Josie: I live in Connecticut, am married, and have two children, both teens. On the pet front, we have a dog, a dozen cockateils, and a parakeet who thinks he's a cockateil. I like to cook but tend to do it in spurts in between books. I grew up in New York City where my dad was a reporter. At about twelve, I decided that I wanted to write fiction. I'm the fourth generation of my family to be a writer, and I can't imagine being anything else.

Beaty: Of all the different types of stories you could have chosen to write, why romance? And why historicals? Wouldn't contemporary be easier?

Josie: I'm an inveterate romantic who loves history. Contemporaries might be easier in certain ways, i.e. possibly less research, but I'm not really sure about that. I think any aspect of the contemporary world - including romantic relationships - is fairly complex and would have to be depicted accurately. The idea of writing a contemporary does appeal to me; I just haven't gotten to it yet.

Beaty: I enjoy finding out how an author attacks the actual writing of a story. Some use outlines and actually stick to them. *G* Others start with the outline and ignore it. It's fascinating to me. I'm waiting for one who writes from sticky notes stuck up all over the computer monitor! *G* How do you tackle the actual writing? Do you get vacations?

Josie: I start with a setting and characters. Once I understand the people, everything else follows. I develop a general plot outline, and as I write that gets refined and enlarged. I start each day by re-reading and re-writing what I did the previous day; that gets me back into the flow of the story, then I go on from there. I try to take some break time between books but I love to write, and sooner rather than later I want to be back at it.

Beaty: Authors I've talked to say that the characters are real to them - that they can actually talk to them. Do your characters listen? They are very strong-willed. Do they "take over" and do it their own way?

Josie: If the book is right, the characters are real. They talk and I listen. Unfailingly, they do things that surprise me. Sometimes entire people I didn't know were there suddenly appear. I've wondered, if it were possible to poll writers, how many of us would say our favorite childhood game was "Let's Pretend" and how many of us had imaginary friends. My guess is both would rank pretty high.

Beaty: Dialogue is what makes a story come alive for me. And yours is fabulous! Is dialogue a hard thing to write? I seems so natural to the reader. What part of writing is hardest for you?

Josie: Thank you! I often write the dialogue of a scene first. When the interaction between the characters is right, dialogue flows very readily. The hardest part for me is when something just isn't right - a character's reaction, a plot development, something that rings false. The challenge is to recognize that, identify the specific problem, and fix it.

Beaty: I've heard that you've written under other names in the past. I'm curious about that. What would cause an author to give up their reader base with their old name and publish under a new name? Publisher request? Different genres? New voice?

Josie: I chose to write under a new name because the more I worked on these books, the more distinct the voice within them became. I thought it deserved to be recognized on its own. Also, as I'm sure we all know, books are "branded" in ways not all that dissimilar from other "products." Having a consistent voice under a particular "brand" can help build reader confidence in the nature of the book.

Beaty: Why do you write series? NOT that I'm complaining! Once we meet your characters, we want their stories to go on and on ... Do you prefer writing series over stand alone stories?

Josie: The first trilogy I wrote (which is also the first chronologically) included two brothers and a man who became the brother-in-law of one of them. I was half-way through the books when I realized how reluctant I was to leave these fabulous men and the wonderful women who came into their lives. I actually slowed down writing at that point because I didn't want to get to the end! Then - huge revelation - it occured to me that I could just keep writing about other generations of the same family. So basically, writing a series evolved from my fondness for the characters and my wanting to stay with them. Now I've discovered that I love writing this way. With so many people clamoring for their own stories, I'm never at a loss for ideas, and with each book I feel that I'm returning home in some sense.

Beaty: I like the way you've written the trilogies to include a common mystery that runs through all three stories, giving us a little bit of the solution at the end of each book in the series. Is it hard to write a mystery that's stretched out? What special problems are caused by doing it that way?

Josie: Mystery subplots that continue throughout the trilogy are probably the hardest element I've tackled, and I've taken a break from them, at least temporarily. The problem is that each book has to stand alone, providing a satisfying ending. Doing that and still managing a continuing mystery is very challenging. I like the technique a lot and I may return to it, but if I do, I want to make sure it's in a way that's right for each book.

Beaty: I LOVE my stories to include a bit of magic. Each one of your ladies has a gift of some sort that helps solve the mystery. Will that be a continuing theme? I've heard that some publishers are trying to block the para influence, which is verrrry disappointing to me!

Josie: The "gifts" are a blessing given to each couple through the women to help them deal with the crisis they will confront. Sometimes, the gift of a particular woman doesn't make itself known until the danger begins to emerge, and the gifts vanish when the danger is past. I see each couple as going through several stages - from meeting and being drawn to each other, to becoming not only lovers but also friends and then true partners in life. Along the way, they face conflicts from within, but also a major conflict, i.e. challenge from outside. Ultimately, all my books have to do with striving to meet this challenge, not only to achieve personal happiness but also for the greater good. The gifts help the characters to do that and connect them to a higher power. Since I'm writing about the same family over one thousand years of its history, and since these "gifts" occur in this family, I expect that my future heroines will have some variation of the gifts.

Beaty: I've visited your Website to find out what's coming. You have a three book series (The Fountain Series) coming out in three consecutive months, starting in July and ending in September. What would cause a writer to AGREE to such a thing? *G* Three deadlines in consecutive months? What special problems are created by such a promotion? (Believe me - we readers ARE NOT complaining!!!)

Josie: As a reader, I'd greatly prefer to get all three books in a trilogy in quick succession rather than have to wait months or even longer for them. So I'm thrilled by this schedule, although it did pose certain challenges. The experience I already had with two previous trilogies proved invaluable. Once again, I planned from the beginning for a trilogy and went directly from one book to the next. That helped to maintain continuity and momentum. Now I'm starting work on a new trilogy and I'm following the same plan. Hopefully, it will work again.

Beaty: I read that you felt FOUNTAIN OF SECRETS wrote itself. How was the writing of this story different from others you've written? And what caused it? I'm sure we'd ALL love to tap into that ability! *G*

Josie: FOUNTAIN OF SECRETS is an especially intense story because of its central conflicts, both external and internal. I don't want to give away too much. Suffice to say, events in the book really ran away with me.

Beaty: What's next after the Fountain series?

Josie: I plan to return to the medieval era, hopefully with a trilogy about Lion, Falcon and Fawn, the children of the characters in the first trilogy.

Beaty: Just like the authors, the characters become real to me. I like to pose a question to a character of the authors I interview. If you'd allow, I'd like to ask Kassandra about her name. "Kassandra, I understand the meaning of your name, but I don't understand WHY they changed it - why they felt it was important to point out your gift in that way. And did you mind the change?"

Kassandra: "My parents, Phaedra and Andrew, changed my name when it became apparent that I had the same 'gift' that the Kassandra of Troy had. In her case, people refused to listen to her warnings, with calamitous results. My parents hoped that people would be reminded of that and would not make the same mistake if the day came when I warned Akora of danger. Fortunately, they turned out to be correct. When I saw the peril facing Akora and warned of it, my warning was taken seriously, with the result that the danger was averted. I don't regret the change of name at all. I truly am 'Kassandra' and always will be, although I must say that I was quite relieved when my 'gift,' being needed no longer, vanished. These days, I enjoy anticipating the future without actually knowing what it holds. Although, truth be told, I would like to be sure it includes grandchildren ... Oh, well, time will tell."