Good Morning Karen. The readers would love to hear more about Karen Erickson. Thank you for taking time to have an interview with us. I read Haunted Dreams and loved it.

Karen, you have two releases out now, Hard to Resist and Covet. Why not tell the readers about Hard To Resist.

Hi Linda! Well, Hard to Resist is about a case of mistaken identity. The heroine, Nicole, designs wedding cakes and thinks Ryan, the hero, is a prospective groom. She's attracted to him but doesn't want to be, and he's attracted to her and well he convinces her he's not a groom and they do creative things with cake samples...

That's all I'm going to say. **grin**

Do you have any other works in progress at the moment?

Yes I just recently sold a novella to Samhain Publishing entitled Fortune's Deception. It's the first in hopefully a three part series of three friends who win a huge lottery jackpot. And the men who come into their lives afterwards. So right now I'm working on the second one.

I'm also working on a shifter for AQP Amber Heat. And after I finish that I'll work on a Christmas book for Cobblestone Press. I'm super busy but I wouldn't trade this for the world!

When do you feel is the best time of the day for the muse of writing to strike you?

Well it can be anytime but I do most of my writing at night after my kids are in bed. It's just so much easier to get into it when you don't have little children asking for snacks, etc.

Do you throw yourself into your books and the characters' lives?

Well, it depends on the book. To really get into a groove though, I find I almost need to immerse myself in my characters, in the setting, plot etc. to really make it strong. I even sometimes dream about my characters! That's when you know you've thrown yourself in.

Do you have a character that is especially close to your heart?

My Christmas fairy Lily from Fairies & Wishes (Cobblestone Press). I had the most fun creating her, writing about her. She was a true joy. In fact, I plan on writing about another Christmas fairy for Cobblestone Press and if I can figure out how, I'm going to throw Lily into a scene or two. We'll see.

What is the best advice that anyone ever gave you?

Finish the book. It's as simple as that. You can write and write and write, come up with ideas, etc. (like I did for years) but if you never finish a book then it becomes hard to keep plugging on. So just finish the book, because then you prove to yourself that you can!

Do you have any favorite hobbies when you are not writing?

Hobbies? LOL. Who has time? No, I hang out with my family, right now it's so hot so we do a lot of swimming. I also like to read and back in the day when I had a lot more time on my hands, I liked to scrapbook. I haven't done that in ages.

I have found that some authors listen to music while they compose. Is music your solace while writing or do you have another comfort as you write?

I like to listen to music when I write sometimes. I don't need to do so to get the creative juices flowing but sometimes it's a help. I also like to have a large supply of chocolate on hand - that always helps.

Was there any one person or event in your life that finally inspired you to sit down and write your first book?

I'd always wanted to write but never actually got serious about it till after the birth of my third child. I'm a stay at home mom and though I don't have a lot of time, I realized what was I waiting for? So I've been writing ever since.

Do you have a favorite movie that you could watch over and over again?

Do cheesy movies on Lifetime count? Oh and I also love to watch There's Something About Mary - I love that movie!

If you could compose a novel with any author, living or dead, who would you, choose?

Ah, gosh. This is hard. There's so many! How about Nora Roberts - just to watch the method to her madness. We know it's been working for an awful long time and rather successfully so that would be cool to see her in action.

Karen, do you have a website other than http://www.karenwritesromance.com that you would like to share, a blog or my space, perhaps?

My blog is now with my website - http://www.karenwritesromance.com/blog and my MySpace is http://myspace.com/kdid210

Do you have any indulgent behaviors one might find surprising? What's your favorite comfort food?

Ah gosh I don't really have any major indulgent behaviors. In the winter I like to take long baths. Does that count? And favorite comfort food? Fresh baked bread!!

Is there anything else that you would like to share?

I just want to thank all of the readers out there - I appreciate them buying and reading my books!

Karen, thank you for spending time with us today, and I wish you success in your writing. Keep those great books coming.

Interviewed by: Linda L.