When I write I enter a different world. It is the purest form of escapism. Time stands still. All my senses are engaged. I am fully alive, but in an alternative universe. It is a feeling unlike any other. Addictive.
I love peeling back the layers and discovering what lies hidden beneath the surface of the characters I create. I want to keep on digging until I get to the very core of them – of what makes them tick, their inner desires, their conflicts and fears – exploring their very soul.
I am a keen observer of people and their behavior; you will often find me sitting in a back corner of a cafe, sipping a latte, watching people, imagining what goes on in their lives.
My childhood dream was to be a writer. I wrote elaborate stories with well-developed plots and characters. I told my younger brothers stories that I made up as I went along, every night at bed time. I have a VERY active imagination .... My writing style is the same – I am what is known as a "pantser", weaving stories by the seat of my pants, making it up as I go, letting the characters speak for themselves. I merely record the story they show me in a movie in my head.
As a teenager I spent school vacations reading. I would start a book in the morning and only close my eyes when done at around 3am, sleep a bit, wake and start the next book. I have always been a voracious reader ....
I would spend my last dollar on a book. Reading gives us insight into another person's thoughts; it expands our minds, all for a few dollars. Amazing!
How did your first book come about?
Fear of failure is the biggest stumbling block to realizing our dreams. All my life, up until the end of 2012, I waited, thinking I had to write something really profound. Then one day I had an aha moment: I realized I didn’t have to wait, and that I could simply write what I enjoyed and connected with - steamy adult romance - and it seems there are an awful lot of people who like reading it ....
I realized that time is fleeting, that I had do it now, instead of waiting any longer to realize my dreams. I had to open my eyes to the possibilities. I didn't want to die with the regret of never having had the courage to follow my passion.
Tell us about Open Your Eyes, your debut novel.
I started writing Open Your Eyes on a flight between Australia and New York in January 2013. It's a very long flight ....
I had just been to New York with my daughter to see in the New Year and to watch the ball drop in Times Square (something on our bucket list). So, part of the story naturally takes place in New York.
Natalie, the main character, is a mature woman in search of peace and tranquility; she is looking forward to a relaxing holiday with her daughter, Olivia. No pressure, no worries, perhaps some time to ponder her life and to reflect on her goals. But she doesn't want or need any complications.
She has been separated from Gabriel for several years, but still hopes for a reconciliation. However, her world is turned upside down when she unexpectedly meets Nicholas Gallagher, a handsome bachelor who wakens her latent desires. Nick truly sees deep into her soul.
Natalie believes in second chances. Above all she wants a second chance at love. But then things outside her control happen, and she is forced to make a difficult choice. Who hasn't experienced a similar dilemma.
So, one of the issues I explore in Open Your Eyes is how Natalie deals with making difficult choices, and her search for her true soul mate. Is it ever too late? Are we ever too old to stop yearning for that special connection?
Why is Open Your Eyes based on mature adults?
As a voracious "mature" reader, I have read a lot of contemporary romances, particularly all the latest best-sellers. And although I enjoyed reading them, I couldn't really "connect" with some of the rather young heroines. I wanted to read about someone I could identify with: a heroine with some life experience, gathered by surviving life's ups and downs for a few decades.
Natalie is forty, experienced and mature, with a lot of life left in her. We tag along on her journey in Open Your Eyes. And yes, she finds that sex can still be very hot and steamy at that age, and perhaps even better, for a vivacious, spirited woman in the prime of her life.
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