Dorothy: I am the mother of two and the great grandmother of three! I live alone in Clear Lake, Iowa, where the winters are long and cold and ideal for writing. For fourteen years, I worked at a newspaper writing weddings, obituaries and features. I started writing fiction in 1977 and published my first book in 1979. Since that time, I have been with several publishers, but in 1983 I came to Warner Books. I have written 38 out of my 50 books with the same editor, Fredda Issaacson.

Judy: What are some of your favorite things to do besides writing? Any hobbies?

Dorothy: I enjoy reading, cooking, and visiting with friends. My special hobbies are crocheting and sewing.

Judy: Do you have time to read for pleasure? If so, what kinds of books do you read? Who are some of your favorite authors?

Dorothy: Yes, I take time to read for pleasure and my favorite authors are: Sandra Brown for contemparies, Candice Camp for Regencies, and Catherine Coulter for Medievals.

Judy: How did you happen to start writing?

Dorothy: I didn't start writing because I thought I could do better than anyone else; I started because I was bored and wanted something to do while on a trip. I discovered it was a lot of fun. I could manipulate the lives of the people in my stories and kill off the villians!

Judy: What caused you to choose the romance genre?

Dorothy: I didn't know I did. I just was writing what I liked to read: GONE WITH THE WIND, REBECCA, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, etc. When I started writing they didn't have a "romance genre". It was either "fiction" or "non-fiction".

Judy: Were there any specific authors who influenced you?

Dorothy: Louie L'amour! He told me to write short sentences and short paragraphs, and to use small words. He said, "Do not try to impress your readers with big words they cannot pronounce."

Judy: I believe you started out writing category romance under the name Dorothy Glenn. When and why did you switch over to full length novels?

Dorothy: Honestly, I did it because I wanted to see if I could write longer novels!

Judy: What is your writing process like - that is, do you plan out your plots ahead of time and work from an outline, do you start with an "incident" or a set of characters, do you ever find your books going in a different direction than you’d planned ... how do you go about planning and writing a book?

Dorothy: I start my books by picking a time period, location, and conflict. I do not plan my plots in advance. I just let them happen.

Judy: Along the same line, most of your books are parts of series - and some of your series are even interwoven in some way with each other. Do you start out with a definite number of books in mind for the series, the main characters all planned out - or do some of your books just sort of "grow" out of other stories as you go along?

Dorothy: My books just grow. I pick different characters from other books and interweave them with the plot I am working on. My readers seem to like that.

Judy: All of your full length books have been historicals - many taking place on the American "frontier", wherever that happened to be at the time of the story (from the Wabash to the Rockies, north to the timberlands and south to the deserts). What is it about the frontier that seems to hold such an appeal - both to you as a writer and to your readers?

Dorothy: I have always been interested in pioneers. If I had lived during the time of wagon trains going West, I would have been sitting on the tail end of a wagon, dragging my feet in the dust. I admire the people who tamed the West.

Judy: Your historicals cover wide-ranging periods of time in American history, and each book is full of historical data - everything from weapons to methods of transportation to foods (even including recipes!). Will you share a little with us about how you go about your research?

Dorothy: I enjoy American History. The time prior to World War I is facinating, as is the time between the Great Wars, during the Great Depression. I like to read about the hardships the people endured. They were the generation that won World War II and saved the world from the Nazis.

Judy: You write gently sensual love scenes, rather than "hot" scenes as many romance authors do today. Was this a conscious choice on your part, and, if so, how did you come to make this choice?

Dorothy: I write the sensual, soft love scenes because they appeal to my readers. Believe it or not, I get letters from some who think they are too hot!

Judy: I fall in love with every hero in your books - they are alway such protective, caring men, but they are always "manly" men as well (no wimpy PC guys allowed! *s*). In your opinion, what characteristics make up the perfect hero? And while I’m on the subject, what constitutes the perfect heroine?

Dorothy: I don't want my heroes to be too perfect. I like for them to have at least one flaw that is redeemable. He doesn't have to be handsome or rich, but loyal to the family and faithful to the woman in his life.

Judy: At the other end of the character spectrum, your villains are truly bad, dark people! I’m thinking of those in LOVE AND CHERISH, for example - or in HOMEPLACE, where the villainess is one of the scariest characters I’ve ever encountered. Now I know you’re a really nice, sweet person - so wherever do these people come from???

Dorothy: I like to have someone in my books for the readers to hate and keep turning the pages to see that that person gets what's coming to them in the end.

I have a vivid imagination!

Judy: Since I mentioned it already, I have a question about one of my favorite all-time books, HOMEPLACE. The plot is truly unique - the heroine marries her own son-in-law! Would you share some background about how you hit upon that plot device?

Dorothy: I have read in diaries where it was necessary for a mother-in-law to live in the house and take care of her grandchildren after her daughter had died. I thought it would be interesting if she and her son-in-law had fallen in love.

Judy: I’m thrilled that your latest books, starting with the Dolan Family Series and including the Route 66 Series, have been in the "Americana" sub-genre - that is, set in the United Sates from the Depression Years up through, in the case of AFTER THE PARADE, the World War II era. There has been a dearth of historicals set in this time period - why did you happen to start writing books about this era? Did you have any trouble convincing your publishers that readers would want to read books set in this period? What do you think is the appeal of this time in our history to your readers?

Dorothy: I don't think there have been many books set in the era of the Great Depression, aside from John Steinbeck's books - and they were not romances. I had the full support of my editor when I started the series. We were both pleased with how well they were accepted by the readers.

Judy: Your newest book, RIVER RISING, due out in May, is connected to other books in your Americana Series. Will you give us an idea of what - and whom - this story is about?

Dorothy: RIVER RISING is a continuation of the story of the Jones family you met in THE EDGE OF TOWN and A PLACE CALLED RAINWATER. It is the story of the eldest son in the family.

Judy: Where are you taking us next? Please share some of your plans for your next book(s) and/or series with us.

Dorothy: My next book is a reprint of two of my older books, MARRIAGE TO A STRANGER and STRANGE POSSESSION. They will come out under one title, DREAM KEEPERS, and will be published in November. The next will be TRAIN FROM MARIETTA. This story takes place in 1933 in Southwest Texas Big Bend Country. A girl is taken from the train and whisked away by kidnappers. The Texas Rangers are sent to find her.

I am presently back with the Jones family in Fertile, Missouri, during the first year of World War II. This is Jason's story; he was the small boy in THE EDGE OF TOWN who had the club foot.