Dallas: I live in southern California in a seventy year old Spanish Mediterranean house with nifty handmade tiles on the roof and huge opuntia cactus growing out front. I�m married - no kids, but one very spoiled cat named Chloe.

Judy and Lory: What do you do for fun - besides writing, of course? *G* Do you have any hobbies or other special passions?

Dallas: I have more hobbies than you could shake a stick at. I�ve tried every needlecraft on the planet, but, these days, I�m a quilting fool. My biggest passion is hand applique, which is slow but very relaxing. I also garden and, of course, I love to read.

Judy and Lory: When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer? Why did you choose the romance genre?

Dallas: I�m not sure I ever actually decided to be a writer. I decided I had a book I wanted to write and sort of stumbled into a career. I have always been an avid reader of almost every genre, but I think most books are improved by having a little romance in them. When I started writing, I was reading a lot of romances so it was natural that my first book would be a romance.

Judy and Lory: When did you sell your first book? How long did it take you to get to that point?

Dallas: October 11, 1983 - not that I remember it or anything! It took me about two years to sell that first book.

Judy and Lory: How do you fit writing into your schedule? In what ways does your family support you?

Dallas: It�s more a question of how do I fit a life in around my writing. It tends to take over if I let it. My husband is enormously supportive and always has been, and my mother is supportive and is always willing to offer a suggestion or just a willing ear for me to whine about recalcitrant characters. I don�t know what I�d do without either of them.

Judy and Lory: Most of your books have been contemporaries. Do you prefer writing them to historicals? Why or why not?

Dallas: I actually started out trying to write Regencies and gave it up when I realized I had no idea how long it would take my hero to get from London to Kent. This was in the days before the Internet put research at your fingertips, and I had no idea how to track down this kind of information. I promptly switched to contemporaries. I have to say that historicals are my first love and I have a few ideas that I�d love to play with. The Old West is a particular passion of mine and I�d love to do more books set in that time period, but I do love contemporaries. I think, in some ways, they�re more of a challenge than historicals. The research may be easier but it�s harder to keep believable conflicts going. In a historical, the social mores of the time can help keep a couple together. Forced marriages, marriages of convenience - there are all sorts of things to force two reluctant people to work things out. In a contemporary, it can be harder to keep a couple working at a relationship because it�s easier for them to walk away.

Judy and Lory: You have written some books with fairly unique storylines - a pregnant woman who marries her dead fiance's best friend, a boy and girl who grow up practically as brother and sister and then fall in love, a woman who asks her male friend to impregnate her. How do you get your story ideas?

Dallas: Ah, every writer�s favorite question! And one of the hardest to answer. I don�t think most writers can really answer this. I know I can�t. Occasionally I can point to a source and say, "That�s where the idea for this book came from." But for the most part, I haven�t a clue. I seem to be a visual thinker, and ideas are more likely to be sparked from movies or television than from something I read. I do remember that the idea for one of my Harlequin Americans - STORMWALKER - came from something in the John Wayne movie "Big Jake", but I defy anyone to see a connection there. I certainly can�t!

Judy and Lory: What do you feel are the most important "ingredients" in a successful romance novel?

Dallas: Great characters, preferably likable characters - though there are writers who have a knack for writing characters you�re not sure you like but you still want to read about them.

Heart. This is one of those things that�s hard to define but everyone knows it when they see it.

Chemistry between the characters. Again, this is hard to show someone but you can feel the sizzle when it�s there.

Judy and Lory: The main characters in your books are always so empathetic - no mean heroes here! What is your favorite "type" of hero? ... of heroine?

Dallas: Well, nice guys, I guess! Actually, I do love a dark hero but I don�t seem to have the knack for writing one. As a writer, I always have a hard time justifying why the heroine would put up with a dark, brooding, sulky kind of guy. I mean, why wouldn�t she just whack him up alongside the head and tell him to straighten up? It�s very hard for me to have my characters be truly mean to each other because it�s not something I�d tolerate in real life, but I do know writers who can pull it off and have me cheering for the sullen brute to get the girl, even if he doesn�t deserve her.

As for the heroine, I like a certain inner strength. I�ve written quite a few vulnerable heroines, but I think they always have an inner quality that says they may be down and out now but they�ll survive.

For both characters, a sense of humor is paramount. I don�t like humorless people in real life so I don�t want to spend my writing hours with them.

Judy and Lory: Where do your characters "come from?" Do you base any of them on real people?

Dallas: I don�t base any of my characters on real people, though an occasional incident or comment may be pulled from reality. The characters, like the stories themselves, are just sort of there. I usually come up with a situation I want to use and the characters tend to grow from that.

Judy and Lory: Do you plan out or outline your books in advance of writing them? Do your stories always develop the way you thought they would? Do your characters ever "take over" and force you to change the direction you were headed in?

Dallas: I usually outline pretty thoroughly. I tend to get lost if I just start writing without knowing where I�m going. My stories usually do pretty much go the way I thought they would. Actually, I�m quite anal retentive about the whole process and frequently outline my books on a chapter by chapter basis. The chapters may change a bit, but all in all the book usually goes where I expected it would.

My characters never "take over" but there are moments when I�ll experience a sudden flash of insight and realize that they wouldn�t do something I�d planned on having them do. Usually, this entails fairly minor changes rather than a major plot adjustment.

Judy and Lory: In the same vein, you've written several trilogies and series. Do you plan those in advance, or do some secondary characters demand their own stories? Do your readers ever insist that a secondary character needs his or her own story?

Dallas: The only series I ever planned in advance is the Walker books. I started out to write books about the four brothers and then finish it off with the sister, who had been mentioned but was missing throughout the first four books. I had characters and some idea of the stories for the first four books before I started writing the first story. The other spin-offs and series I�ve done have been pure serendipity. When I wrote DONOVAN'S PROMISE, I had no intention of doing a spin-off but my editor suggested that Donovan and Beth�s son would make a great hero. I protested that he was too young, and she said "Just don�t mention it." So that�s what I did, and I ended up doing four books set in Remembrance.

Judy and Lory: We especially loved your book THE WAY HOME. However, we thought that the way the secondary characters' (Jack and Patsy) story ended was so sad. Are you planning to write a sequel telling their story? And do you have any plans for a book about Shannon, the missing sister, from the Walker family series?

Dallas: Good news first! Shannon�s story is coming out from Silhouette Intimate Moments in November of 2002. It�s called LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS, and I hope the readers who have waited so patiently - or not so patiently! - will enjoy it.

As for Jack and Patsy, I�ve had several inquiries about them. I would love to write a sequel to THE WAY HOME. I love the time period, and the characters were a joy to work with. I actually have an idea in mind for Jack, but, much as I hate to say it, I wouldn�t pair him with Patsy. I just couldn�t see a happy ending for them. Since heaven knows if I�ll ever get to write the book, I can tell you that the idea I have in mind would take place a few years after the end of THE WAY HOME, probably dealing with the buildup to World War II. Patsy has died and left Jack custody of her little girl - who also happens to be his little girl, a result of their brief affair in the first book. I would love to do this book, but who knows whether or not the time will ever come. This time period is not an easy sell.

Judy and Lory: You write sensual but relatively non-explicit love scenes. What are your feelings about the heavily erotic scenes that are becoming more prevalent in romance books? Do you see yourself moving in that direction in your writing?

Dallas: I enjoy an erotic love scene if it�s well written and has a strong emotional basis. Linda Howard has a knack for writing scenes like this. I�m not all that interested in sex scenes where the eroticism overtakes the emotional impact of the scene. To be blunt, we all know what goes where, so I�m not looking for a recap or an anatomy lesson. What I want is a sense that these two people are connecting, both physically and emotionally.

As for my own writing, I think it�s edging in a slightly more sensual direction. Part of that is a business decision - readers seem to prefer the more explicit scenes. Part of it is creative - single title books about contemporary adults seem to call for more sensuality. Then again, just a couple of years ago, I wrote a book that had no sex in it - THE MARRIAGE. There just wasn�t a place for a love scene, so it�s not something you can force.

Judy and Lory: Do you have any favorite books or characters among those that you have written? If so, what makes them special to you?

Dallas: I always feel faintly guilty admitting to having favorites, like a parent preferring one child over another, but I have to confess I do have favorites. THE WAY HOME is near the top of the list. I love the 30's as a setting, and I got to do lots of melodrama in there that was fun to write. TOGETHER ALWAYS is written with an all male point of view, and it was a joy to write. I also loved writing the first part of it when they�re children. There�s something about that combination of strength and vulnerability that I just find particularly moving. SHORT STRAW BRIDE for the sheer fun of it. My newest book, LOVING JESSIE, was like pulling teeth to write but it turned out to be one of my favorites once it was done.

As for characters, Jake in A SUMMER TO COME HOME, Trace in TOGETHER ALWAYS, Flynn in TELL ME A STORY, and Keefe in TESSA'S CHILD come to mind first. Yes, I know these are all male characters. What can I say? I fall in love with my heroes!

Judy and Lory: Do you read for fun? If so, what types of books do you prefer? What are some of your favorite books? Who are some of your favorite authors?

Dallas: I read just about anything that has print - romance, mystery, westerns, science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction. I have a long list of favorite authors. Off hand, I can think of John D. MacDonald, Louis L'Amour, Tolkein, Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Georgette Heyer, Elsie Lee, P.N. Elrod, Andre Norton ... a complete list would take forever but those few just came to mind.

Judy and Lory: The romance genre has a unflattering image among many people who are not enthusiasts. What do you say to people who "put down" the genre? What can romance readers do to support the genre and its authors?

Dallas: I generally don�t try to change people�s opinions. I once had someone introduce me, with great enthusiasm, as "Dallas Schulze who writes smut." I just smiled and said, "Yes, and it�s very good smut." I don�t think you can change someone�s opinion of the genre by arguments or explanations about how good it really is. Some people honestly don�t like the books and there�s nothing wrong with that. I can�t stand depressing books and no argument in the world is going to make me like them. Different strokes and all that. Some people have no idea what they�re talking about but feel qualified to express an opinion anyway. Arguments aren�t going to sway them either.

I have, on occasion, pointed out that I don�t understand the rabid dislike romances seem to inspire since they are, for the most part, pretty white toast. I mean, you�ve got two straight people who fall in love, are aiming for a monogamous relationship, and usually want marriage. Usually they come from a fairly conventional background - very few ax murderers, rapists, or people who bite the heads off chickens. Even the sex is pretty vanilla, whether it�s explicit or not. I just don�t understand what the problem is, but I�m not going to try and talk someone into another point of view.

As for what romance readers can do to support the genre and its authors, I think that�s pretty simple: Buy the books! Writers need to be read. I have no problem with used bookstores, but readers should be aware that publishers only know about new sales. So if it�s an author you love and you can afford it, buy her books new so her publisher knows she�s got readers out there. It also never hurts to write a letter to the publisher asking about the next book from your favorite author. Depending on how organized they are, they keep track of that sort of thing, and if Sally Smith suddenly seems to be generating a buzz, it may help Sally negotiate her next contract.

Judy and Lory: Would you tell us about the next book(s) you have coming out? And what do you have planned for the future?

Dallas: I have two books coming out in the next year. The first is LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS, which is the way, way, way overdue last book in the Walker family series. It�s a sort of bad boy comes home type story. I just finished the line edits and I�m very happy with it, so my fingers are crossed that the readers will find it was worth the wait. It comes out from Silhouette Intimate Moments in November of this year. If you�d like a sneak peak, you can find it at my website. The first chapter is posted there.

My next book for Mira is scheduled for next April. It�s called THE SUBSTITUTE WIFE. I�m not sure what to tell you about it. The heroine proposes to the hero at the end of the first chapter. They get married but, while he�s thinking business arrangement, she�s thinking love match. There are a couple of really fun secondary characters - particularly Jack, who is the heroine�s best friend and a temperamental chef, and her step-father, who takes the term "absent minded professor" to new heights. Oh, and I can tell you that the heroine�s name is Catherine Willow Rain Skywalker Lang, but you�ll have to read the book to find out how she ended up with so many names.

I�m not sure what�s up next. I may be starting a quartet of books about four friends who grew up together. The first book is actually already sold but I haven�t decided whether to do the spin-offs yet. Readers may remember Lije Blackhawk who was a minor character in a couple of previous books. He�s the hero in this one.

I�d also love to do a book about Jace Reno (Lory: Yes!), Keefe�s best friend and partner in TESSA'S CHILD. I�m also toying with an older woman/younger man story with a lot of humor in it. We�ll see how that works out. One of the fun things about being a writer is that the world really is your oyster, especially in the planning stages.

Judy and Lory: Is there anything you'd like to add for your RBL readers?

Dallas: Well, read lots of books - it helps the starving authors. :) Also, if you�d like to discuss my books with other readers, there�s a Yahoo group for doing just that. I�m not on the list yet but I do answer questions when they come up. You can find the link for it on my website, along with the latest information on what�s going on with my books. I post excerpts when a new book is coming up, and have a monthly drawing where I give away a couple of books. Sometime in the next few months, I�ll be giving away the first four Walker family books, in anticipation of the last book coming out in November. There are also pictures of some of my quilts and my rather portly cat.