Welcome, Ms. Boyer, to Love Romances and More. We are excited to have the opportunity to speak with you and learn more about your work. 

Thanks, Dee, I’ m happy to have the chance to answer your questions. 

How long have you been writing, is it something you have always wanted to do? 

I began writing in 9th grade, when a teacher suggested I submit an essay to the school paper as a feature piece. The editor loved my sense of humor, and I ended up with a regular column. 

Although from that time on, I always said I would write a book some day, I was firmly in my 30’s before I finally forced myself to do it. And that first one? Terrible. Just awful! Hopefully, my writing will continue to improve with age just like the rest of life has.  

What inspired you to write in the first place?  Does the same thing inspire all your work?  

At the heart of things, I think yes, the same thing does inspire me. How we love, and the lengths we go to in the name of finding an everlasting brand of it not only inspire me, but fascinate me to no end. Besides, relationships are easily as interesting and intricate a challenge to capture in words as they are in practice, so I’ll never be without great material.  

Most authors are also avid readers.  Is this the case with you?  If so, who are some of your favorites?  Have any influenced your writing? 

Every book I’ve ever read has influenced my muse in some way. My favorites are an extremely eclectic bunch, from Ann Rule to Nora Lofts and lately, Philippa Gregory. From time-to-time, I’ll discover an author voice I like so much, I read nothing else until I’ve devoured their entire catalog, like I’m currently doing with Ms. Gregory’s historical fiction. 

What influenced you to take the step of submitting your work to a publisher?  How long did it take you to get your first book published? 

I finally wrote something that not only consumed me as I wrote it, but ended up good enough to surprise me with its intensity—that was Rock Paper Scissors, and it took almost four years and three other sales before it saw a publisher’s light. In the beginning, print publishers deemed it too explicit and I spent a long time collecting rejection slips. Fortunately, e-publishing opened the door for erotic women’s fiction and books like Rock Paper Scissors finally had respectable places to go. 

Often a writer’s first book is the toughest to write.  Was this true for you?  If so, what helped you get through it?  If it wasn’t the first, which one was the most difficult to write?  The easiest? 

My first—which shall remain nameless—was easy and, as I mentioned before, quite bad! The third, Rainbow’s End, was the most difficult and I got through it only because I was determined not to let a story I really liked beat me, even if the hero insisted he was a beta rather than the alpha I wanted him to be.  

Do you usually outline your stories before you write them, or do you "go with the flow"? 

By the seat of my pants, baby—every word, phrase and plot device.  

Have you ever suffered from "writer’s block"?  If so, what did you do to get out if it? 

Maybe not writer’s block per se. There have been periods where life gets in the way and other things assume a higher priority. Perhaps it’s blasphemy for a writer to say, but in all things, my marriage and husband come first. Writing is wonderful and it’s what I was born to do, but it can never give me as much satisfaction as even a single day of loving him does, even after 27 years. 

Your writing has garnered the attention of readers and reviewers; how does it feel to have such a positive reaction to your work? 

Scary, thrilling and so flattering, it leaves me speechless. Although, as a serious perfectionist, part of me will always feel like I don’t deserve a word of it. 

Your characters come to life in your books, as a reader I was immediately captivated by your hero and heroine, Alex and Helena.  Do you feel each of your characters live with you as you write? 

Most certainly! I live them, breathe them, dream about them, hear them talking when I’m driving or grocery shopping. My husband says he can tell when my characters are being extra pushy, ‘cause my eyes glaze over and I say, “huh?” a lot 

Who has been your favorite character to write so far? The most challenging? 

Rachael Ebersole, the heroine in Rainbow’s End. Perhaps because she’s the closest thing to me I’ve ever attempted to create. The most challenging was Sam Madison in Rock Paper Scissors, because he had to be wonderful and awful, all in the same package—and, oh mama, what a divine package he turned out to be! 

Your book, ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, is positively scorching. Do you find it difficult at times to write love/sex scenes? 

Actually, I find them a lot of fun. Balancing between purple prose and vulgar description, or creating a good new twist for a tired old phrase is almost like working a unique kind of word puzzle.  

Your website features some wonderful poetry. How long have you been writing poetry and what inspires you? 

Thank you. I always thought my poetry was a purely selfish endeavor until I started getting mail about it. I’m pleased to know I somehow manage to hit a universal chord or two, since I’ve been writing poetry from the time I read my first poem in elementary school. Usually a poem is a cathartic expulsion of some sort, and almost anything can inspire it, from rain on the windshield to the death of a loved one. 

Your work so far has been in the contemporary romance genre, is there another genre you would like to try writing in the future? 

Historical, non-romance fiction. Just as soon as I figure out how to cure my research laziness. 

Are you working on anything right now and can you give us a teaser about these projects? 

I’m the antithesis of what’s vogue. Proliferation is never my goal. Rock Paper Scissors took two years to write, and at this rate, my current work, Spy Inside, may take just as long. There are several smaller pieces in the making, but I’m superstitious about discussing any story before it’s gone through at least three drafts. 

Any final advice to aspiring authors? 

You have to write for yourself, first and foremost. Trying to write for market or what you think other people want to read rarely equals truly memorable fiction. 

Do you have anything to add? 

Only that I’m pleased and privileged to be able to create characters and situations that touch readers, and hope to continue writing more of the same for years to come. 

Thank you so much for joining us, best of luck with your future endeavors.