Once the villains were in place, how did the rest of the characters evolve?

To balance Pauley Mac, I needed strong protagonists. No weaklings need apply! I wanted a female/male team so that I could explore the strengths and weaknesses of both, in both their personal and professional lives. I also wanted protagonists complex and interesting enough to sustain a series after Pauley Mac was out of their lives. I started with PJ, trying to imagine a character who would be interesting to me personally and whom I would like to have as a friend. I molded Schultz around her, leaving plenty of gaps for friction and individuality. Both lead characters have made the leap to the next books in the series very well, so it looks as though the effort has paid off.

How do you work on the plots?

I knew that I wanted my plots to involve the use of computers in crime solving. I wanted the usage to be authentic but not dominate the story. The intent was to add another dimension to the crime-solving effort. The plots evolved by mixing together the characters and the computer aspect. My approach was to make a summary of the plot, a (really) condensed version of the whole story. I used that as a guide, and I found that I stuck fairly close to it.  Characters led me in different directions within the overall structure, but I got to where I'd planned to go. The final scenes were in my head so strongly from the beginning that I could hardly wait to get them down on paper.  Personally, I can't imagine starting a novel without having a good idea how it's going to end.

What kind of research is needed to add realism to the books?

When I had my first plot summary in hand, I started the research I needed to make the books as believable as possible.  I'm a computer consultant with long-term experience, so the computer basics were there. I studied current developments in virtual reality, and I'll continue to do so as the series progresses. I wanted to include only things which were actually feasible. Everything in the books is possible now, although it's leading edge (especially the artificial intelligence part). As the field progresses, so will the depiction in the books. For the first book, I also researched serial killers extensively, including psychological profiling techniques. I did a great deal of reading on cannibalism and its significance in different cultures and time periods. As strange as it may seem, Pauley Mac's convictions are reflected in widely diverse belief systems from thousands of years ago to the present day. For the second book, I researched repressed memories, arson techniques, and profiles of arsonists. Not all that research surfaced in the books, but it did help me to understand my characters more fully. Last but certainly not least, I learned enough police procedures to make those aspects of the story authentic. I did this by reading reference books, corresponding via e-mail with police officers, making friends within the police department, and making phone calls to the police department to get details correct.

Are hospital patients really vulnerable to hackers, as portrayed in FIRE CRACKER?

As frightening as it may be, I believe the answer is yes. I have designed and implemented hospital computer applications for years. From my perspective, hospitals can be lax in both physical security (someone entering the building and using an unguarded terminal) and in remote access (dialing in to view or alter patient records).  Former employees, consultants, or hackers with harmful intentions can exploit such opportunities.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

It was the moment when I held GRAY MATTER in my hand. I don't mean the completed manuscript, I mean the actual book ready to go on a store shelf. It's got my picture on the back and my name in big letters. I must be a writer! Up until then, I told others I was a writer (even the IRS), but I didn't believe it deep down. For me it was a magical moment, a life-changing event, even better than holding the signed contract.

Are the main characters in the PJ Gray series taken from your own life?

I don't think I could write without putting aspects of my own life in the book. PJ has a twelve-year-old son, and my sons are of similar age. One of my sons is named Thomas, just like PJ's son in the book, but he's not an only child.  Nor am I divorced as PJ is; my husband Dennis and I have been married for 37 years. My personal life doesn't closely parallel PJ's. Her personality, though, reflects a lot of my own, or so my husband and friends tell me.  Schultz lives in a house I once lived in; Pauley Mac's home used to be my mother's; PJ lives in the neighborhood I went to grade school in; Cracker lives in my college environs. Millie's Diner is real but renamed. I'm a cat person and all around animal lover, which probably comes across strongly in the series. PJ's cat Megabite is actually one of my own. (Even my pet sitter recognized the cat from the book!) Like PJ, I've been a pioneer of sorts, first as a female engineer/computer specialist back when such things were uncommon, and then as an independent telecommuter long before everyone else figured out how nice that could be. I am passionately interested in computers, as PJ is, although they don't rule my life. This makes me a geek rather than a nerd. And I certainly have plenty of weaknesses and human frailties, as both PJ and Schultz do. Just ask my husband!