Thanks, Bree, for hosting me.

I started my writing career early. After I began reading at age 4, I decided I wanted to write my own book(s). I wrote brief fiction longhand and gave them to my mother and friends

I love to create stories and worlds within worlds. I have never done anything but write. I am fortunate I have always been able to support myself as a journalist, including writing for the Chicago Tribune. Currently I write fiction, which was my first love, and I enjoy mysteries, watching the clues come together and resolving the ending. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

This is a difficult question as I like all my characters for different reasons. My favorite heroine perhaps is Alexandra, the heroine of my Gem Hunter mystery series. She is tough yet vulnerable, smart and beautiful. The hardest character for me to create is Anne of the Antique Hunters mystery series. Not because I don’t know her personality but it can be challenging to make her character likeable, not purely superficial.

I am currently working on the first book in a new paranormal mystery series. It is taking a long time to develop because the characters are new but also because we have two new puppies who require a great deal of attention.

I did not make any resolutions this year. In the past I have such as one year I committed to finishing a book once I started it. I have always piles around the house, many of them half-read. I do have one goal, and it is to cut back on my shopping. I share a passion for shopping with Anne of the Antique Hunters mystery series. This will be challenging as shopping equals research, doesn’t it?

This is truly difficult for me. I have numerous favorite books that I turn back to. I remember being enraptured when I first read Pride & Prejudice by the struggle between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I discovered Anne of Green Gables while on Prince Edward Island during a family vacation. And then there is the richness of Gone With the Wind. I also have the original books in the Oz series, an inspiration for the imagination.

I completed the Underwriting by Michelle Miller. I was intrigued by the cover description and the subject but personally I found it wanting.

I completed the Last Telegram by Liz Trenow as the book club at my full-time job is reading it. I thought it very interesting and enjoyed the history about silk weaving. I have now moved to an everyday account of the Salem Witch Trials.

Not one particular quote but I find myself inspired daily by quotes from fellow authors or figures in history. One of my favorites is from Steve Jobs, “If today is the last day of your life, would you want to do what you are about to today?” That is so true. We often get stuck in day-to-day routines but forget what is important in the long run.