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Up Close and Dangerously Sexy marks a milestone for me. About four years ago, I decided that romantic suspense and action/adventure is where I wanted to take my writing. I write for Blaze and as most of you know, Blaze is Harlequin’s sexiest line. Therefore, I was unsure whether my editor would approve of such plotlines and characters for Blaze. Lo and behold, she told me to go for it. That came about because, at that time, we got a new senior editor, Brenda Chin and she had a strong vision for Blaze which four years later I think has come to fruition. Up Close was conceived when I was tasked by my editor to come up with a wrong bed book. Wrong bed books were made popular by the now discontinued Harlequin Temptation line. So when she asked me to do one for Blaze, I used a what if scenario—What if a kooky interior designer finds herself kidnapped out of her twin sister’s bed by a hunky undercover operative and then is asked to fill her sister’s secret agent shoes. Wrong bed, wrong sister, Oh, so right man! Writing Up Close occurred in an interesting time in my life. I had just bought my first single family home, moved into it, and my oldest daughter moved from Virginia to North Carolina to be closer to me. She brought with her a beautiful 9 month old boxer. To say that puppy was rambunctious is an understatement. Well, I have a seven year old cat and she’s mild, sweet, and loves her belly rubbed. What she didn’t love was the dog. Chaos ensued for the majority of the three months I had to write the book and the result was my daughter got her own place and moved out. By the time she and her dog moved out, I had only six weeks to write a 55,000 word book. To say I was a bit panicked is also an understatement. I don’t turn my books in late. I don’t think that’s professional. So, I got down to business and wrote the book in six weeks. The kicker is that I work a full-time job. I did have to take a few days off from my job to complete the manuscript, but the bottom line is it got done. I learned a lot from that experience. First, I learned that I could write through chaos. Second, my youngest daughter saved my life by being there to manage the dog and support me. And, third, I can do anything if I put my mind to it. So, Up Close is almost on the shelves and I’m so proud of my accomplishment. I hope that everyone who picks up the book gets as much enjoyment out of reading it as I got out of writing it. Up Close is the first book in my Undercover Lovers Miniseries. Don’t miss book #2 and #3—In Too Deep (working title) out in October 2009 and Wanted (working title) out in April 2010. I also have a sizzling summer anthology out in July 2009 titled Endless Summer with Julie Kenner and Jill Monroe and my story is titled, Surf’s Up. Visit my website for upcoming news, enter my contest for March, or sign up for my newsletter. Here’s to great reading in 2009! Thanks Phoebe for having me and for your part in supporting the romance industry and its authors! You’re the best.