Fiction Scribe

Hello and welcome back Fiction Scribe, Ms. Roberts. Seeing as we’ve met before, why don’t we get right to talking about the book?

That works for me. And thanks for having me back.

You’ve written the book Bikini Season. Now that’s what I call an interesting title. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

Here’s how I like to sum it up. This is a book about girlfriends, diets, chocolate and cheating. Since one of the characters is sure her husband is starting an affair with the office hottie, I’ll leave it to readers to discover whether the cheating refers to diets or husbands. :)? The book follows the adventures of four friends who wind up turning their cooking club into a diet club.

What inspired Bikini Season? Where did the idea begin?

My editor actually inspired the diet club. She though it would be fun to have a book about women who all go on a diet together and transform themselves. I was actually doing something along those lines with two girlfriends, so this sounded like a fun book idea to me.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

Probably Kizzy, the woman who loves to cook and has a very indulged appetite. That’s me. I have a very hard time saying no to my taste buds. Also the scary diet pill adventure that Angela has in the book was taken from my own experience. I learned that there is no shortcut to fitness.

What is your favourite part of the book?

Probably the scene where Angela pole dances for her husband a la Jamie Lee Curtis in true lies. Not so racy though, and definitely funnier.

What are you working on now?

Actually, I’m just finishing up my third book for St. Martin’s Press, called “Love in Bloom” about three women who meet at a community garden and become friends. It’s full of gardening tips and should be a fun read.

What are your dreams for your writing?

I want to follow in the footsteps of my two friends and mentors, Debbie Macomber and Susan Wiggs. I admire those two women greatly. Not only are they successful writers, they are humble and down-to-earth.

When you’re not writing novels, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

Fortunately, writing is my only job, so I don’t have to juggle it around other work. That helps a lot. My life is busy. I’m active in my church and community. We built and moved into a new house this last year and I’m to my eyeballs in landscaping. But I can always find time to play. I love playing games and going dancing, hitting the movies and reading a good book. As writers, I think it’s very important that we support our industry. Buy books!

What would you say to writers who want to have your same successes in writing?

Read a lot and study the writers you admire. Read books on writing and take classes. Never fall into the trap of thinking you’ve arrived. We’re all learning. Always.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thanks so much for having me. It was a pleasure to visit with you.