Nora: Bruce and I will have been married 20 years this coming July. Wow. I have two sons, Daniel and Jason. Dan and his delightful wife, Stacie have given us two wonderful grandchildren. Kayla is two and Logan is seven months. They are absolute joys. I was born and raised in Maryland, and live in the western part of the state. It's a very rural area, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. I love it. I also love to garden, spring and summer. I don't have hobbies as such. I do have passions, which include gardening, reading, movies, and my family.

Judy: How did you happen to begin writing? I believe you started out by writing the series-type romances. Why did you choose this genre? Were you an "overnight" success, or did it take you a while to sell your first novel?

Nora: I chose category romance because it was what I was reading most often at the time. I had a three and a six year old, and not a lot of time to feed my reading habit. I could read a category romance while they were napping--or pretending to. I started my first book during the Blizzard of '79, when I was housebound with the kids for days. I desperately needed a distraction from Candyland. I didn't plan to make writing a career--until I started that book and fell in love with storytelling. I was also very lucky with the timing, as Silhouette Books opened in 1980 and was looking for new American writers. I was new, and I had a birth certificate, if needed, to prove my nationality. I sold my first book, IRISH THOROUGHBRED, in 1980, but certainly had plenty of rejection slips piled up before that sale.

Judy: Your current books contain as much mystery and suspense as they do the developing relationship/romance between the hero and heroine. Do you consider yourself to be a writer of romance, or would you classify your books in another way?

Nora: My roots are certainly in Romance, and I have no problem whatsoever being termed a Romance writer. I do think my books are more about relationships--man/woman, family, friendships, community. Romance, as a genre, is so wonderfully fluid it accepts elements from every other area of fiction. So I can write suspense, paranormal, family drama, comedy, mystery, whatever I like as long as it includes that key relationship. So most often, I'd term my books relationship novels.

Judy: You are such a prolific writer - you often write/publish several books a year. How do you manage this?!? What is your creative process like? How do you go about creating your plots and characters? Do you develop a detailed outline before you begin writing - that is, do you have definite ideas about how the story and characters will develop? Do your characters ever take over, leading you away from your planned outcomes and down an entirely unexpected path?

Nora: I work every day, six to eight hours, five days a week. Sometimes more. I really love what I do for a living, and I have a fast pace. Combine those elements and I can produce a lot of work. I don't outline--it's just not my process. I have a basic situation, a cast of characters, a canvas or setting. I research what I need or want to know for the storyline--and the research itself often gives me plot points. If my characters don't take over at some point, I'm not doing my job--which is to make them real for me so they'll be real, and compelling, for the reader. It's their story, so they need to drive the train. I usually work in three drafts. The first is my discovery draft, where I hope I'll find the core of my story. I don't edit or fiddle as I go, but get the story out. Then I go back to the beginning to fill in, flesh out, fix and tweek and expand or extract. I know my characters now--which is essential. Then I'll go back to the beginning again, polishing, making sure it flows, again expanding or refining until I feel it's the best I can do. Then it goes to my editor so she can tell me if it needs more.

Judy: Another question in the same vein - many of your books are parts of trilogies (the Keys, the Born Ins, the Three Sisters Islands, the Dreams, etc.) - which readers enjoy, by the way - it’s nice to be able to "hang on" to characters for a while longer. Do you plan those in advance, with the characters and basic plotlines purposely interwoven? How do you go about that?

Nora: I do plot out trilogies--as much as I plot out anything--as that form. I need to structure the trilogy as one big book in three distinct parts. Each must stand on its own, have a resolution (particularly in the man/woman relationship) that satisfies the reader. But there must be some thread woven through all three that won't be resolved or tied up until the end.

Judy: The settings of your books are many and varied, but a couple locales seem to be favorites - Ireland and Maryland (especially the areas around Boonsboro and the Chesapeake Bay). What is it about these two areas that makes them appeal to you as such a rich background source?

Nora: Well, I live in Maryland, love it and know it. So I enjoy writing stories set there. I also love and know Ireland--my roots are there on both sides of my family--and I've visited many times. For me, Ireland is a place rich in stories.

Judy: I think I can honestly say that I’ve read all of your Nora Roberts books - and a couple stand out as especially memorable. The first is THE VILLA. I loved this story about three generations of the Giambelli/MacMillan families. Thinking about this book, though, reminds me that there was so much interesting background information about vineyards and winemaking - as a matter of fact, the sections of the book were related to the care of the vines. This leads me to ask how you do your research for the many different backgrounds you use (art thievery, for example! *s* ).

Nora: I read a great deal on whatever subject I'm tackling. And I use the Internet a lot. A whole lot. I can usually find out almost anything I need to know on the Internet--if I look long enough. If I'm going to set the background for a book at a vineyard, such as with THE VILLA, I better be sure that background matters to the story, and is as accurate and detailed as I need it to be--without overwhelming the story itself, and the characters.

Judy: The other story that is difficult to forget is MIDNIGHT BAYOU. The intertwining of the historical romance with the contemporary story made it especially intriguing - the ghosts of the past played an important role in the lives of the current hero and heroine. A common thread throughout many of your books is the paranormal occurrence - there are ghosts and magical powers and faeries and witches and old curses ... and, of course, the futuristic setting of the In Death Series. What is it about these that makes them so appealing to you (and to the reader) as a plot device?

Nora: Who doesn't like a ghost story? Magic and the paranormal are wonderful story elements, I think. Fun and interesting, spooky and intriguing, powerful and fanciful. I enjoy incorporating magic into storylines, and seeing where it takes me and the characters.

Judy: Your latest Nora Roberts book, NORTHERN LIGHTS, really crosses genre lines - it’s a mystery and a who-done-it (which I didn’t figure out until the end - I loved that about it!) and a suspense as well as a heartwarming romance. It also has a very different setting - Alaska! Did you travel there to familiarize yourself with the area - and did you fly in one of those small Alaskan "puddlejumpers"??? The plot/mystery in this were truly unique as well - the idea of the "iceman", the burned-out-ex-cop hero, the truly independent-to-the-max heroine, the Buddy Holly picture in the airplane ( ! ) - how did all of this story come about and come together, and was it as much fun to write as it seems to have been from reading it?

Nora: I didn't go to Alaska--except through books and the Net. That's my usual MO. Since I started writing with young kids in the house, I had to teach myself how to research at home. It works for me. And I wouldn't get in a bush plane for a million dollars! I hate to fly, and I have a bargain with God regarding small planes. He once let me live through a hail storm while flying in one, and I promised if He would, I'd never get in one again.

Books are never fun to write, and they're always fun to write. That's the complexity of the process. It was hard, sweaty work to craft out NORTHERN LIGHTS, and it was also fun. I can't tell you how it all came together. It's just, for me, a matter of sitting my butt down, writing. Then re-writing and editing and tweeking until it's solid.

Judy: The first book in your new Garden Trilogy, BLUE DAHLIA, reflects your passion and knowledge about gardening and certainly shows that you've raised boys! *s* I notice that the next book in the series (BLACK ROSE, June 2005) has an "older" woman as its heroine. This is very unusual, especially in the romance genre. I once asked an author why the heroines in romances all seemed to be so young, and she replied that readers want the endings of the books they read to promise long marriages and babies. You obviously don't agree with her. Why do you believe that readers will accept/identify with an the older heroine?

Nora: I wanted to do a trilogy that focused on three women at different stages of their lives. To show the similarities and the contrasts--and how those women in different decades would bond with each other. And how they would handle romantic relationships. I certainly don't think romance is over at 40--nor is marriage. Children, probably so. But not every relationship has to be forged with babies. I hope that readers find Roz interesting, compelling and sympathetic enough that her age isn't the main factor for them. She's a woman at a certain point in her life. Most interesting, I hope, is how she handles it.

Beaty: Why is the In Death Series published under a different name - why not keep using the name that was more established and already had its own following? When you first conceived the In Death Series, were you intending to have it continue into infinity? It IS going to continue that long - RIGHT? I love that I can expect a new story in my mailbox from the series about every six months. Is that schedule going to continue?

Nora: First, the In Death series is under another name because, for years, both my publisher and my editor urged me to take another name. I write fast, and inventory was a bit of a problem. They won't just publish me, and they insist on scheduling books by other writers. *g* When I finally agreed, I agreed only if I could do something a little different. Not straight relationship or straight romantic suspense. I had no idea how long the series might run, or where it would take me. It was, and is, one at a time. And I plan on continuing to write them, one at a time, until there's nothing more to tell about the characters. Since I'm very, very attached to them, I expect I'm going to keep writing the series for a long time.

Beaty: I have to be honest here - the main reason I put off reading this series so long was that the first book was titled NAKED IN DEATH. It just sounded so morbid to me! Where did that first title come from? What was the reason for keeping the last part of it for the continuation of the series? What type of readers did the publishers feel it would appeal to?

Nora: I have no idea how I ended up with that initial book title. I know I wanted the continuity of a title element--and In Death worked for me because of what Eve does, and is. It's easy to identify the books as a series this way. I don't know that anyone knew who'd find the books appealing. I write first for myself--and I think I'm a pretty typical reader of popular fiction.

Beaty: I would think that this series would appeal to both men and women. Do you have a big following of both?

Nora: I do have a lot of male readers who got hooked on the Robbs--and have slipped over to my other books, too.

Beaty: We at RBL Romantica have our own version of Reader's Choice Awards every year called The Hughie Awards (long story behind the title *g* ). Eve and Roarke have won the Favorite Heroine and Favorite Hero categories, respectively, for the last two years - and Peabody won Favorite Secondary Female Character for 2002. What's one of your favorite award or fan stories that came from this series?

Nora: I'm so incredibly flattered by the reader interest in the series, and the impatience for the next book. I think my favorite thing is the way the characters are real people for so many readers--they want to know what's going on with Eve and Roarke, with Peabody and Feeney, McNab, Mira and the rest. I get the strangest questions about the characters--like what side of the bed does Eve sleep on. *LOL* This is so flattering. It means the characters have impact, and a place in the readers' hearts and minds.

Beaty: I love the way you are continually giving us a bit more of the backgrounds on the main characters ... a little at a time. Is that a theme that will continue throughout the series? Will we ever see a Summerset story - one where we'll find out more about this intriguing character?

Nora: Yes, I intended right from the beginning to peel layers away slowly from the characters. It's one of the perks of having a long-running series. I like doing them in, more or less, real time, so the action is fairly sequential, book after book. I don't know about Summerset--or any of the others, actually--those layers get peeled away when the story calls for it, and the characters are ready to reveal something more.

Beaty: I understand the reason for moving the series into hardcover. There are many reasons to do it and only a few to NOT do it - one of those would be cost to the readers. Has enough time gone by for you to be able to tell if the move to hardcover was a good decision? Do you feel that you've lost any of your "new book" purchasers (versus waiting for it to hit the UBS stores) due to this change?

Nora: I don't pay attention to the numbers, really, but since the hardcovers hit the best sellers lists, I have to assume they're selling well. My publisher worked very hard to satisfy my requirements before going hardcover. I wanted to keep the reader happy, and so did my publisher. It's not simple to publish two hardcovers a year in series, and to have the paperbacks come out every six months as well. In general, paperback editions are ten to twelve months after a hardcover. But I didn't want the reader to have to wait that long, so if a reader didn't want, or couldn't afford, a hardcover version, the paperback would be right along. I felt, and still feel, that the series had earned the boost to hardcover. I kept it in paperback for, what, fifteen or more books. I don't think I've lost any readers. I think those who want or perfer paperback just wait for it.

Beaty: I always end my interviews by asking one of my favorite characters from that author a question. If you'd allow me, I'd like to address the following question to Eve and Roarke: "I'm SURE it'll get some kind of eruption, but what do you think of babies? You know - sometime in your future."

Nora: Eve yanks her own hair: "Oh please! I'm a cop, for God's sake. How am I supposed to get out there and kick ass with some alien thing growing inside me? What do I know about babies anyway? I'm just getting used to this marriage deal. I can't even think about adding something else into it."

Roarke just smiles: "Sooner or later. But later might be best all around."