Hmm, let's see. I grew up in rural Kentucky on a farm, and also as an only child, so I think all that "alone time" is what turned me into a writer : ) By the time I was ten, I knew that's what I wanted to be when I grew up. Of course, it took a long time for me to attain that dream, and I spent way too long thinking it was impossible and that I might as well not even try, but I'm very glad I finally moved past that. Now, I'm happily married, without kids, and live in the suburbs, where I spend most of my time behind the keyboard : )

Question: SOMETHING WILD is your new release, what's it about and when can we buy it?

Thanks for asking : ) I always find myself describing my book in different ways, so I guess it's about a lot of different things - fantasy, self-discovery, risk-taking, mistaken identity, and sex. I sort of found myself laughing as I typed that last part, but this book, more than any other I've written, really *is* about sex, or more precisely about good girl Penny Holloran's quest to uncover and embrace her sexual self. She finds the perfect guy to do it with, but there's a lot standing in their way, like the fact that Ryan works for the man who's just asked Penny to marry him : ) Oh, and the fact that Penny seduces Ryan in the back of a limo, thinking he's her boyfriend! So it's a fun roller-coaster ride of a book that's something of a departure from my previous work; I think of it as my "sexy romp" book : )

SOMETHING WILD should appear on bookshelves around the first of March and be available until the end of the month. After that, it will still be available online at places like BN.com, eHarlequin, and Amazon.

Question: When you start writing a new book which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?

Wow, for me, that varies a lot. Sometimes it's the setting, sometimes it's a great hook, sometimes it's a specific idea I want to explore. In SOMETHING WILD, it was the hook - the limo scene that starts the story and the relationship - and I knew after that, anything could happen!

Question: How long does it take you to complete a manuscript? Do you have a set writing schedule you follow everyday?

Again, that varies, but I'm a pretty fast writer, so I can usually write a category book in a month or less. Of course, after that, there's time spent polishing and sharing it with my critique partners, but once I start a story, it spills out of me pretty rapidly.

As for my schedule, I write every day from nine 'til two, then take a lunch break and return to work for a couple of hours later in the afternoon. I'm pretty much a creature of habit, and I find that really helps my productivity.

Question: How important is it for a beginning writer to belong to a critique group or to have a critique partner?

Well, I can only speak for myself on this one, but I *still* value the input my critique partners give me, even six books into my career. I just don't feel good about sending in material they haven't seen, because I know I can count on them to find anything that came out silly or created questions in their mind or just plain didn't make sense.

Fortunately, I have two critique partners who I've been with for a long time and whose writing skills I respect and whose opinions I trust. And that's the tricky thing about a critique group, especially if you're a beginner - you're not always sure who's giving you good advice and who's not. So while I recommend "shopping around" for critique partners and trying to find someone who really fits with you and your writing, I also think *no* critique partner is better than a *bad* critique partner.

Question: I've heard horror stories about finding a good agent. How hard is it?

In my opinion, I think it's often easier to sell a book than to get a good agent these days - the competition is truly fierce out there. But I also personally think it's good to have an agent if possible, so that you have another industry professional looking out for your best interests in all your dealings.
When I was agent shopping several years ago, I made a point of contacting agents only who I'd heard good things about through RWA. And I got rejected by most of those I contacted. In fact, I'd decided to query just one more agent, then give up for a while, and that's the agent I ended up working with : ) Incidentally, one thing I really value in my agent is that she *loves* my work. I think that's important because I know when she's out there pitching my books, she really believes in them, and also in me.

Question: When you have the time what do you do for fun or relaxation?

For fun, I travel as often as possible, and I also snow ski.
And for relaxation - well, I'm the sort of person who has a hard time *truly* relaxing, and I wish I were better at it : ) But in addition to snow, I also love the beach, and lying in the sun is probably the one activity I can think of that truly *does* make me feel totally relaxed.
I also enjoy scrapbooking, cross stitch, and of course, reading, although I often don't have much time for it.

Question: After the release of SOMETHING WILD this month, what's up next? Any new books on the horizon?

Yes, and thanks for asking! I've recently sold my first Harlequin Duets and it will be released in April 2003. The working title is MAD ABOUT MINDY ... AND MANDY, and I'm hoping it will stick, but we'll see : )

Question: Is there anything you would like to add to this interview?

Well, first, I'd like to thank you for the interview - it was a lot of fun! And I'd also like to thank readers in advance for checking out SOMETHING WILD; I hope they'll enjoy it! And if anyone would like to find out more about me or my books, they should check out my website at www.ToniBlake.com.

Thanks again!
Toni

Thank you so much Toni for taking the time to do this interview. I really appreciate it and look forward to reading SOMETHING WILD.
Jo