Mister Movie Star follows a talented but emotionally closed-off chef who takes a job as a personal chef to a Hollywood heartthrob, leading them to form an unexpected connection. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

George Reed Masters first appeared in Book 3 of my Olympic Peninsula series, The Magic Man, and made more appearances in Books 4 and 5. In Book 5 he is a guest at the compound when Lisette, a chef and restaurateur who is dating the main protagonist in that book, Edward, overhears Edward’s mom saying terrible things about her. George has a crush on Lisette and proposes that she come to work for him in Beverly Hills as his private chef. I always liked George, who in the earlier books is a bit of a scamp and an incorrigible flirt. I started wondering about the woman who could focus his wandering eye. (Lisette, of course, was destined to be with Edward, despite his awful mother.) He did need a private chef, so that’s where Rose comes in. For ten years, I lived in New York City, where I worked in a lot of restaurants as a waitress, hostess, and even, briefly, as a coat check girl at a chic nightclub. In that job, which started at 5 pm and ended at 5 am, I also sold cigarettes. (Truly a horrendous gig, but very illuminating.) So I do know a thing or two about the restaurant business. And yes, there’s a lot of bad behavior! I like to cook and do a credible job, but I’m not into labor intensive things like baking bread or making noodles from scratch. I even use canned beans. Like the mother in this book, I have a repertoire of favorite recipes. 

Were there any characters that you especially enjoyed writing for?

I love all my characters! George and Rose are both close to my heart. Among the supporting characters, I enjoyed George’s diction coach Ms. Elgar, who I think might be overdue for a happy ending, maybe with one of the older characters from my other books. Something along the lines of Mrs. Pettigrew Lives for a Day or Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Set at Christmas. Hmm. I also liked Dorian the rich and handsome veterinarian and thought he and the actress Jennifer Trakes would make an interesting couple.

What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?

Back before cell phones, etc., we all did a lot of staring into space. I passed the time by inventing stories. While in line at the supermarket, at the bank, long car trips with my family…. I couldn’t read in the car without getting carsick. Also at church. We were Episcopalians, and those services are loooong, so I just drifted off into daydreams. I also came up with stories in my head while jogging. My best friend and I used to tell each other stories while we were at the beach club lying on our towels, attempting to get tanned. (It was a long time ago, and we lived in Washington State, where it’s usually at least partly cloudy.) One of us would start, then the other would pick up the thread, back and forth. They usually started with falling into a hole in the backyard, like in Alice in Wonderland. I also played for hours with Barbie Dolls and paper dolls I made myself, and they acted out my stories. I’m not sure that answers your question, but that is a huge part of why I write romance now, because of all the stories that have kept me sane during hard times. I love to read, of course, and was a German Literature major in college. My taste in books is very eclectic.

What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?

I’m working on a romance staring country music diva Rina Bakersfield, the former girlfriend of my character Joe O’Connell, who as “Joe Bob Blade” is a country music star in my first book, The Silent Woodsman. She doesn’t come off well in that book, but that’s because she doesn’t get a point of view! By the time this story begins, she’s been through quite a lot and has an excellent sense of the absurd. (All my characters do, actually, because really, if you can’t laugh at yourself, life is way tougher than it needs to be.) She’s on her way through Nevada after her divorce when her car breaks down in Tonopah. (My husband and I have stayed there several times on our way back from Arizona to Washington State.) There she meets…. I’ll just leave it at that for now. I’m about 75k words in, and my books are usually somewhere around 90k words. I’ve had to do a deep dive into the country music business, and it’s fascinating. My books all take place in the recent past. This one starts in 2003. I’m not sure when it will come out. I record and edit all the audiobook versions myself, and that is a time-consuming process. So probably in February or March of next year. But I’ve also been contemplating a few different Christmas novellas based on characters from The Olympic Peninsula series. I’d like to get something like that out in time for the holidays. Fans can go to my website and subscribe to my newsletter, where you are the first to be updated!

Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website