You asked…Irene answered!
I didn’t decide to be a writer. I was born a writer. I’ve come to believe that writing—storytelling in particular—is a gift, just like any other talent. It can be honed and developed and finessed, but the basic ability is innate. I did toy with the idea of a career in psychology, but in the end, writing won out. However, my psychology degree is a great background for writing about relationships—a key ingredient in romance fiction.
The truth is, I’ve always loved suspense. In fact, the very first book I wrote was a romantic suspense novella. However, it was so bad that I stashed it in the deepest, darkest corner of my closet, where it will forever remain. I didn’t have the necessary technical background back then to write credible suspense, and in pre-internet days the research challenge was immense. So I focused on contemporary romance instead. But as an avid Nancy Drew reader in my younger days, I guess it’s no surprise that I eventually found my way back to suspense.
No. The story in every book begins and ends in that book. There are no hanging plot threads from book to book. The link in each series is a relationship (siblings, friends, coworkers) or a place. The books are chronological, however, so it’s fun to read them in order.
Writers write. It’s almost a compulsion. I can’t imagine my life without writing in it. As for what compels me to sit down every day at my computer—I like how one well-known writer once responded when asked if he waits for inspiration to strike before he writes. He said (and I’m paraphrasing), “Yes, I do. And I make sure I’m inspired every day at nine o’clock.”
My books are sold worldwide and have been translated into many languages, including Afrikaans, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Macedonian, and Vietnamese.
All of my new books are available in audio at the same time they’re released. As I reissue my older books as Encore Editions, they’re also being made available in audio for the first time.
These are books I’ve reissued on my own after the rights reverted. With older novels, I do massive edits to bring them up to my current writing level. I also have new covers designed. It’s been an eye-opening experience to go back to my earlier work and see how much my writing has changed and improved over time. I write much leaner and crisper now, and am much less flowery. I also had a bad habit early on of changing points of view within a scene and of telling rather than showing. I still love those older stories, but I don’t want current readers to be disappointed if they pick one up. As a result, I spend lots of hours reworking these books so they better reflect my current skill level. It’s been fun to give them new life!
While researching my Heroes of Quantico series, I enrolled in the local Citizen Police Academy. As part of that program, I did a heart-pounding ride-along with a patrol officer that included a tense domestic violence call and a high-speed burglary response. The poor guy almost had to peel my fingers off the dashboard when we stopped. What I learned from those hours in a patrol car is that I prefer to experience my suspense vicariously, in the pages of a book! I could never do what my characters do.
My parents. They were always my most ardent fans, encouraging me every step of the way in any venture I undertook. They believed in me, and because they believed, I believed, too. There’s an old saying about the two gifts parents can give their children—one is roots, the other, wings. My parents gave me both. They created a home where I was accepted, loved, and encouraged. With that kind of foundation, it’s easy to take on the world. They’re both gone now, but I give thanks every day for the tremendous blessing they were, and continue to be, in my life.
In the beginning, it wasn’t difficult. The demands of my entry level job in corporate communications were reasonable and I had regular hours, which allowed me to write fiction in my free time. By the time I left the corporate world, however, I’d risen to the executive ranks. I was a senior group director at a Fortune 500 company, managing three departments and overseeing major projects like the annual report. I was also managing editor of the company’s global magazine and the speechwriter for the CEO and president, as well as for other executives. When the job became 24/7, I knew I had to pick between the two careers. Winning my first RITA award and being offered a three-book contract made the decision to leave much easier!
It had its moments. My favorite memories include skimming over an Alaskan glacier in a float plane, flying first-class to a prestigious spa to get the full treatment as research for a magazine article I was writing, jet-setting with the CEO on the corporate plane to a cruise ship in the Caribbean for a business lunch, visiting a remote island in Ireland, and soaring over the Grand Tetons in a hot-air balloon. Plus, I met some wonderful people along the way.
In all honesty, there was no adjustment. I love spending my days with the fascinating characters who people my novels. And I definitely don’t miss the rush-hour commute, corporate politics, and being on call 24/7!
Learn as much as you can about how the industry works, because no one (not even a great agent) will ever care as much about your career as you do. Read books in the genres that interest you. Target your work carefully. Join a professional writers organization. Enter contests and take feedback to heart. Master the basics (spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.). Listen to criticism with an open mind. Set aside time to write on a regular basis. Believe in yourself. And don’t give up your day job!
One of my biggest pet peeves is how commercial fiction—and the romance genre in particular—is often considered less worthy than “literary” fiction. I once read a romance novel review that said readers must pick between mental nourishment and romance—snarkily suggesting that stories about two people working to overcome formidable obstacles in order to build a life together can’t engage the reader’s mind as well as the heart. The reviewer also denigrated what she called “the best romance tradition” of an ending suffused with “a sense of almost religious redemption and possibility.” What a sad commentary on our world when a hope-filled ending seems so implausible that it renders a book too unrealistic to be taken seriously.
I didn’t realize how much making that first sale would change the complexion of writing. When you’re seeking that first contract and writing for the pure joy of following your muse, all you have to worry about is creating your best story. Once you’ve landed that contract, however, you realize that publishers don’t want one-book wonders—they want authors who can produce on a regular basis. The first sale isn’t the summit; it’s the start of a whole new journey. And in addition to being expected to write at least a book or two a year, you now also find yourself doing promotion, maintaining a website, answering reader mail, staying active on social media, keeping accounting records, proofing galleys…the list keeps growing. So the pressure is on, and writing becomes a business as well as a passion. It’s still fun, but it’s a job—with deadlines. Which means you now have to plunk yourself in front of the computer even when you’d rather be doing something else. That was an adjustment.
Very full. Most days I’m at my computer by 8:30 a.m. First I answer email and check a couple of websites and writing loops. Then I edit the work I wrote the previous day. At lunchtime I take a walk, then I’m back at the keyboard. My goal is to write five new pages a day, minimum. In the first third of a book, that’s a struggle because the characters and plot are still gelling in my mind. And depending on the subject matter, research can also slow the writing process. But I’m a stickler for accuracy, so I don’t shortchange the research piece. Without distractions, I can hit my page count by dinner time. So that’s my ideal writing day. However, distractions are common. Galleys show up, publicity requests come in, prep has to be done for speaking engagements…you get the idea. So I’m often at my computer well into the evening. It’s a busy life!
I have three goals with every book I write. First, I want to entertain. People need wholesome ways to unwind in today’s stressful, fast-paced world, and I do my best to write books that help them put aside their cares for a few hours. Second, I want to leave people with hope; with a belief that no matter how tough life gets, a happy ending is always possible. And finally, I want people to close the last page with a better appreciation for the tremendous power of love (not just romantic love) to change lives. Bottom line, if readers finish one of my books with a smile on their face and hope in their heart, I’ve done my job.
I’m glad you asked! When I began writing novels 65+ books and many years ago, the romance genre was changing. Love scenes were being added to romances, and they were often explicit. That wasn’t what I wanted to write. As a result, my first efforts were rejected by countless mainstream publishers. Then one day I found out about a Christian publisher that was launching a romance line, and I thought—aha! My books may fit there, because all of my stories are told from a Christian worldview and feature traditional values. And fit they did. As I discovered, the genre is home to a rich and diverse spectrum of thought-provoking, uplifting, and entertaining novels. Readers who prefer what the general market calls “clean,” wholesome fiction would enjoy Christian novels, since they don’t contain vulgarity, gratuitous violence, or explicit sex. Yet the stories are rich and deep and compelling. For as Mary Higgins Clark once said when asked why she didn’t include those elements in her novels, you don’t need them to tell a good story.
