AccessRomance interviews author Linda Conrad.

AR: October sees the publication of the last installment in your Gypsy Inheritance series. What can you tell us about these books, what they're about, how they're connected, and what inspired you to write them?

Linda: THE GYPSY INHERITANCE is a trilogy, published by Silhouette Desire. SEDUCTION BY THE BOOK was out in August, REFLECTED PLEASURES is a September release and A SCANDALOUS MELODY will be on the stands in October! They are three fun, hot fantasy books -- all about magic bringing true lovers together. I really loved writing this series! They are my tenth, eleventh and twelfth books written for Silhouette Desire - - and they may be the last for them for quite a while.

The three heroes are all relatives of the same big family, the descendants of Lucille Steele, who has just passed away. A Gypsy king has also just passed away. His daughter, the old Gypsy in these stories, is trying to fulfill her father's dying wish to repay their family's debt to Lucille by giving the heroes in these stories magic gifts so that they may find love. All of these men need love - each in their own special ways.

I had a wonderful time writing the stories, picking out which gift would be best suited for which hero. The first gift is a first-edition book of Grimm's Fairy Tales with a golden cover, meant for a modern man who has walled himself up in a castle by the sea. It takes a feisty heroine, a hurricane and gypsy magic to bring that one around! The second gift is a magic hand mirror in a gilded frame, just perfect for a billionaire Texan who sees things in only black and white - - lies versus the truth. It takes a practical plain-Jane assistant with a big secret and the Gypsy's gift of sight for this self-made man to recognize the love that is right in front of his eyes. The third gift in A SCANDALOUS MELODY is a jeweled egg-shaped music box. The tune it plays is the magic that can change a man bent on revenge into a man who finally finds the truth of his past - and gets the truth about true love.

That third book is a must for anyone who has read the other books, because we finally find out what kindness Lucille Steele did for the Gypsy family and the reason the king wanted to repay the debt. All the books are sexy, passionate and Great Fun!

AR: Describe your writing process for us. How do you start? How much research do you do? How long does it take you to write a book?

Linda: I begin with either a setting or with a particular character that seems to be 'calling' me to write. Either way, I match first the character to the place then find an opposite type to be the other main opposing character. I must learn all about my characters, who they are and what made them that way, before I ever think of a plot or write the first word. The characters usually suggest a theme; justice, love conquers all, learning about yourself can bring true happiness --- and I'm off and writing by the seat of my pants!

The Desire length books (55,000 words) take about six to eight weeks to write, depending on how much research will be necessary.

AR: Since 2002, you've written a dozen books for Silhouette Desire. To readers unfamiliar with your back list, can you give an idea of the kind of stories you write? Are there any recurring themes, any particular conflicts or relationships that you find yourself drawn to?

Linda: I usually write about rural America, and most of my books have been set in Texas. I tend to write emotional and passionate stories about people in trouble or who are out of their element. The vastness and power of the isolated West draws me and my characters, though I have written about other places too. Many of my heroes have been lawmen: FBI agents, Texas Rangers, or men who are destined to run for political office (after the love of a good woman sets them straight). My heroines are all women who are strong, but many of them don't know they can be independent and strong and also soft and caring.

AR: How long have you been writing full time? Do you have a set schedule of when you work, and do you follow it?

Linda: I have been writing full time since my mother passed away and I decided to follow my dreams instead of returning to being a stockbroker. Fortunately, my husband has been very supportive in giving me the space and time to write. I wish I had a good schedule and could follow it. I'm very obsessive and it would be wonderful to say I write eight hours a day, five days a week. But no... Somehow it just never works out that way. Except for when a deadline in closing in, I write whenever the words are ready to come out.

AR: What is the best advice you could give a writer trying to get published?

Linda: I once gave a speech to a writer's group and I told them this:

There are three secrets to becoming a published author.

The first is that you must possess a little talent. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do if you don't have talent. You can take classes and learn to be better at grammar and plotting and dialogue, but only God gives out the talent.

The second secret is that you must have luck. Getting your work in front of the right editor at just exactly the right time takes luck. And that is something over which you have very little control. Sorry. I wish it weren't true, but it is.

The third secret is that you must have persistence. This finally is the one area that you can develop for yourself, and of the three, it is the most important. I know an author who worked for eleven years and wrote twenty manuscripts before she finally hit the right editor's desk and got her first contract. Now she is multi-published. She is my heroine for really sticking with her dream!

AR: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Linda: Current? Or all time? Hmm. Okay, here a list: J.K. Rowling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Nora Roberts, L. Frank Baum and A.A. Milne (Wizard of Oz and Winnie the Pooh), Linda Howard, Daphne DuMaurier (Rebecca), Janet Evanovitch, Barbara Samuel, Suzanne Brockmann --- oh and Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who books.

AR: What do you like to do in your spare time?

Linda: Read mostly. I also like going out in the boat with my husband for lunch or to play on the sandbar. I've had several hobbies in the recent past, like driving my little gold convertible in sports car rallies, growing roses, and sight-seeing. But either due to time constraints or other circumstances beyond my control, I just don't seem able to participate as much as I would like.

AR: Lastly, tell us what readers can expect to see from you next. When will your next Desire be released? Do you plan to write for any other imprints or publishers in the future?

Linda: After the Gypsy Inheritance series, I don't have any other Desires on the schedule. I am going to be very busy for the next couple of years, writing a wonderful series of six books for Silhouette Intimate Moments. It's a great opportunity for me to write bigger stories and explore deeper relationships. The series is called The Night Guardians and is about a covert group of Navajo medicine men who are fighting a secret war against the evil that is stalking the four-corners reservation. The evil comes in the form of Skinwalkers, another group of medicine men who are witches and are shapeshifters, turning themselves into super-strong animals in order to grab money and power. You can count on each hero being conflicted and that all the books will have my trademark passionate love scenes.

The first two of these books are scheduled for April and May 2006 and are titled, SHADOW FORCE and SHADOW WATCH.

AR: Thank you so much for chatting with us!

Linda: You are most welcome! Thanks for having me!