WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Dallas, Texas, at the Florence Nightingale Hospital. Which I find ironic since I’ve been a labor and delivery nurse for 30 years! I now teach nursing at a community college in North Texas.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

Arlington, Texas, but I’ve traveled the world with my military husband.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO WRITE?

I wanted to share my love for Japan with others in an entertaining way. I have always enjoyed learning something while I read an interesting story.

DO YOU USE A TYPEWRITER, COMPUTER, OR PEN AND PAPER?

I used to write long hand then polish on the computer but have become more addicted to the keyboard in the last few years.

WHAT TIME OF DAY DO YOU FIND THE BEST TO WRITE?

The morning.

HOW DO YOU DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTERS?

I make a character outline of the hero and heroine and then ‘listen’ to them as I write.

HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN THE JAPANESE CULTURE?

As a teenager, I was a fan of STAR TREK and George Takei’s character, Lt. Sulu. Beginning to write fanfiction, I started to delve into Japan’s history to make Sulu more three dimensional and was hooked on the culture.

HOW DID YOU DO RESEARCH FOR THE BOOK?

I search through the used bookstores for old history books for my historical Japanese work SEABIRD OF SANEMATSU. For THE WORDS OF THE PITCHER, I learned to read the Sports section, subscribed to BASEBALL WEEKLY, and surfed the Net. I also combined pilgrimages to Cleveland with visits to my sister and picked her brain about the Indians and the city.

WHAT AUTHORS DO YOU READ?

I tend to read an eclectic mix. I usually pick novels set in Japan or with Japanese characters. Eric Lustbader, Marc Olden, James Clavell, Dale Furitani, and Laura Joh Rowland, as well as John Grisham, Jonathan Kellerman, and Walter Mosley.

WHAT AUTHORS INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING AND HOW?

Rose Franken. She wrote a series of books in the late 30s and early 40s about a young wife and her family. It was a simple story which seemed to flow easily.

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO MIX SPORTS INTO A ROMANCE NOVEL?

I chose to take a character from the recent news, making him more current in hopes of making the work more marketable while still having a Japanese hero.

DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER BOOK WRITTEN?

Always!

DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER BOOK PUBLISHED?

THE WORDS OF THE PITCHER, Genesis Press
A DRUMMER'S BEAT TO MEND, Genesis Press, 2005
Ebony Eyes, Genesis Press, 2006
SEABIRD OF SANEMATSU, Zumaya Publications, 2005
SEASON OF SANEMATSU, Zumaya Publications
SWORD OF SANEMATSU, Zumaya Publications

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WRITING?

Research. I love learning about Japan and its people.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A PERSON THINKING ABOUT WRITING OR IS WRITING A BOOK?

Consider how hard it will be to market their subject matter. For myself, I am drawn to write Asian fiction even thought I know how hard a sell it is. But, the important thing is for the writer to write from the heart.

WHAT DO YOU FIND THE WORST PART OF WRITING?

Writing the dread synopsis and query letter!

HOW MANY REJECTION LETTERS DID YOU GET BEFORE THE WORD OF THE PITCHER WAS ACCEPTED?

Enough to paper the walls of my office! Actually, THE WORDS OF THE PITCHER was accepted by the second publisher I submitted it to. This was probably due to the fact that Genesis Press had an Asian line at the time. I have submitted other Asian manuscripts and received more the twenty rejection letters.

SEABIRD OF SANEMATSU was accepted by an electronic press that folded and was snapped up by Zumaya Publications based on the synopsis.

HOW MUCH MONEY ARE YOU MAKING ON THIS BOOK?

Not as much as people seem to think.

HOW MUCH DO YOU MAKE PER BOOK?

The industry standard.

WHO PAYS YOUR EXPENSES?

I pay my own expenses.