I grew up in a small town in New Jersey, lived there for 20+ years with my parents in a creaky old house that stood large and sometimes spooky. I remember hating to go down into the basement for any reason, sensing...something odd. Looking back, it was my imagination running away to create stories of the paranormal and mystery.
Mom encouraged the love of reading as a big reader herself. She introduced me to Johanna Lindsey and Kathleen Woodiwiss, wonderful historical romance authors of the time. Then I read Until Forever, a time travel romance by Johanna Lindsey. History and the paranormal? What? I was hooked.
I consumed paranormal romances (werewolves and vampires) and time travel, but the selection was narrow. There was no genre blending. That came later. (Funny story, at my very first Romantic Times convention, I sat at a table with Susan Krinard, and I followed her, too bashful to say much about my love for her books. She probably thought I was a stalker.)
As time passed I would read historical romance or paranormal romance. I always wanted to write, so I thought, why not write what I want to read. I began to work on a book that ended up getting published by Amber Quill as Moonlight Rendezvous with a Vampire. That novella was a mix of Regency England and dark paranormal with vampires. This wasn't my first sale, though.
My first sale was Lady Sheba to Extasy Books. This was contemporary set, but mixed ancient Egyptian history and mythology with a big cat shapeshifter.
I was on the way to making a name in epublishing, right when ebooks were struggling to get a foothold.
Tune in next week for part two..