What can you tell us about your new release, Filthy Doctor?
Filthy Doctor is a steamy billionaire romance and I hope people will love it since it’s different from the usual billionaire trope. We have a billionaire doctor who wants to be the next Dr. Oz. and runs his own TV show, and yes, our doctor is a bad boy – he has this unique talent that he is very proud of. One look, and he can make a woman come!
Our heroine is a divorced BBW, and this doctor’s childhood sweetheart, so you also get to see some second chance romance and chemistry there. And unlike the submissive heroine in other billionaire novels, our heroine is a strong, independent, career oriented woman who falls for his charms.
I am thrilled and touched by the wonderful reviews Filthy Doctor has been receiving so far.
What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?
Well, you would be surprised because my top five list would also include non-fiction. I read a LOT, and it involves fiction and non-fiction.
So, here we go:
- The Millionaire Fast Lane by M J DeMarco: This book has taught me how to build a business step by step and how to save money for business (I am a shopaholic and a spendthrift btw).
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: And I love when he tells us to sharpen the saw. Because that is what most people don’t do!
- P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern: I love Holly and Gerry’s story and can read it over and over again. (And don’t even ask me how many tears I shed).
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: I love the fact that Jane is intellectually strong and I love the way it portrays self-esteem and identity.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin: This is the very first romantic novel that I read and which introduced me to the world of romantic novels and how beautiful this world is.
Who is your favorite fictional character from literature?
That would definitely be Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. I love her ability to laugh at herself and of course her frankness and fearlessness. And I love the fact that she is intelligent enough and therefore makes a worthy mate for Mr. Darcy.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
I love plotting the novel. And plots come to me spontaneously. It could be a song, a life incident, even something in the national news, I mean anything random – I just use that inspiration to get my plot down. So, I write down the names of main characters and some specific things that I would write. I never use outlines, but begin writing based on the theme that I jotted down in my notebook. Now, the story that I write could actually be very different from the plot that I initially wrote!
I love writing because it lets me escape into a world of romance, a world that I love and sometimes far away from reality. And I love it when my readers say the same thing to me. I am proud of the fact that they are able to find that emotion, passion and drama in my writing and are able to escape into a world that they want to be in.
BAM. You're a superhero. What's your superpower?
Cloning. I could accomplish so many things if I were able to clone myself. I could be a non-guilty mom and wife as well as a writer who could spend fourteen hours in a day writing. Wow!
What advice would you give your teenage self?
I would say ‘Don’t let anyone put you down or second guess yourself.’
What scene in Filthy Doctor was your favorite to write?
I loved writing everything about Filthy Doctor so that would be a hard choice. If I have to, I would say the scene where Ed introduces Dr. Walker and Lucy, only to find out that they were childhood sweethearts.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
I love this quote from ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’:
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it”.
This inspires me to set goals, visualize successes, surround myself with positive people, feel the positivity all around, and take action, even if it is imperfect action.
