Write what you love and know.
That’s the advice given to writers.

Maris SouleI fell in love with the Rhodesian Ridgeback the first time I saw one at a dog show. I love their temperament, their intelligence, and their personalities. I’ve shown them, bred them, whelped them, cried when I sent a puppy off to a new owner, and been as proud as a mother when one won at a dog show.

I also love living in the country. I have childhood memories of catching pollywogs in the creek that ran by our two acres in Walnut Creek, California; being able to pick ripe peaches from the tree (also almonds, pears, English walnuts, apricots and more); and sitting in my “thinking” tree making up stories.

When I married and moved to Michigan, I was totally agreeable to living in the country. What a perfect location for a romance writer—Climax, Michigan. And what a neat place to plot a mystery with a lot of suspense. (Yes, there are some similarities between the real Climax, and my imaginary Zenith in The Crows, but nothing in The Crows is based on actual events or people...I hope.)

My books, whether they’re romances or mysteries or a combination of the two, usually include animals, people who live in the country, and one of the two states I love --Michigan and California. Are these books based on my life or people I know? Maybe bits and pieces, but my protagonists are always braver and smarter than I am (along with younger) and the antagonists are always nastier than the people I’ve known.