Loved the idea of you as a five year old working as a dispatcher. I started pumping gas, checking oil and airing up tires at my family’s mom and pop gas station when I was twelve.
Seems like we both took on responsibility early in life.

Looking forward to reading your Sentinel Series. Wishing you all the best……

Greta

I love ghost stories. Had one in My Husband, My Babies. I would love to try a bit more paranormal. The book I’m writing now has a shared dream thing going on. She’s fallen for the dream him and doesn’t think the real him is the man of her dreams. He has to convince her otherwise.

Hello, Sandy, I hope you enjoy the story. Please come by my blog and leave a quick hello. I’m giving away backlist titles all month. In fact, I need to go pull some names right now.

Cheers all!!!

Deb

Your Taxi story was great. My FIL has some great child labor stories, himself. He was only allowed to fix the taxis and when they asked him to move one, he drove it off a parking garage.

I would like to see what you would do with other genres. A nice ghost story, perhaps?

Wendy, after your trouble with your email highjacking, I have to agree with Devon, you’re entitled to the spa treatment!!!

I do appreciate everyone’s warm welcome and kind expressions of sympathy. It does help to know people are sending you good thoughts and prayers. And I do know how lucky I am to have had Mom in my life for so long.

Robyn, 73 and 81? Yep. I agree. Not long enough. My dad passed at 72. I felt robbed.

Hi, Ellen — waving– thank you so much for your enthusiastic endorsement. I’m going to double-up on my drawings on my personal blog next week to make up for being mostly MIA this week. Maybe I have a backlist book you haven’t read that you can win.

Emma, you’re so kind. Thanks bunches.

VirginiaH, that must have been really hard on you to lose your parents so young. {{hugs}}

Devon, another great question. I marvel at the creative process all the time. I can’t explain it, but I’m so thankful the way it happens. Two nights ago, after a very rough day, I sat down at my laptop expecting to see a blank screen in my head. After all that had happened and my shaky emotional state, I certainly didn’t expect to see my characters right where I left them. But there they were, and they just started talking and doing what they needed to do. I wrote until midnight. (And that is SOOO not my style.)

Truthfully, I think everybody is creative in some way. My mom could grow flowers. Plants in a greenhouse cringe when I walk in. I can hear their tiny plant voices calling, “No. Don’t let her take me. I’m a gonner.” Sad, but true.

Anyway, don’t feel badly about not hearing voices in your head–plant or otherwise–just celebrate what you do best and pick up books by people like me who have this particular–some say “peculiar”–calling.

More questions? I love to yack about writing.
Deb

Debra thanks for the answer. I’m fascinated by how writers come up with their ideas (since I’m rather uncreative). How do those ideas pop into your head, to turn into a story? Especially since you seem to have some diverse ones!

Deb, so sorry to hear about your Mom! 95 is a good run. And hey, I’m also reading Ellen Hartman’s May HSR right now…….

Azteclady, so good to see you again. I most gladly accept your condolences. We all either been there or will be. Life is so tenuous that you just have to embrace the moment and be so, so thankful for the time you have with the ones you love.

I’m really lucky. 95 years is an amazing span. She learned to drive on a Model-A.

Best to all,
Deb

My mother is staying with me for long periods (think couple of months at a time) these days–she’s widowed now, and getting older and more fragile, and I just don’t want to think of the time when she won’t be here anymore.

I haven’t read your books before. I’ve only gotten into HSR pretty recently. But I am definitely going to try them.

How do you get your inspiration for a book? Is it easier or harder to plan for a multi-book series or do you think of one book, then jump off from there?

Didn’t mean to start the blog on such a down note, but we write about life and there’s no getting around any part of it–the good and the bad. And the even the unread.

I’m reading Ellen Hartman’s May Superromance, BTW.

Deb

Please accept my sincere condolences.

I’ll try to check in all day if anyone has questions for me, but, unfortunately, life has intruded in a big way. My mother passed away on Monday. Today would have been her 95th birthday. The family is getting together for a luncheon today to finalize plans for her memorial next month, so I won’t be here as much as I’d planned.

What’s amazing to me is that the creative part of my head is still working! I don’t know why or how, but I sat down at my lap top last night (definitely not my usual time to write) after a grueling day of obits and loose ends and suddenly–there were my characters–at their bookclub, discussing Water For Elephants. Right where I left them. And they were talking. (Apparently, they didn’t notice my mom’s passing. Isn’t that weird? Although, I am worried about my heroine’s mom. Can you say ‘One foot on the banana peel…?)

Later…black humor intact…Deb