That’s a tough question, because I do read quite a bit – across genres – and I’m always finding something new to love. I would say one of my favorite comfort reads, when I need a good cry, is Three Wishes, by Barbra Delinsky.  It wrecks me every time, but I still feel hopeful and uplifted at the end. It’s a love story, but it’s not a romance.

My favorite romance is Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. 

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Ha! I mean, a girl’s gotta eat, right?

In all seriousness, I guess it’s part of my upbringing. I’m of Italian ancestry, and come from a big family, and for us food is love. It’s not just about the eating, although that is the end game, but about the preparation. We cook as a family, we eat as a family. Any time someone prepares a meal, or bakes something to enjoy, it comes from the heart.

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That’s an easy one. I’m already a librarian, and that’s the career I would pick. I consider myself very fortunate to have a day job that gives me such satisfaction. I like helping others; library work is perfect for that.

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Writing a first draft is the hardest part of the process for me. I love fleshing out characters and backstory, organizing plot points and developing conflict, but when it comes to actually drafting, it’s painful.

However, after I have a draft done, I can revise forever. I love revision. Polishing a manuscript until it sparkles is fun for me, drafting is not.

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When I was a child, I had a copy of Cinderella, translated and illustrated by the iconic Marcia Brown – I cherished that book. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1955 as the best picture book of the year, and if you’ve ever seen the book, you’d know why. The illustrations are gorgeous, but I adored the story, and the happily ever after, even more.

I guess it makes sense that I became a romance novelist.

 » Read more about: What was your favorite childhood book?  »