I am fascinated with Scottish history and hope to visit both Ireland and Scotland someday soon. My heroine, Jix Ferguson, is an avant garde wanna be actress who has dreams that come true. When she dreams that her best friend, Samantha Riley is marrying the wrong man, she kidnaps her two days before the wedding and spirits her away to Scotland. I think it is sometimes difficult to keep the softness and the romanticism that has come to be identified with romance and keep it all fresh and new. There is nothing worse than a trite, tired romance novel full of cliches and clinches.
Love scenes are also sometimes difficult for the same reason.
I don't care for graphic love scenes, instead focusing on the feelings, the emotions, the subtle touches and nuances between the hero and heroine. If I had the musical expertise I would write musical plays and have in fact, written two. I can also see myself teaching Writing on a college level, as I've been teaching it in workshops for years. I once asked Science Fiction author Robert Vardeman for advice and what he told me has stuck with me every since. He told me to be stupidly determined to be published, to not listen to the naysayers, to not let rejection stop me.