Welcome to Fallen Angels Reviews. We would like to ask you a few questions so that we can get to know you, your stories, and your future writings a little bit better.

First off I want to say Thank You Very Much for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview with us. It is wonderfully exciting for me to do this interview since I am also a lover of your novels.

As introduction for your new readers and a reintroduction for your current readers, please tell us about yourself.

How did you get started writing?

I was a stay-at-home mother with two children, so I didn’t have a “real” job—not one that paid money, anyway. When my youngest started kindergarten I was thirty-five and it occurred to me that I would never have a chance like this again to try writing. I gave myself permission to take five years to try and write a book and get it published. As it turned out, I didn’t quite make that deadline—I got an offer for that first book, The Raven Prince, a week past my fortieth birthday.

How do you bring your ideas together? Such as the plots, characters, settings, and love scenes.

I do long character studies for my hero and heroines and I also do a complete outline of the book before I start writing. However, I often find that I deviate from the outline once I start writing. For instance, a main character showed up on page one of To Desire a Devil (out in November 2009) that I hadn’t even thought about previously.

Are you heroes molded after men you know, have encountered, or do you pull them out of your imagination?

LOL! They’re mostly all imagination. Sometimes I get an idea for a theme for a hero from a movie. For instance, I’m hoping to write an anti-hero soon based on the feeling I got from watching Russell Crowe’s character in 3:10 to Yuma. But that doesn’t mean my hero will look or even act like Russell Crowe’s character. ;-) I was mostly interested in the choices that character had to make at the end of the movie. It’s a very vague thing, I’m afraid.

Do your characters speak to you, or do you have a muse?

My characters don’t actually speak to me, but when I’m done creating them I feel like I know what they would say in any given situation. And my muse—if I had one—is driven more by the deadline I have to meet. ;)

What do you think about E-Publishing?

I think it’s wonderful (all of my books are available in e-reader format) but I don’t think it’ll ever completely replace paper books.

Do you have an alias/alter ego?

Yup! I also write contemporary romances under the name Julia Harper. My latest JH book is For the Love of Pete which came out in January.

What do you think of the bodice ripper romances vs. the types of romances of now?

LOL! Well, I grew up on the “bodice rippers” and loved 95% of what was in them, but I think we can all do without the ones that had rape scenes. Many of the heroines of those older romances were very passive—everything happened to them. I’d rather write (and read!) about a heroine who makes things happen.

What other kinds of books do you like to read?

Besides historical romance, I read paranormal romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, mysteries, and about once a year I pick up a “literary” book.

Who are a few of your favorite authors?

Christina Dodd, JR Ward, Lisa Kleypas, Karen Rose, Jim Butcher, Nalini Singh, Julia Quinn, Linda Howard, and Suzanne Brockmann, to name just a few.

What do you do in your spare/downtime?

I garden when I get the chance and the weather’s nice.

What are your favorite foods, pets, and vacation spots?

I love sushi and seafood of any kind, I have three dogs, and I would love to vacation in the UK or Japan or Australia or Greece or China or… unfortunately I have a family and limited time (and budget) so we usually vacation in spots with museums and archaeological sites (Mr. Hoyt is an archaeologist.)

Do you think authors should have a say in the cover of books that they have written

Not necessarily. ;-) That sounds odd, but as a writer, my first priority is people being able to read my book. They won’t read it if they don’t pick it up and the things that make people pick up books are very strange and not necessarily obvious. Which is why publishers have sales, art, and marketing departments. As long as the cover makes readers buy my book, I’m more than happy. ;-)

How do you balance writing and family?

As well as I can. ;-)

We love reading about your Prince novels, will there be anymore?

Nope, but depending on how my free online novella, The Ice Princess is received, I may write another free novella featuring another secondary character from one of the Prince books. We’ll see!

Readers who have read “The Raven Prince” are familiar with Coral Smythe, what is her story going to be like in the Novella The Ice Princess.

Very sexy! I’m already trying to figure out how I’m going to post some chapters on a public site. I suppose I’ll have to have a disclaimer or something. ;-)

How many more ideas do you have for your historical novels?

Oh, lots! I’m plotting a new historical series right now…

If you could write a collaborative novel with any author whom would you choose.

Jim Butcher! Think he’s available?

Do you plan to do novels based on former characters’ children?

Not at the moment, though you never know…

What are the differences that you see when reading romance novels of today vs. when you first started to read them?

Hm. Well, I started reading in the mid-1980’s. The books now are much more sexy, the heroines older and more confident and the heroes have their own point of view. Yay!

How do you feel while writing the love scenes in your romances?

Happy. The love scenes are usually the easiest part of the book to write. ;-)

We here at Fallen Angels Reviews want to Thank You tremendously for your time. We are going to be looking out for more of your wonderful books. Again Thank You so very much.

Thank you!

Interviewed by: Silver Raven