Carly: I'm the mother of two girls, ages 5 and 9, and everyday life is as hectic as you'd expect. Trips to school, carpools, activities, etc. I live in New York State, about half an hour from New York City, so life these days is very different than what it was prior to September 11th in terms of daily thinking, but we're getting by fine. I used to be an avid reader - unfortunately, that's taken last place to my husband, kids, and writing time. I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day!

Dorothy: How did you meet your husband?

Carly: I met my husband my second year in college and we've been together ever since. He's the best man and a wonderful inspiration in my life. He's been accepting of the career change and my time at the computer, and I love him! Oh, and we have two daughters as I mentioned, and our soft-coated Wheaton Terrier whom we adore.

Dorothy: What is your grand passion or the thing you love to do?

Carly: Sounds silly, but writing IS my grand passion. I love to write and craft stories. I can't say it's a life-long dream since I didn't always want to be a writer, but once I started it became a passionate part of my life.

Dorothy: I know that you previously practiced law. Several RBL board members have changed careers and some wish to write. What type of law did you practice, and why do you like writing more?

Carly: I practiced various kinds of law. I honestly didn't work long enough to specialize. I was in a large New York City law firm, Sonnenschein Nath and Rosenthal, a satellite firm of the Chicago office where the author Scott Turow worked. (No, I never met him). The hours were beyond human and the lifestyle didn't suit me at all. I adore writing because I don't feel like I answer to anyone ... even writing for an editor isn't the same as working in a law firm! I love being home with my family and being able to work with them around. Just working on my own schedule is a luxury I'm grateful for.

Dorothy: On your website you have a helpful area for writers. What was the reason behind your giving others that help?

Carly: I feel that I wouldn't have published my first book if it weren't for the help and giving of others. I belong to RWA National and Hudson Valley RWA, and meeting these women changed my life. So if I can give back in any small way, I'm more than happy to do so. If I can put someone else on the right track to publication (if there is such a thing), that's the reasoning behind offering to help others through those articles or giving workshops.

Dorothy: Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer?

Carly: No. I'm not one of those people with a lifelong dream of writing. After my first daughter was born, I was reading like crazy, and after a while I would look up an author's backlist. Somehow that backtracked me into the romance genre, which I didn't know existed as a separate entity. I just used to buy hardcover books, not knowing any different. I felt as if I found my place in life and somehow I decided to give writing a try. NOT because I thought I could do it better than any author I'd read, but because it called to me.

Dorothy: Would you describe your writing location and how you approach writing?

Carly: Hmm. I'm not certain what you mean by writing location. If we're talking about where do I write, I started in the bedroom but my husband couldn't sleep with the keyboard clicking, so I moved to the room outside the baby's room, but she couldn't sleep, so I ended up in the corner of our kitchen in a townhouse we lived in. Now I'm in my very own office/room and I feel very lucky to have my own space.

I usually approach writing with a scene in mind, a concept, and build characters around that. I'm more a character driven writer than anything else, so once I nail those, I let the story develop as I write. I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer, which drives my critique partners crazy!

Dorothy: How do you deal with the criticism that is sometimes given to the romance genre?

Carly: It's hard. I'm not thick skinned, not even after years of rejection, and so I do tend to take it personally sometimes. I get offended even if I think the people making the criticism are obviously missing something in their lives if they can't have respect for wonderful, monogamous love stories with a happily-ever-after-ending that gives people a respite from their daily lives. I'm proud of what I write and I usually leave it at that. The laughter is a part of the job, unfortunately.

Dorothy: How do your family and friends feel about your writing romance?

Carly: They're very very proud of me. There are some who still use terms like "fluff" and "those books," but most family members know better. And my immediate family - my husband, kids, and parents, etc. - are very supportive.

Dorothy: Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

Carly: Ideas come from everywhere. A magazine article, a soap opera story, real life. I've come to realize that as a writer, I'm never not working because everything I do or see can be made into fiction.

Dorothy: Do you ever use personal experiences when writing?

Carly: I haven't used my personal experiences per se, but since anything a writer puts on paper is a part of them, I'd say yes - I have used some personal experiences. None that should make anyone who knows me nervous enough to think their private lives will be found in my books! *wink*

Dorothy: What do you find to be the hardest part of writing a book?

Carly: Hitting a brick wall. You never know when it's going to happen or if it's going to happen. There is the occasional book that is a dream to write, but there are those, like the one I'm writing now, that is a killer and every word is drawn from your guts. The hardest part of writing a book is ... writing the book. I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense. Unfortunately it does to me!

Dorothy: What is the funniest thing that has happened related to your writing?

Carly: I don't know. I'm blank on this one! *g*

Dorothy: What has surprised you about being a writer?

Carly: Everything. From the people who gush to the booksellers who give me blank looks when I ask to sign copies in the store.

Dorothy: What has been the most pleasurable thing about being a writer?

Carly: There are lots of things that are great about being a writer. The highs of selling, the milestones, etc. Then the lifestyle - working from home, being there for my kids, not having to wear pantyhose or killer shoes/heels anymore.

Dorothy: What makes you laugh? Some of your books are hilarious and you come up with creative ways to cause laughter.

Carly: Thank you! I love comedy but don't feel I write it per se. My upcoming single titles for Warner, the first being THE BACHELOR(7/02), have many more humorous elements. I look to the movies and what makes me laugh. My kids make me laugh. And even tasteless humor does, too. I loved "There's Something About Mary" and recently I loved "Monsters, Inc." so anything that puts a smile on my face is great. I'm not uptight so a variety of things can make me laugh. :)

Dorothy: What are your favorite books of those you have written and why?

Carly: Hmm. BRAZEN is my favorite, probably because it's my first. SIMPLY SINFUL is another favorite because I thought the character of Kane was a stretch for me to write. And now I'm loving my Warner single titles, THE BACHELOR and THE PLAYBOY (which I'm finishing up now).

Dorothy: What are your favorite characters that you have created and why?

Carly: Samantha in BRAZEN because she was gutsy enough to go after a guy she just met! Catherine in SIMPLY SCANDALOUS (and a secondary character in SIMPLY SINFUL), because she had a big mouth and a protective streak for her sister. I loved that about her. Grace and Ben in SIMPLY SENSUAL. I loved Grace.

Dorothy: Where did you get the ideas for the books in the series - SIMPLY SINFUL, SIMPLY SCANDALOUS, and SIMPLY SENSUAL? They were each different, but characters continued to be in each book, and the emotions they caused in the reader were varied. It was an amazing mix of characters.

Carly: Again, thank you. SIMPLY SINFUL came to me first, just the idea of the hero investigating the call girl business and offering the heroine money after sleeping with her. The characters progressed from there and I knew I needed deep emotional characters, especially in Kane, to make that work. SIMPLY SCANDALOUS came about because I found that while writing SIMPLY SINFUL, Catherine simply came to life and called for her own story. The same with Grace. She walked on in the epilogue of SIMPLY SCANDALOUS and she hooked me! So I wrote SIMPLY SENSUAL. I'm lucky to have a great editor with the foresight to let me write those stories.

Dorothy: Emma Montgomery, the grandmother in SIMPLY SCANDALOUS and SIMPLY SENSUAL, was one of my favorite fictional characters - ever. She would make a wonderful RBL. Where did the idea of her come from and did you enjoy writing about her?

Carly: I LOVED writing Emma Montgomery. She was such a hoot. I love writing ornery elderly characters like Zee in BRAZEN. They're my way of doing light comedy, I think. I'm not sure where the idea of them came from but they do come alive for me. I'm so glad you enjoyed them, too!

Dorothy: Your portrayal of characters with issues of lack of trust are very realistic, as well as your portrayal of how love can heal. Where do you get the ideas for these characters, how to tell their story, and what type of mate they need?

Carly: This may sound cliched or silly, but my characters dictate whom they need as a mate. If I have a character like Charlotte in my upcoming THE BACHELOR, a woman whose father abandoned the family and comes back periodically only to leave again and her mother just accepts it, then she needs conflict with a man like Roman, who is a wanderer ... and who will teach her that life can be good and full and she can still be secure with him.

Dorothy: When writing a book with characters with a lack of trust, what do you want to get across to the reader?

Carly: Well, life isn't a fairytale. I'm not naive enough to think I can change the world, but I'd like to think that one bad situation shouldn't prevent someone from having that happily after life we all dream about. So I'm hoping to show readers the power of love and what can happen if they dare to open their hearts.

Dorothy: How difficult is writing the sex scenes in your books, and do you have a favorite scene?

Carly: Hmm. Well, they are difficult for me. I'll write a line, check email, write another line or two, get up and walk around, then write again. I can't just sit straight through. My favorite scene is the shower scene in BRAZEN, probably because it was my first venture into writing truly more explicit love scenes - and it worked. That scene won The Greater Detroit RWA Chapter's Between the Sheets Contest, and the book sold. So it gave me confidence that I can write these kind of books!

Dorothy: We love animals at RBL, and in BODY HEAT there was a dog that was cleverly woven into the story. Did you base Norton on a pet you have or have had?

Carly: I'm an animal lover too. I adore dogs. I used to have a Maltese named Spike, and now I have a soft-coated Wheaton Terrier named Buddy. He's a sweetheart. None of my dogs have ever been as well trained as Norton, though the terminology comes from what we use at home. :)

Dorothy: You also write under your real name, Karen Drogin. For those who haven't read books under either name, would you tell them how the books differ?

Carly: Karen Drogin books were done for Zebra Bouquet (PERFECT PARTNERS, THE RIGHT CHOICE, and SOLITARY MAN). They're longer, more emotional, deeper books than my Temptations. To characterize, they're more Special Edition type books, in my opinion. Some were written earlier in my career and sold to Bouquet. I'm so grateful to have had an outlet for those stories, but they shouldn't confuse a reader who expects a hot, sexy Carly Phillips story.

Dorothy: What do you read for pleasure?

Carly: I'm trying to read more and find the time. I read historicals when I want to get away from what I'm currently writing, or I'll read contemporaries. But I always read romance.

Dorothy: What would you like readers to know about you that hasn't been asked?

Carly: I think you did an awesome job asking questions. I think I may have driven people crazy by now. But thank you for asking me to do this interview. It's been a pleasure talking and revisiting old characters with you. This was fun.