Do you read/writing in other genres? If so, which ones?

How is it different for you when you're writing contemporary romance?

What exactly are you career "branches"?

With all of your career "branches", what made you give historical romance a try?

Writing FAQs

Writing my own novels is something that I've always wanted to do and decided to go for it when I felt it was time.

There's just something about old school romance that is plainly missing is today's society and I always wanted to help maintain or bring back what was; the courting, calling on someone in a respectable manner, waiting until marriage to become intimate (not that there's anything wrong with not waiting if you're in love,) having self respect/modesty and respect for others. . .and so many other things. And simply being in love with different eras of history, I just love to incorporate romance with those times in history and create a powerful love story.

I'll answer this the best way I can. When I'm writing any story I usually get swept away into that world, that also includes the time period that I'm writing in. So that's where my mind stays while I'm working on that story. And it allows me to adapt to the mannerisms of that time, the fashion, the lingo etc. When I switch to contemporary romance — same thing.

It's not really a challenge for me. My mind automatically switches to whatever world I start thinking/writing about. It's been a thing for me ever since I was a child and therefore not something I have to think too much about. That's very beneficial if I'm working on multiple stories at the same time, especially when those stories are based on different time periods.

I'm an independent filmmaker, actress, producer, stuntress, martial artist, screenwriter and singer/songwriter. I also incorporate other things that are apart of my life into my projects such as paranormal research, and health, fitness, & dance. See my official website for more info.

Yes. I also love mystery/suspense, thrillers and horrors as well as children and young adult epics. I also like other literary works that are based on history, culture, art and other fun and educational things. Keep an eye out for anything I write involving romance and non-romance.

How do you generate ideas and what is your creative process?

Most of the time I do it accidentally. When I'm able to have a quiet moment, it gives me the chance to allow my mind to empty and/or wander free. Something small like a name or a phrase, or even a song can open up a whole world of ideas for me and when that happens I quickly write it down. Other times I get ideas based on dreams that I've had. Oh, and I also get ideas sometimes when I listen to music. Music always seems to put me in a zone and ironically, it makes it easy for me to think and brainstorm. The music thing is also a good idea (at least for me) as a cure for writer's block. Luckily I don't get that often.

For my process, see the question below.

You write film scripts all the time. How do you separate that from the way you write your books?

Actually I don't. What I mean is, the way I go through the process of writing a film script, I use the same process to write my manuscripts. It's always a good idea to have what I like to call a script journal, and I organize that by writing down ideas I have for a single story, separating them from beginning, middle, and end. As I'm organizing I usually "see" different scenes in my mind and sometimes I "hear" how I generally want the dialogue to play out --- I get swept up into my own stories; they become an entire world in my mind! (an alternate reality, if you will.) It's that way with each story I write whether it's for a film or a book. It also makes it easy to maintain my train of thought for each project since I work on multiple ones at the same time.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to become a writer?

For anyone who wants to become a writer and hasn't written before, I suggest you start by writing short stories. That will make it easy for you to practice character development, character and plot consistency, and honing your skills on sentence structure. Then you can move on to writing novellas. Read as much as you can within your genre as well outside your genre so you can get a good sense of your target audience. And although everyone's process is different, seek help from beta readers and/or critique partners. Make sure you do your research on the appropriate word count for your specific genre. Get to know people within the writing community. Twitter is a great place for that, believe me.

You can move on to your first full length novel when you're absolutely ready. But keep in mind that it takes a lot of time and plenty of hard work and dedication. When you're ready to seek representation for publication, be prepared for plenty of rejections. Let those rejections make you a better writer by listening to advice, if any, on what you can do to tweak what you've written.

Do research on the era with which you choose to write as well as the process with finding an agent for representation including mastering the art of writing a query letter and a synopsis. The internet is your friend in this case, especially if you're unable to go to the library on a regular basis.

Who is your favorite author? Explain why?

I love many different authors very much; way too many to name them all. . .but my absolute favorite is none other than Johanna Lindsey. She is one that has helped paved the way for sensual, sexy, and unique love stories that will forever grab hold of you and won't let go.

If you need or want to get swept away from a powerful love story, one that you won't easily forget, pick up one of her books. I promise you won't be able to put it down. I think she's the ultimate master at telling historical romance, in bringing to life a world that's long been forgotten in the modern era with such intensity, sensuality, and passion embedded within plots that will give you a twist that you never saw coming. Sadly, it doesn't seem as if she gets enough credit where that is concerned. So I'll give it to her, myself.

Her characters and the world they live in are brought to life in a way that can't be defined completely with words. You just have to feel it. Her unique male roles amazingly define the essence of who they were at different time periods, added by pure sexiness, and just the right amount of wit. And with strong female characters who grow throughout their own personal journey, not to mention the ones who dominate the so-called male role activities is simply a plus.

Her stories are the reason I became inspired to write my own historical romances. And before you ask, yes I wish I could meet her in person!

With all of that said, I do love other authors very much. To get an idea of some of the things I read, look at the column to the right and check out the list of authors I spent years learning a lot from. Their books took me on quite a wild ride as well. So I will definitely give it up to them also. I'll add on more authors as time goes on.

What is your favorite historical era?

I'm in love with the Regency era, Medieval era including the Viking age, and the Old American West and Native American black hills era. I also love the Ancient Egyptian era and different eras in Chinese and Japanese history.

Do you have other websites/blogs?

Yes. I have an official website that I use for information on everything I do professionally. You can also like my Facebook fan page and follow my official Twitter page.

Fun FAQ's

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

Anything that involves the outdoors, swimming, hiking, traveling, cooking/baking, reading, watching television, drawing, whatever floats my boat.

What's your favorite season and holiday?

Season: Although I appreciate the cozy feeling that you get with sweater weather and the gloriously beautiful atmosphere that comes with autumn - and as much as I love a light dusting of snow on a Christmas morning - I absolutely hate cold weather! I'm never comfortable (or warm enough) and I spend nearly every day thinking about the following summer. So, yes, I prefer summer! Don't get me wrong. I hate days where it's hell hot. I actually like the comfortably warm days; the days where I can keep the fan blowing on me but feel free to move around without looking like I just got out of a swimming pool. I don't need it to be so hot that I'll sweat if I blink too hard. Neutral summer weather is what I like.

Holiday: I am inexplicably, and irrevocably in love with Halloween and Christmas!

How's that for you? I love summer weather but prefer autumn and winter holidays!

What kind of movies do you like?

Anything! If it sounds awesome I'll watch it! I love horror, comedy, action and martial arts films. Plus more if the plot sounds awesome enough.

What's your favorite TV show?

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

Outlander (Lord, please send me my own James Fraser - not kidding)

The Golden Girls

I Love Lucy

911 — that show definitely exceeded my expectations! Can't wait for the new season!

Cooking shows on the food network

iCarly, Victorious, Drake and Josh. . .yep there's still a kid in me somewhere that I let out more than I should.

Tyler Perry's The Have the Have Nots 

American Idol 

Bridezillas

What kind of music do you listen to?

Everything. Hispanic, hip hop, r&b, rock, pop, old school stuff, soundtracks. If it makes me feel something, I'm listening. Off the record: I miss Selena, Michael Jackson, 2 Pac, Biggie Smalls, Prince, Aaliyah, and Lisa "Lefteye" Lopez immensely (as well as many others.)

What do you like to eat?

Anything with cheez (yes i said cheez.) I'm in love with cheez and will never, ever, ever, ever, give it up. I can't even eat eggs anymore without cheez on them. Cheez is special. It understands me. How can I betray it? I love eating anything I make at home, as I love cooking fresh with homemade and natural ingredients. I'm also a health nut so I make sure I eat a balance of goodies and healthy stuff. I'm a die-hard foodie and love coming up with my own recipes as well as tweak recipes that I find lying around. 

Do you like animals?

Absolutely! I love all types of animals. I'm passionate about nature and the wild. One animal that I'm in love with is horses. Hmm I see a horse ranch in my future. I'm also a notorious dog lover. Still waiting for my corgi.

Will you add me on social media?

Believe it or not, I'm glad you asked. Most people only add those whom they've met in person and are stuck to that personal rule that they don't realize at some point those people were strangers to them at a given time also. With that said, I don't believe in the whole "I only add people I know in 'real life'" thing. I hate that phrase. Meeting people and getting to know them on social media IS real life, just not in person. There's a big difference. Some of my best friends are people whom I've never met in person.

And although I am extremely careful about who I add on a personal page, such as Facebook, if we've talked for some time and have gotten to know each other on Twitter or Instagram, feel free to add me. But don't rush. Let me take some time to get to know you and whether or not I can trust you. Online or in person, trust is still important.

What is one thing (or some things) people would be surprised to learn about you?

I have quite a bit of morbid curiosities, so some of my deep fascinations lie with anything to do with medicine, criminology, forensic science, and forensic pathology (autopsies and such). With pathology, there's just something about the process of death that is fascinating and educational, and it comes in handy every now and then. At least it does for me. I love shows like Forensic Files because you get to see exactly what type of science is used to solve crimes, including cold cases. Just imagine finding out exactly who Jack the Ripper could have possibly been with forensic science! And I love looking at old shows such as HBO's Autopsy to learn more about those processes on a deeper level. I honestly wish that show (and other shows like it) were still on the air.

And I love looking at and studying medicine such as illnesses and other diseases, different types of surgeries, and the kinds of technology and skills doctors used to help people. Watching Discovery Fit and Health can also be educational in this way along with doing my own research. Learning about alternative medicine and medicinal herbs has always been a passion of mine.

I'm sure there's more quirky things, but I can't think of them now.