Words most associated with Moi...
 Cheerful
Creative
Colorful
(and not wholly because I change my hair color every other month)
 Notice the dazed look on my face? Ten to one, I was daydreaming. Pretty sure I had it down to an art by the time I was one. The quirky kid with the overactive imagination. When I'm eighty, they'll call me eccentric. For certain, I'm a restless spirit drawn to the creative arts. I think I popped out of the womb singing 'Born Free'. Okay. I'm exaggerating, but not much. By the age of seven, I was already writing, directing, and starring in my own backyard variety shows. Clearly, I had no focus. I wanted to do it all. Amazingly, I've come darn close. Let's just say I took the long road around in my journey to become a published author.
Storytelling, in one form or another, has always been in my blood. I wrote my first book--The Littlest Green Man--when I was ten. Fifty hand written pages with horrible illustrations (I've never had a talent for drawing). The story featured a curious Martian who decided to visit Earth and ended up feeling like an 'alien.' He just didn't fit in. My next book came in my high school years. It was a children's story about an octopus with an identity crisis. He felt different from the other 'fish in the sea' and set off on a journey to find out how he fit in. It didn't occur to me at the time, but obviously I've always felt a little quirky and out of the normal loop of life.
 It's not surprising that I gravitated toward a career in the arts. But rather than nurturing my writing, I pursued a career as a singer. I started singing professionally at age 14. Fresh out of high school, I went 'on the road' performing in hotel lounges and nightclubs six nights a week, fifty weeks (more or less) a year for eight years. During my travels, I met the love of my life (my now husband--see right) and joined his band. We performed together for  several years, settling in Atlantic City where he eventually left the stage to become a highly skilled audio/visual technician--a sensible job. I, on the other hand, morphed into a variety performer, working the casinos as a character actress, singer, dance motivator and emcee. Yup. Quirky.
The desire to perform burned strong and sustained me for more than twenty-five years before ebbing to a dull flicker. An artist without passion is a frightening thing (for the artist anyway.)
 Out of the blue I started reading romance novels and experienced an epiphany. This was what I was supposed to be doing! Writing love stories! That was in 1994 and I have never looked back. I started typing my first manuscript, and quickly realized that I didn't have a clue as how to construct a novel. I attended my first Romantic Times Booklovers Convention that year hoping to glean some wisdom from the writing workshops. What I learned was that I was doing everything wrong! Conflict? Point of View? Pacing? Characterization? I had an innate talent for storytelling, but I didn't know jack about the craft of writing. Luckily, another writer turned me onto Romance Writers of America which I joined soon after along with my amazing local chapter, New Jersey Romance Writers. I attended monthly workshops, national writer's conventions, read several "How To" books as well as books within the genre, and continued to write under the guidance of my mentor, multi-published author Sandra Chastain (to whom I am forever grateful.)
 In 1996 I joined forces with my critique partner (and good friend), Cynthia Valero and CB Scott was born. Together we wrote two paranormal manuscripts. In 2000 we finaled in RWA's Golden Heart, a contest for unpublished authors. Soon after we signed with ImaJinn Books, a leading publisher in paranormal romance. Since then we have published three novels with ImaJinn Books and one short story which appears in an anthology (Dream Quest) for LTD Books.
From 2000 -2002 Cyndi and I wrote and directed the Mr. Romance Pageant (a production show in which models compete to win a cover shoot for a romance novel) for the Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention. Who will be the next Fabio? In 2003 I co-wrote and directed the same production with friend and author Mary Stella. I could fill several pages introducing you to all of the wonderful friends I have made through the years in conjunction with the Romantic Times Conventions. Let's just say I'm blessed.
 In 2003, I signed with Medallion Press, an amazing publishing company with an ambitious and passionate vision. Since then I've written six novels--three contemporaries and three historical westerns for MP.
In 2005, I signed a three-book deal with HQN -- Harlequins' single title division. The Chameleon Chronicles features Evie Parish, a veteran variety performer. Yes, I drew from personal experience! The first in the series, All About Evie, won the 2007 NJRW Golden Leaf Award as well as the 2007 Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. Color me shocked and thrilled! Everybody Loves Evie and Evie Ever After (book 2 and 3) garnered fantastic reviews and award nominations as well. Coming in 2010, two romantic adventures, Out of Eden and Into the Wild. And the fun doesn’t stop there!
Let's just say (aside from experiencing life with my own true love), I can't think of anything more fulfilling than writing stories where everyone (except the villain, of course!) gets a happy ending. |
