I write romance because love triumphs. The more I write, the more clearly I define the themes presented in my stories.  My characters inevitably set out on a journey of self discovery that leads to acceptance.  The stories are all rooted in a community, whether it's the acting community of Manhattan, the glittering nightlife of Las Vegas, or an English Regency ducal estate.  The hero and heroine fall in love while each discovers his or her inner strengths/truths.  But they don't live in a vacuum--no, they also discover the sanctity of familial love--how it defines them, buoys them, shapes their lives, and how even when they say it's not important, it's vital to their self-image. I was an avid reader from a very young age.  In my early teens, my mom introduced me to the historical fiction of Elswyth Thane and the Georgian and Regency comedies of Georgette Heyer.  I was still in high school when she slipped me my first Kathleen Woodiwiss and forever hooked me on romance.  In college, I studied theater and the works of William Shakespeare, spending fifteen years working in college, community, children's and regional professional theaters.  Shakespeare introduced me to big casts, universal truths and emotions that speak to future generations, character-driven plots, classic plot devices and strong, brave, defiant heroines.  Women ahead of their time. Other favorite authors include Dorothy L. Sayers, Jane Austen, Dick Francis, Jean Auel, E.B. White, Tom Clancy, Judith McNaught, Jill Barnett, Susan Wiggs and Nora Roberts.