My Interview of Myself

Sources of Inspiration

What can we expect from you in the future?

More romance and romantic suspense stories. My latest published book, Bourbon Neat, is a romantic suspense. The work in progress, Resolved Regrets, is a contemporary romance. It's based on an idea I had related to a Presidents' Day costume party. Of course, a handsome "Teddy Roosevelt" and a gorgeous "Dolly Madison" are involved.

How do we find out about you and your books? Oh, so many places...

On my website: www.romance-degrootified.net
On my Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/RomanceByDeGroot
On my publisher's bookstore: https://solsticeempire.com/products.aspx?categoryid=511
On my Amazon Author Central page: https://www.amazon.com/author/romancedegrootified

How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

My sense of humor shows up, especially in the banter between characters.
I've used my work experiences in most of my writing, either as inspiration for the stories or character backgrounds. My service in the U.S. Air Force gave me my first main male character (MMC), Garrett Dane, in The Consequential Love Series, and a subsequent MMC, Jace Sims, in Playground Antics. My experiences working on wetland restoration projects as a contracting officer with the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service provided the idea for the meet-cute in Restoration.
My Minnesota roots are featured in four books: The Consequential Love Series (Resolute Love, Challenged Love, and Victorious Love) and Restoration. Can you say "You betcha?"

When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first manuscript?

Post retirement activity for sure. The first books I wrote, The Consequential Love Series (Resolute Love, Challenged Love, and Victorious Love), were written in response to all the romances I'd read featuring former Navy SEALs. As an Air Force veteran, I wanted a romance with an Air Force veteran hero, so I wrote a romantic suspense series with an Air Force veteran returning to his home state of Minnesota to work for the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
I believed in the story and especially the main characters, so I worked on finding an agent or publisher and thankfully found a home with Solstice Publishing.

Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you just go with the flow?

I don't have a set schedule, but I write most days. There's so much more than writing stories: editing, training, website maintenance, monthly Blog posts, monthly newsletters, and daily Facebook posts or reels to create & schedule. These keep me busy every day.
Basically, I go with the flow when inspiration hits. You can find me writing at night in front of the TV, in the afternoons while watching the news, or on our back porch, enjoying the sights & sounds of nature. I write my stories by hand. The first round of edits happens when I enter the written pages into the computer.

What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing - or are there constant interruptions?

It's me, my husband, and our pup, Missy. Mike respects my passion for my writing and gives me uninterrupted time for writing. An additional bonus is that he'll give me ideas for stories. That's how Bourbon Neat got started! Missy is my author assistant and features regularly in my Facebook posts.

What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

Where do your ideas come from?

My background mostly contributes to my story ideas, but they often appear out of nowhere. My book, Sparks Fly, is about a smokejumper. I have no experience with smokejumpers, so where that came from, I can't explain. Accidental Attraction starts on a golf course. As I recall, I wrote most of it on the way to and during a golf trip to Arkansas. I've already discussed how my Air Force service has played a part in my writing. My experience as a federal contracting officer was key to the aforementioned "meet cute" in Restoration, and contracting was key to my story, Playground Antics.
Individual scenes have come from songs and even a favorite print hanging in our dining room.
The name of my first MMC, Garrett, came from a road sign!

Do you feel humor is important in books and why?

I do believe in bringing humor into my books. A spot of levity can ease the tension in a scene, provide cover for real feelings that are too strong or ill-timed for the character to admit to, or allow the characters to have some fun. We all need and deserve fun in our lives. An early morning drunken phone call between Zach and Emily in Accidental Attraction was fun to write, as well as the next day's aftermath. I still laugh when I read it.

What kind of research do you do?

My research relies on internet searches or going directly to a source of information online, like Mayo Clinic.
I've researched medical care for gunshots, knife wounds, broken bones, and PTSD; smokejumper locations and training; and whether a pole barn can be relocated, to name just a few things.

Please tell us about yourself.

I'm a Minnesotan by birth and now enjoy life in the Upstate of South Carolina. I'm a retiree with 30 years of federal service (a combination of active duty with the US Air Force and federal civil service with three separate agencies).
I've lived in 8 states and 1 foreign country.
Mike, my husband, is my soulmate, the love of my life, and an inspiration for my writing.
Our little family unit has always included four-legged rescue babies. Our current baby is Missy, a Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix. She was rescued from a kill shelter in the Houston, TX area by a German Shepherd Rescue in SC and found her way into our hearts.

What are some of your favorite things to do?

Who are some of your other favorite authors to read?

C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr Series), Stuart MacBride (Logan McRae Series), and Charles Todd (Ian Rutledge Series)

What do you think of critique groups in general?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

How many books have you written? How many have been published?

I've written eleven books.
Nine are steamy romances, and one is an anthology of nine of my short stories. These have all been published by Solstice Publishing.
Mike and I self-published a children's picture book, The Little Cloud's Busy Day.

After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?

Yes! In fact, I often reread them. There is something about holding the book and seeing my story in print that's indescribable.

Among your own books, do you have a favorite book? A favorite hero or heroine?

Favorite book: probably Accidental Attraction. It's my only romantic comedy, plus there's a golf connection and the secondary characters are a hoot!
Favorite hero and heroine: My first characters, Garrett Dane and Leigh Ramsey, now Leigh Dane, from The Consequential Love Series. I hope to write another book or series about them and already have ideas percolating!

What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

Hearing from people about how they enjoyed my books: the story, the characters, and the flow of my writing.
When my books win an award! I have three award winners: Accidental Attraction, Playground Antics, and Bourbon Neat.

If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?