around at 2 A.M.) and writing a romance, or sometimes even a sex scene.  It amuses me and makes me relax and then the writing flows.


How do you relax?

I’m sorry… You asked me How do I relax?

I don’t understand the question. LOL Sadly I don’t do much of that.

What is your favorite book?

That would have to be Tick Tock by Dean Koontz. That was the first time I laughed while reading a horror. It stuck with me because of that.

The food you couldn’t live without?

Pizza!  Actually I’ll qualify that by saying GOOD pizza because there’s a lot of bad and mediocre pizza out there.

The BEST thing about you?

Jeez… I don’t know.  I guess I’d have to say it’s that I love to laugh. I really don’t think we were put here to be miserable, and people and life are just plain funny.

If you weren’t an author what would be your next choice of career?

I enjoyed psychology so I likely would have used my psychology degree one way or another.


Lightning Round:

White wine or red?  Rosé… LOL

Coffee or tea?  Coffee!

Do you prefer to live in hot weather or cold weather?  Don’t like either extreme so I’d have to say mild.

Dog Lover or Cat Fan?  Dog Lover!

Sleep in or get up early?  That depends on whether I’m writing or not.  If I’m writing and therefore up until the wee hours of the morning then out of necessity my answer would be sleep in.  Otherwise as long as I’m to bed at a decent hour up early is fine. 


GIVEAWAY

Lynsay has Generously offered a signed copy of Sweet Revenge, her new reissue coming out Nov 25th to one LUCKY commenter.  In addition, she will also send the winner the pen she signed it with.  All you have to do to enter the drawing is answer the question; Lynsay has a very unique writing style that can cause an involuntary reaction in readers… Name it! 

 

Tell us about your book(s)!

I'm delighted. I've written a little of everything, from contemporary romance to medical-forensic suspense to paranormal to now working on what I like to call historical romantic adventure(nefarious spies in Regency England). My fifth book of my Drake's Rakes series is just coming out now.  Entitled TWICE TEMPTED, it is the story of Fiona Ferguson and her twin sister Mairead who have been cast out by their grandfather to fend for themselves until Alex Knight, Lord Whitmore, intervenes. For anybody who's followed the Rakes, Chuffy Wilde and Lady Bea play big parts(in fact, Chuffy gets his girl).

Who was your Greatest  inspiration in helping you develop your writing career?

To be perfectly honest, I'd have to say Sr. Mary Alice in 8th grade. Scariest woman who ever breathed, she caught me passing around stories I'd written. My classmates actually had a wake for me, knowing that after she read my little adventures, she'd do something horrible to me(we thought she was going to do something horrible to everybody. But then, my cousin Bobby spent his eight grade year sitting in the trashcan). The next morning she steps in front of my desk and slams my notebooks down.

“So,” she says in her gravely 1000-year-old voice. “We have an author in our midst.”

And from that day on, that nun taught me more about writing fiction than any person in my life.

Much later when I was published, the local paper did a piece on me. About a month later, I get a letter from Sparkhill, New York, which was the motherhouse of the Dominican nuns. I had to call my best friend Annie.

“She's aliiiiiiiiive!”

In fact, Sr. Mary Alice sent me the most lovely letter to say how proud she was of me, and that she always knew I'd be a successful writer. Considering the fact that I was writing fairly hot romance, I wondered whether anybody had told her what it was I wrote. I'm still inordinately proud of that letter.

Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

I think that for Fiona(and Mairead her identical twin) Amy Adams would be perfect. As for Alex Knight,  Greg Wise(who played Willoughby in Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility). I also see Chris O”Dowd in spectacles as Chuffy.

Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?

Get yourself out of the office for a day or so and focus on something else. I like gardening. Mindless playing in the dirt really helps me clear my head. Walking, baseball games, an old movie or two, playing with the grandkids. Don't stay away too long, though. I got into trouble when I forgot how to sit down at my desk, even for a few minutes a day to write something. If you can't write on the project that has you blocked, work on something else, something fun. Something just for you.

What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?

My rule is that I put it out there, I take my chances. I have no problems with somebody who doesn't like my work. It is their privilege.  I only ask that they be fair and not give away surprises. I have been known to correct and defend decisions I made, and ended up in some interesting discussions. I rarely read Amazon reviews, though. It's true that one bad review can wreck your day. I once saw Barbra Streisand on Actor's Studio. James Lipton started reading glowing reviews of her performance in Funny Girl. Her reaction was a blank face.

“You don't remember these, do you?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No.”

Then he read a bad review. She lit up like a Christmas tree. “Oh, that I remember.”

It had been almost fifty years. I can now admit that I'm as human as Barbra Streisand.

PERSONAL QUESTIONS


How do you relax?

Many different ways. I love gardening, walking, music, baseball(go, Cards!), reading. When we can, my husband and I love to travel, and almost my favorite part of that is the planning phase.


What is your favorite book?

Oh, that's unfair. There are so many books I love in so many different genres. I'll give you three that impacted me and my career.

The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart. None of us in romantic suspense would be here without her.

The Far Pavilions by M.M.Kaye. This is the book that made me fall in love with history and the exotic world around us.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is my personal favorite, to me the most perfect American coming-of-age novel.

The food you couldn’t live without?

Bread. I once got the chance to spend two weeks in a rented house on the West Coast of Ireland, and I lived on smoked salmon, apples and Irish soda bread. Perfect contentment.


The BEST thing about you?

I think it's my sense of humor, which I got from my family. After living in a big, noisy Irish family and spending almost two decades working as a trauma nurse, I've learned that almost anything is bearable if you can laugh. And there really is humor in everything, even grief and fear. In fact, that's often when we're at our funniest.

One place you’ve never been, but ALWAYS wanted to go?

Machu Picchu. It's been on my bucket list since I was a little girl. It's magic to me. I've been very, very lucky to have been able to travel around the world. But so far I haven't managed that. I will, though. You can count on it.

One thing people would be surprised to learn about you?


When I was a girl I was painfully shy. It was one of the things that attracted me to my husband. He was comfortable anywhere. When I was with him I could take chances and come out of my shell. Obviously it worked.



Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

I guess Hugh Jackman doesn't count, does he?

If you weren’t an author what would be your next choice of career? 

Truly? Musical theater star(the star part is important). I wanted to go into theater for college until my mother said get a real job and be a nurse.


What is the most interesting trip you have ever taken?


Ooh, now that's a hard one. As I said, I've been extraordinarily lucky. But I'd have to say that the most interesting trip we took was to India. My husband travels there for work, and we've become friends with several of his associates there, leading to an invitation to a Hindu wedding. We used the time to take a three week trip that included the three days of the wedding(yes, I do have a sari and painted my hands with henna). It was spectacular. As for India, just like so many other people, I ended up falling in love with it. It is every cliché you've ever heard about it, exotic, poor, rich, noisy, luscious with scent and sight and sound. The people are amazingly hospitable, incredibly hard-working and the women the most beautiful in the world. We got to walk through morning markets, flower markets and street markets, where brightly colored vegetables sat in piles on lengths of fabric in the dirt. We joined the celebration of the anniversary of the writing of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, which involved food and fireworks and music and sabres. I was blessed by a Hindu holy man, watched gemstones being cut in Jaipur., and slept in tents in the Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary. And I got to surprise our driver, Bankaj, when I knew more about the city of Bharatpur than he did(there happens to be an immense fort there he knew nothing about. The fort ended up in my book Never a Gentleman). And I'd love to go back. We saw only a bit of the country. I'm dying to see the Himalayas and the south. Maybe some day.

What was your most embarrassing moment?
 
 Alphabetically or chronologically? I refuse to be embarrassed. Although I came close once when I was  writing for Harlequin as Kathleen Korbel. They used to have these great reader parties where they'd have a couple of authors come in and speak and share a meal. I attended one in Indianapolis at the Indiana Roof Ballroom(where, it just so happens, my daddy used to sing with a big band in the 1940s). Well, nobody bothered to tell me that there was a step down into the main dance floor, and I went right down on both knees onto the hardwood that echoed for about a half an hour, tearing my hose and making the poor organizers have heart attacks. And I couldn't stop laughing. Because it was just the kind of thing I would do.

Lightning Round:


White wine or red?  Yes, thank you.


Coffee or tea?  Whatever's handy.


Cook dinner or order take-out/delivery?  Don't be silly. Take-out.(unless my children are cooking. They're fabulous)


Outdoorsman or homebody?  Well, I don't go camping(my husband is massively allergic to all the poison plants), but I love being outside. I'm a gardener, after all. But I also like my little nest in my office(yeah, I'm depressingly easy-going. I adapt just about anywhere) (except a desert) (I should say an American desert. We just went to the Atacama in Chile and I loved it)


City Life or Country Life?  I've never had much of a chance to choose. I've lived my whole life in St. Louis where all my family still lives within about fifteen miles of each other, and the St. Louis metropolitan area is a massive sprawl. So it would be to inconvenient to live out in the country and make it into work. I do need my time isolated in the middle of nowhere, though. Fortunately there are a couple of places I can run away to if I need it.

Do you prefer to live in hot weather or cold weather?  You're asking when it's been 100 degrees and we just got a forecast of a bitter cold winter. I wish for neither. My blood is Irish, which is a moderate climate. Think Seattle. I'm still trying to figure out how my ancestors so betrayed me by stopping in St. Louis, where we get this kind of weather every year. Give me spring or fall, but mostly spring. Or Ireland. If my family weren't all in St. Louis, I'd live there in a minute.

Dog Lover or Cat Fan?  Again, I'm a disappointment. I love both, have had both. I have cats now because we travel too much for dogs. Dogs need their people. Cats will punish you when you leave, but it's just the principle of the thing. They really don't care as long as somebody feeds them. But I have to have at least one animal in my house.

Pancakes or eggs?  Eggs, only because the way my energy works with my rampant ADD that all the carbs from pancakes send me into an awful sugar crash about an hour later.

Sleep in or get up early?  I've been a night person since birth. I used to sneak downstairs after my parents went to bed. I was happiest on evening and night shift. My feeling is that people are shot at sunrise, because who wants to live then anyway?

Laptop or desktop for writing  Depends on what kind of mood I'm in. I tend to move around when I write. But since I do a lot of writing at night(it is currently 1AM), I do enjoy my desk. But there are just times I need to be not home.

Tell us about your book(s)!

I write historical and contemporary romance and I will soon have thirty books under my belt.  In the past, I've written for Avon, Pocket, and Harlequin.  I just signed a three-book deal with Berkeley and I'm so excited! 

I try to strive for an emotional and satisfying read--with a dash of my own off-beat humor.  I've also tried to stretch the boundaries of creative scenarios (such as in Call of the Wild where the rival for the hero's affection is a 300 lb. gorilla, and Temptation's Kiss, where a prim and proper British governess discovers her charge is a fully-grown wild-man.)

For the most part, my historicals have been based in nineteenth century America, although I have one British Victorian and one British Georgian.  Because of my background in costuming, I am fanatical about my characters being clothed properly from the inside out.  And weirdly enough, I often decide on a setting or era based on intriguing fashion elements. 

In the series I just sold to Berkeley, I combined a few historical elements with a modern contemporary setting in Northern Utah.  The first book of the Wasatch Renegades series, Desperado, will be available March 2015.  And recent re-releases of six of my favorite period novels has made most of my historical backlist available.

Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?

Hero: Anson Mount (from AMC's Hell on Wheels.)  Can I please be there for the casting?  And the filming?  I'd be happy to be the official costume dresser if that would help.

Heroine: Lucy Lawless.  I love a heroine who isn't afraid of her curves.

Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block? 

I have a few tricks. 

First, I’ll demand a certain number of pages from myself for a week.  I break that down into days.  If I go over my quota per day, I allow myself to stop and reward myself with a “Yummy British Artsy Fartsy Movie” or a television episode I’ve recorded on my DVR.  If I go over my quota, I either keep going because inspiration has struck, or I give myself a day off later in the week.  If I’m really struggling, I stay chained to the chair until I get to my quota (which is unpleasant enough to inspire me as well!)

Second, if I’m writing in a certain era or a certain location, I’ll “binge” on a couple of “Yummy Artsy Fartsy Movies” before I start writing.  I try to pick movies based in the same time period as my novel and I concentrate on little things like costumes, props, or settings.  That helps me to get my creative juices going again.

Third, I pick out a novel from one of my favorite writers and put it on my Kindle.  Since I don’t allow myself to read while I’m writing, it serves as a carrot to urge me to finish the manuscript.

Fourth, I get a huge Diet Coke, panic, and return to Step 1.

What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?

Good reviews are wonderful and bad ones are horrible.  (Just kidding.) 

In “theory”: I try to savor the good ones and learn from the bad ones.  Good reviews often give me a bit of a rush and help to encourage me to continue.  As for the bad ones…I worked in the theater as a costume designer, so one thing the profession taught me was how to take constructive criticism (since the director gives “notes” each night on what you need to fix.)  If the criticism is “constructive” I can usually deal with the disappointment and sift through whether or not there is something to be learned from the remarks.  But if the review is just plain mean, it’s harder to recover.

In “fact”:  I tend to get “my feelings hurt” unless the review is a rave.  I’m a ferocious mother bear when my children are maligned, and I consider my books to be my children.  So I’ll sometimes be knocked off my stride.  The best dose of medicine is to meet with my critique partner (Danice Allen/a.k.a Emily Dalton) for lunch, a little shopping, and a “venting” session.  Chocolate is usually involved.

How do you relax?

Relax?  I don’t think I’m familiar with the word since I’m also a full-time mother, teacher, and farmer’s wife.  But on those rare occasions, I read, read, read, watch my cache of British murder mysteries, dramas, and comedies, and meet with my critique partner for a “girls’ day out.”

 
What is your favorite motivational phrase?

I just discovered a fantastic poem written by Billy Collins called "Envoy" in which he describes a book as being a "carriage made of paper" traveling into the world.  My favorite lines are:

"Go , little book,

out of the house and into the world...

...stay out as late as you like,

don't bother to call or write,

and talk to as many strangers as you can."

Another motto I live by is: “If you don’t do it, someone else will get to it first.

What is your favorite book?

That I've written or I've read? 

With the books I've written, that's like asking for a favorite child, and I fiercely love all my children.  I suppose my favorite would be whatever story I'm writing at the time, since it's like a new relationship--a period of high passion, drama and mystique as I try to discover everything I can about these characters and their motivation.  I've been known to sink into the "blues" when the book is done and those characters won't come to visit and surprise me anymore.

Choosing a favorite book that I've read is equally difficult, but Jane Eyre was my first introduction to romance and the "tortured hero."  I still love a tortured hero!  It's probably considered sacrilegious not to give a Jane Austen book in our business, but I prefer the moody high drama of Bronte.

Who is your favorite author?

Shakespeare.  Sounds hoity-toity, but I was the head of a costume crew for Hamlet my freshman year in college.  After the first night, I was hooked on anything Shakespeare.  (It didn't hurt that I was in charge of the male dressing room and Hamlet was a “hottie.”) I continue to marvel at Bill's characterization, his poetic language, and his plotting.  How can you go wrong with madness, unrequited love, ghosts, evil villains, fools, and mistaken identities?  I've seen and taught Hamlet more than 200 times and I still get sucked into the writing and find something new to explore.  And the British version of Richard III  with allusions to Nazi Germany... wow!  I love a villainy-villain as well!

What is your favorite movie?

This is a difficult question since there are so many.  But one movie I can watch over and over is The Great Race with Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Natalie Wood. I love the zaniness of the humor and the sixties interpretation of Edwardian fashions.  It just makes me happy.  (You thought I'd give something high-brow, didn't you?)

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

John Malkovich.  I think he would be a fascinating conversationalist.  I first saw him in Dangerous Liaisons (still one of the best and most beautifully costumed films of all time).  In that movie, he was a villainy-villain turned tortured hero (my favorite themes mashed together!)  While I was in London, I saw him on the stage in Burn This! (where he was male sexuality incarnate.)   And now I love him as Marvin in Reds and Reds II.  Some days I need a hippo like Marvin's.  I think an evening with Malkovich would be unpredictable, fascinating--and a little twisted.  If I could pick his brain for an hour, I'd probably have story ideas for a lifetime.

What is the most interesting trip you have ever taken?

Years ago, I took an eight week, eight country tour of Europe and Great Britain.  I have literally "been there, done that, have great T-shirts!  I saw unbelievable art in Rome and Florence, the "Van Trapp" home in Austria, crazy Ludwig's castle, and Richard Harris, John Malkovich, and Jonathan Price onstage in London.  Then, to top it off, while we were walking out of an ice cream shop one night, Princess Diana (in her tiara and evening attire) drove past us in her limo and waved to us. It was a fantastic trip!  Less than 24 hours after returning, I was on my way to an RWA convention.  Best summer ever!

What was your most embarrassing moment?
 
I once got up early to finish writing a chapter.  Because it was cold, I threw on an over-sized sweater.  When I looked up to see I was nearly late for school, I hurried into a pair of pants and made it to my job in the nick of time.  It was only then that I realized I wasn’t wearing a bra.  Thank heavens it was a loose sweater and my students didn’t notice.  I was forced to teach en deshabille until lunchtime when I could run home and change.  Now, if I get up early to write, I dress completely before heading into my office.


Lighting Round:


White wine or red? Neither.  Diet Coke with two freshly squeezed limes.  (I’m not picky or anything.)

Coffee or tea?  Neither.  Diet Coke with two freshly squeezed limes.  (Manna of the gods!)

Cook dinner or order take-out/delivery?  Take-out or dine in.  Preferably dine-in since I don’t want to cook or clean dishes and I’m not that fond of fast food.  Alas, I live in an area where “delivery” means I send one of my daughters out to pick up food and bring it home.   When I go to RWA conferences, I have to order room service at least once so I can experience the true delight of food delivered to my door.

Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream?  Chocolate.  Haggen Daaz.  Or Haggen Daaz Chocolate Peanut Butter. (If I’m going to waste the calories, I’m going big.)

Pancakes or eggs?  Neither.  Pancakes are too sweet and I hate to clean the pans after cooking eggs.  I’m a weird old soul with Scottish roots, so I love bacon (who doesn’t) or oatmeal (with honey and raisins) for breakfast.  Unfortunately, I can't remember the last time I had either.  Probably my last RWA conference when I ordered room service. J

Sleep in or get up early?  Yes.   I will take my sleep any way I can get it.  An afternoon nap is also divine.

Laptop or desktop for writing?  As I mentioned, I’m a full-time mother, teacher, and wife, so I use whatever I can get—laptop, a netbook loaded with my word processing, tablet, or desktop.  I prefer anything "mobile", and I take my devices everywhere—little league football practice, school, car, couch, bed, grain semi, combine…and on, and on, and on… My favorite place to write is outside under a tree while waiting for my daughter to finish her clogging lessons.  No one can find me there.