A: Family has always been the main focus of my life. Our house is usually where everyone gets together-which means that on most holidays, I'm cooking for a crowd. I don't mind as long as somebody helps with the dishes!
I also have a real job. I teach in a nursery school. I have a great time playing the guitar and singing with my students. I also get to read all my favorite children's stories as well as do messy finger painting projects. I love my job.
Once a week, I go to a painting workshop where I have been working with oils for years. One of my daughters is a graphic designer. She created the cover of Heaven's Blue from a detail of an oil painting I did of the beach where I grew up. Beach scenes are one of my favorite subjects. I just finished a painting of Barnegat Light-I had to get a long, skinny canvas for the painting. I have started a painting of the marshes in Tuckerton.

Q: What made you start writing and when did you start?

A: Jane Eyre is my top favorite. I've always thought Jane to be the best of heroines. She goes through so much! For second place, I have two favorites-Christy and Gone With the Wind . The strong faith element in the Christy is touching and beautiful-plus I originally read it when I was much younger, about to become a naive, idealistic teacher myself. Gone With the Wind always held my interest because the characters are so well-developed-they truly live on the pages.

Q: How do you come up with the idea for a book? Once you have an idea, do you plot it out, fly by the seat of your pants, or what?

A: The initial inspiration for me can be triggered in various ways-in the case of the book I'm working on now, it started with a newspaper article. For Heaven's Blue, I was intrigued by the work my sister did in mosquito research. Then I start putting things together-asking "what if" over and over until I have a rough outline and character descriptions. I do like to have a little leeway when I'm writing the book. However, I don't change the climax. I always know where I'm heading.

Q: Do you ever use real people as the inspiration for characters in your books? If so, why do you choose those particular people?

A: Some of my characters simply appear out of nowhere, all set for action. I have no idea how they get into my head, but I'm glad they show up. I have created a number of other characters by combining certain specific traits from some real people I have known, individuals so memorable I just had to put them in a story.

Q: How much of your own life and experiences do you put into your books?

A: There are plenty of small little incidents in my books that my family and close friends often recognize. While the plots bear no resemblance to my life, I do sprinkle in many anecdotal events from real life. For instance, in Heaven's Blue, James gets bit by a green-headed fly and his arm swells up. I know that can happen because one of my daughters was the unfortunate victim of such a bite.

Q: What traits do you like or dislike in a hero or heroine?

A: I like characters who grow and change-so I feel they don't have to be perfect in the beginning of the book. They should have a few rough edges. However, I do want them to overcome their failings by the end of the book. I dislike heroes and heroines who do not change much at all.

Q: Have you made any big mistakes in your writing career? What were they, and do you think they did you lasting harm?

A: After I had written my first book, I signed on with an agent who charged a hefty fee for her services. I really knew nothing about agents, at that point, and I should have studied the matter further before handing her my money. I was far too naïve and trusting. I wound up wasting both my money and my time.
Fortunately, I joined the New Jersey Romance Writers and learned that there are those agents who charge a fee and those who do not. I cancelled my agreement with the fee-charging agent. Many years later, I found an wonderful agent who liked my work, but who also challenged me to try writing an inspirational romance. That inspirational romance was Sea Of Hope.

Q: Do you ever suffer from writer's block?

A: I haven't run out of ideas and so I don't believe I've suffered from writer's block. However, there have been times when I have felt so drained due to upheavals in my personal life that I just couldn't delve into my character's feelings because I was already expending so much of my own emotional energy.

Q: Have you found any effective ways for dealing with it?

A: The most helpful solution for me is to write something very different such as a non-fiction article or a completely wacky story. I don't give up writing, I just switch gears for a while until things settle down in my life.