Mariposa's Musings

I imagine between the schedule and facing the dark side of humanity on a daily basis that it would be difficult for a NYC detective to meet that someone special.  Under her portrait’s mesmerizing gaze while reading her diary, Detective Mark McPherson falls for a beautiful, quick-witted woman during a murder investigation. Unfortunately, the lovely Laura Hunt happens to be the victim. The true star of the movie is the dialogue.  Laura’s mentor, newspaper columnist, Waldo Lydecker, has a rapier wit and he’s fond of skewering the unwary.  Writers will be intrigued by Lydecker’s writing desk, a typewriter perched over a spa-sized bathtub. “I’m not kind. I’m vicious it’s the secret of my charm.”  Waldo Lydecker “In my case, self-absorption is completely justified. I have never discovered any subject so worthy of my attention.” Waldo Lydecker McPherson: [Regarding the list of suspects] “You know you’re on this list too.” Lydecker: “Good. It would ins...

What inspired you to become a writer? I’ve always been a writer. My first grade teacher told my parents – and all the other parents in the room – that “this one will probably grow up to be an author,” just before she read my story out loud at one of the parent-teacher meetings. Growing up, writing stories was a way to live vicariously through the characters, who were all prettier, more popular, and much more exciting than me. I never considered writing as a possible career, though, so I did a lot of other things. Tour guide, bank teller, actress, waitress, proof reader, bed and breakfast reservationist, real estate agent, stay-at-home mom... until 2005, when I met historical suspense author Tasha Alexander . Her first book was being released that year, and she told me, “if I can do it, you can do it.” So I did it. And the rest is history, pretty much. Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) I’m partial to Eve Dallas and Roarke, in JD Robb’s (Nora Rober...

What inspired you to become a writer? I can’t put my finger on any one thing. Writing was something I always enjoyed, and that my parents encouraged me to pursue. Then in 2007, I decided I wanted to get a little more serious and learn how to write a novel. So I did. I finished my first one in the winter of 2011, and I just published my fifth novel. Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) How much time do we have? :D Acheron from Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series! He’s magnificent. I’m also a huge Psy-Changeling fan, and Sherri’s The League. I have such a Dark-Hunter problem that I own both of the coloring books out right now. Tell me what inspired this story. My Name Is A’yen arrived in a dream, after a pretty traumatic couple of years and surviving an abusive marriage. On the night of what would’ve been my third anniversary, I dreamed about a humanoid alien walking through the forest saying the same word over and over and over. I woke up the...

Eager beaver insurance salesman, Albert Tuttle, thinks he’s landed a dream appointment with eccentric millionaire, Cyrus Rutherford.  He arrives at the Rutherford estate only to find his hot prospect is stone cold dead with a house full of conniving relatives, suspicious servants and a slippery lawyer.  As stipulated in Rutherford’s will, none of the potential heirs may leave the premises until the next morning.  It could be the opportunity of a lifetime for Tuttle…if he lives through the night. One Body Too Many is the typical creepy mansion flick complete with secret rooms and hidden passages as well as a comic twist.  While likeable Tuttle is hardly the typical stoic, square-jawed hero he stammers, stumbles and scrambles from one situation to the next.  Though the large cast makes it tough to distinguish the cut-throat relatives from one another, the flick is well-worth a watch. Fun facts: Director Frank McDonald worked on the railroad prior t...

Write, mother, sleep. Repeat as needed.    Shondra Rhimes The creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal has shared some inspiring comments regarding writing and motherhood, but this is one of my favorites.  Too often mothers and writers embark on a frantic search for the right combination of habit, attitude and magic that will keep their priorities aloft without all of them crashing down on their heads. Unfortunately due to life’s ever-changing nature, what worked like a charm today may be worthless tomorrow. That doesn’t mean to stop striving, but you can ditch trying to be perfect.Sometimes it is best to keep moving forward and embrace the silly sticky moments.  Instead of aiming on an impossible ideal, focus on being consistent which works well for both real kids and literary babies. Have a wonderful Mother’s Day.

I don’t know when it became fashionable in the corporate world to skip lunch. I recall a late afternoon meeting in which a C-Suite darling bragged she had made it through the entire day on an apple and a single cup of coffee.  Had that been me, I’m not saying there would have been bloodshed, but there would have been serious bruising. Besides magic can happen when sharing lunch with a like-minded colleague especially if fresh tortilla chips are on the table. A while back during lunch at Q’doba, I told Regina Duke about two of the stories I had sent to an editor for a romance anthology. She quickly brought me to my senses. “Get them back from the editor and publish them yourself. You don’t need outside validation,” she insisted. I could hardly argue with retired college professor and USA Best Selling Author especially since my mouth was full. After our lunch I hurried home to retrieve my two stories from the editor and to write what would be the third story in ...

What inspired you to become a writer? A dream, actually. I had a dream one night and a single image stuck with me. It seemed to have a story and I was intrigued. Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) Oh, this one’s easy. Jamie and Claire, from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. Jamie is just swoon worthy and I like that Claire is such a strong character. Tell me what inspired this story. Hahaha. I’d always wanted to try my hand at writing erotic romance. I read a lot of it. One day, I thought, “Why not?” This was my first attempt. I wrote this book originally for me and me alone and I followed the muse. I think I chose a billionaire theme just because it was popular and I’d never done one before. I wanted to see if I could. lol What is one of your favorite romantic locales? Hmm. That’s a tough one. I’ve never been anywhere outside of the US and nowhere I’d particular call romantic. But for the sake of the question…Paris, I suppose. Or Italy. Or Gr...