Where's your inspiration?

 I couldn't help myself. 

I looked for images of a 40-ish female mechanic for my promo memes but couldn't find one online.

There was one, however, in my photo stash.

Yup, that's me in the photo above. I wasn't a mechanic, but I was 40 at the time, working in a heavy equipment repair shop. I was the parts expediter and broom pusher. Actually, I had to challenge the male mechanics for the last task. By the end of the day, I was eager to spring from that creaky chair, away from my telephone tether (phones were corded in those days).

The Mustang in my story is familiar, too. My friend owned a '64 1/2 convertible just like the one in the meme. Even in the 80s, its sleek baby-blue surface was irresistible, like a Hot Wheels that had grown up. It was perfect for my story.

The male love interest was inspired by a 'real' foxy silver-haired British car enthusiast. If you've ever watched Amazon Prime's Grand Tour or BBC's Top Gear, you know him as the man with The North Wind hairstylist. After the tickle of inspiration provided by James May, my William took literary form.

I created a vast Eden for my couple, called it Forever, Montana, then let the muse in. The story begins with his life almost ending with the fiery crash of his beloved 1964 1/2 Mustang.

Was William rescued by an Alien or an Angel?

Who is the Purebred and who is the Mutt?

And what's with the skunk on the cover?

Check out THE PUREBRED AND THE MUTT as a single on December 29. Available now as part of CUTE BUT CRAZY: QUIRKY CAREERS, the fourth book in the Chill Out! Books / Authors' Billboard Romantic Comedy series.

Who's the mama?

I’m the mama because I create people for my books, color their bodies and their personalities, and decide where they work and live. Every mama wants her children to have friends. And readers are my babies’ best friends.

My first baby (Naked in the Winter Wind) came to me in 2008. I wondered what would it be like if I could interact with fictional characters, something like those in Outlander? The idea (okay, obsession) wouldn’t leave, so I started putting pen to paper so to speak, thinking that by typing it out, I would quiet the thoughts. Nope. What it did was give my thoughts fertile ground for germination, runners now able to spread to new genre territories, a forest of tales from Alaska to Australia, involving everyone from cops to kids, heat levels from sweet to saucy. I was hooked on writing. Being a fertile mama to dozens of babies.

The rest, as they say, is history and a rapidly expanding backlist.

I grew rather fond of the characters and some of their props so created a series, The Fairies Saga.

One of my next books out in that series, TIME IN A LITTLE BLUE BOTTLE, involves a few very colorful folks. I didn’t want this story to get stagnant, so I invited Elvis and a vampire, a pickpocket and Mark Twain to come by and liven up the party. It's a blast! Oh, in case location makes a difference to you, it starts out in London and winds up in Australia. Enjoy the ride and the companions!

While you’re waiting for Time in a Little Blue Bottle to be released (June 1), check out a sweet stand-alone romance based in Oregon. BE MY ANGEL is also part of UNFORGETTABLE WEDDINGS, a bundle of eight romances (all heat levels) available now for 99 cents or read for free with your Kindle Unlimited account.