Roseanne Dowell is spending a few minutes with the Joyfully Reviewed crowd this fall….

Roseanne what is your most current work that we can read?

My latest work is Connection of the Minds released from MuseItUp Publishing this past September.

Tell us a little about Connection of the Minds, what inspired you to write it?

I’m not sure where the idea came from. Connections of the Minds is a mystery/paranormal/romance. I’m not sure what inspired me. Maybe because I get premonitions often.

Did you ever have a feeling something bad was about to happen? Kind of a premonition, intuition, omen or whatever you want to call it?

I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve experienced ESP. I mean we all have, haven’t we? Especially with a spouse or sibling. I bet sometimes you even finish each other’s sentences. Nothing unusual in that, is there? Not at all.

That’s exactly what happened to Rebecca Brennan. The difference is, she’s experiencing someone’s life. Experiencing visions of someone’s life in her dreams. At first they were pleasant. But then they became dangerous. Determined to find out who shares her mind, her search leads her to a small down, her soul mate, and puts her life in danger.

When you start writing, do you already have the story plotted out or do you let the characters dictate what will happen?

I know the beginning and end of the story. What happens is the middle is as much a surprise to me as it is to the reader. I only plotted out one story. A speaker at our local chapter of RWA suggested if we hadn’t done it to try it –I just finished it after two years of being blocked. I’ll never plot another one.

What inspired you to write in your genre? Is this the genre you started writing in or have you morphed to this one?

I always loved romance and mysteries, especially romantic mysteries, so it was only natural I’d write that genre.

Do you have a favorite character you have written?

I think whichever character I’m writing about at the moment is my favorite. I love all of them.

Who was the toughest character for you to “get right” that you have written so far?

Most of my characters come pretty easily to me. For one thing, I make character worksheets before I start writing. I know them inside out, backward, and forward and everything in between.

Do you draw inspiration for your characters from real life? Any fun stories you could share?

Most of my characters are name after my grandchildren, but that doesn’t mean they’re like them. I think I draw on a lot of people I know and I combine their personalities.

What do you find the hardest part of writing?

The hardest part of writing is promoting my work. I’d rather be writing.

Name one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you.

I’m a great grandmother.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Not really.

What do you need before you start writing? Anything that is just a must have or the creative juice don’t flow?

I do a lot of thinking, researching if I’m setting my story in a real place. But mostly I wait for the characters to talk to me.

Where were you when you got your first contract? Who did you tell first?

I told my husband first, and then I announced it to the rest of the world (family) via email.

How old were you when you read your first romance book?

I think I was in seventh grade so probably 12.

What author causes you to “go fan girl”/ squeal over/anticipate upcoming books?

If you still have one of those pesky non writing jobs what is it?
I love Lisa Scottoline, Nora Roberts (doesn’t everyone) and Mary Higgins Clark. I like a ton of other authors also, but these are the ones I wait for.

What are you currently working on, and what else is in the wings?

I just finished the one I was blocked on – Return to Littleton –a dilapidated Queen Anne Victorian, a dead body, and an ex boyfriend complicate life for Meghan Shelby when she returns to her hometown after a ten year absence.

I have several waiting in the wings – Deadbeat Dads – about wealthy ex-husbands who don’t pay child support or alimony and The Ad Agency – about a girl who starts her own ad agency in an old building she inherited and finds a lot of money.

If you could co-write with another author who would it be?

Oh boy, I’m going to say one of my three favorites, Lisa Scottoline, Nora Roberts, or Mary Higgins Clark.

How do you pick your characters names?

They really pick their own names. I started out naming them after my grandchildren, but they decide which ones.

Do you prefer the love at first sight approach or a steady growth throughout?

I tend to the steady growth, other than Connections of the Minds, that was pretty much love at first sight.

Where can readers find you, Roseanne?

My Website
My Blog
Facebook

And for the silly side – What is your favorite type of chocolate?

Nothing silly about chocolate. I love, love, love dark chocolate.