Lorraine: I am married - 24 years in October, which is an accomplishment I'm extremely proud of. I have two sons, ages 14 & 20, and I'm very proud of them as well. I live in Plano, Texas, just north of Dallas.

Judy: When did you decide that you wanted to become a writer? What made you choose the romance genre? Why did you decide to write historical romances rather than contemporaries?

Lorraine: I'm not sure anyone ever decides to become a writer - I think you're either a writer or you're not. We can decide whether or not we write, and I've simply always written: journals, letters, articles. In 1990, I decided to turn my attention to writing a novel, something I'd talked about doing for years. I choose the romance genre because I'd just begun reading romances and I felt that the stories I wanted to write would fit best in that genre. I wanted to write stories about people and relationships. Actually, I wrote a historical and a contemporary. The contemporary got rejected, the historical sold - so historical is what I continued to write. I do hope very soon to begin writing contemporary.

Judy: Do you do a lot of historical research for your books? What other kinds of books do you read? Who are some of your favorite authors?

Lorraine: I'm continually researching, not only for historical facts to weave through my stories, but to keep the creative juices flowing. Ninety-nine percent of the fiction I read is romance, but I occasionally will read a mystery or something outside the genre; but there is nothing that appeals to me as much as romance when I'm looking for escape. My favorite authors are those whose books inspire me to better my craft so I can achieve their level of writing someday - and they are too many to list.

Judy: Did it take you long to get your first book published? Which one was it? How did you find out it had "sold" and what was your reaction?

Lorraine: I sold my first book in 1993. It was rejected by one publisher and five agents prior to selling. I had titled it TENDER EMBRACE, but Jove changed the title to SWEET LULLABY. My agent called to tell me that Jove was interested in it, and I was too stunned to have much of a reaction other than disbelief and absolute joy.

Judy: Do you have any special "routines" for writing your stories - e.g., do you develop the characters or storyline first, do you write an outline before you actually start writing the story, do you work a certain number of hours a day, etc.?

Lorraine: I generally open a blank document and start typing. I have no routine other than sitting at the computer every opportunity that I can. I work another job so most of my writing is done at night and on the weekends around my family's schedule. I do get a bit obsessive - housework has been on hold for years now, a low priority.

Judy: What do you feel are "musts" in the books you write - in other words, what things do you feel you absolutely must have in every story?

Lorraine: I have two goals when I sit down to write a story - I want to make the reader smile and I want to make her cry. Perhaps I'm a sadist, but I love getting letters from readers telling me that they cried when they read my story.

Judy: Your stories usually are set in the west - is there a reason for this? (I'm not complaining - I majored in American history, and love the old west settings!)

Lorraine: So far, I've always set my novels in Texas because I love Texas and its history. I'm fascinated by the men and women who peopled this state.

Judy: You are known for the strong characterizations in your books. Do you base your characters on real-life people? Where do you get your ideas for your characters - and for your plots? Once you've begun writing a book, do the characters ever "take over" and change your original story ideas?

Lorraine: I don't base my characters on real-life people but I will often give them characteristics based on people I know. Jesse in PARTING GIFTS would clear his throat loudly to keep his nieces and nephew in line. I have an uncle who did that to keep me in line. I always try to give my characters one characteristic that is theirs and theirs alone, and I don't always know what it is until I write it. In TEXAS DESTINY, Houston always pulled his hat down to shield one side of his face from view, Amelia always looked for something to be grateful for. I think it helps to humanize them. Characters come to me out of the blue, as well as plots. It's rather an amazing process and how everything comes to together is often "a mystery." And yes, the characters take over. The hero always kisses the heroine sooner than I'd envisioned and although the "big" story doesn't usually change, all the little elements that bring it together often do.

Judy: The heroes in your books are kind and loving (well, except for Dallas Leigh in the Texas trilogy - but he mellowed!); they're a nice change from the hard, driven, Type A heroes we find in so many romance novels. And not all of your heroines are unsoiled virgins, either. Do you purposely create them to be different from the norm in these ways?

Lorraine: I think my characters tend to be a reflection of what I'm most comfortable with. I don't like confrontation so my characters tend not to be very confrontational. I also have a soft spot for the underdog and I'm drawn to characters who would not have been popular in school - and I want to make them popular in fiction. As for my heroines - I always think of my stories as the hero's story and I try to find the heroine who will best complement that hero.

Judy: The three books in your Texas trilogy (TEXAS DESTINY, TEXAS GLORY, and TEXAS SPLENDOR) were extremely popular. Each of the stories - and each of the brothers - was quite different from the other two. Now you've begun a new series (A ROGUE IN TEXAS and NEVER LOVE A COWBOY). Is it difficult to sustain a series, to keep each new character and story "fresh" and different from the others? Do you plot out the characters and stories for all of the books in the series before you write the first one?

Lorraine: I discovered with the Texas trilogy that I love writing related books and having the opportunity to visit with characters again. Even when I'm not writing related books, though, I think it's difficult to keep characters new and stories fresh. I worried that readers would feel TEXAS DESTINY was too much like PARTING GIFTS. In my mind, the stories and characters were very different, but both were about two brothers and one woman. I worried that Clay in ALWAYS TO REMEMBER was too much like Jake in SWEET LULLABY - both were very quiet men. I worry that the stories won't do justice to the characters who have given me the privilege of writing their stories. No, I don't plot anything - whether it's a single story or a trilogy - I just write.

Judy: I have to assume that your next book will be about Kit, the third Englishman in your latest series. Am I right - and, if so, will you tell us a little about it?

Lorraine: You're right. Kit's story - NEVER MARRY A COWBOY, Avon Books, Feb. 2001 - will be my next book. In Harry's story, NEVER LOVE A COWBOY, they visited Kit's friend David Robertson in Dallas and I introduced Ashton, David's sister. She is the heroine in NMAC. She's been given six months to live and her one dream is to be a bride. Kit obliges, and they begin a journey that will alter their dreams and change their lives.

Judy: What else can we look forward to - can you give us some hints about what's to come?

Lorraine: Right now, I'm working on Angela Bainbridge's (Harry and Jessye's daughter) story. She is abducted by the notorious outlaw Lee Raven. This story has a lot of surprises in it, and I'm really enjoying writing it. After that, I'm not sure. I had tossed an idea off my editor and she was very interested in it, but a couple of characters from NMAC are tempting me with their story ... so we shall see. I have a hard time letting characters go.