Like most writers, I learned to read early and fell in love with books. The passion was strong enough that I would literally 'have my nose in a book', absorbing it, as if the plots and characters seeped through my skin and down to my bones. The world just seemed so much bigger in the pages of a book, and sometimes the characters in them were more vivid even than any of the folks I knew. I'm really not sure when I figured out that someone wrote the books I loved to read, and that maybe... just maybe!... I could be one of those people, those writers, but by the time I was about 12, I knew. The only life that really made sense was one that included writing.
Of course, after that, it took a loooong time before I connected the two facts; my love of writing, and that it was possible to choose it as a career. I dilly-dallied for a long time, doing anything but writing.
So I've done a lot of different things as 'work'. I've been a sales clerk, and a receptionist. I cleaned people's homes, and I've worked in a factory. But for the last ten years I've been an author, and it's everything I hoped it would be, and much, much more.
I first decided to try my hand at romance novels solely, because there was a market for them, but then I fell in love with Regencies! I'd read all of Jane Austen's books, as well as Maria Edgeworth, so I had a little background in the period, though it was woefully inadequate for what I needed. I read a lot of Regencies, too, though: Mary Balogh, Patricia Veryan, Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney. But the fun really began when I wrote my first Regency romance for a (very small) publisher, then wrote another and approached Kensington with a quivering stomach and loads of fluttery butterflies.
I was lucky. They were enthusiastic about 'Lord St. Claire's Angel', and voila, I had a writing career. I loved writing Regencies, but before long it was time to branch out, and since then I've written mysteries, contemporary romances and paranormal romance. What I love most about writing is creating characters and weaving their lives, tormenting them a little, then letting them find happiness, love and fulfillment. I write what I like to read, and I love mystery in my romance, and romance in my mystery!
Do I have a life outside of writing? Well, of course! I have a lot of other interests, among them cooking, the outdoors, crafts (beading, cross-stitching, etc...) collecting vintage cookware. I like to read, especially mysteries. I enjoy a nice glass of wine with friends, and summer evenings on the patio. I'm lucky to be surrounded by wonderful family and lots of friends.
I hope you enjoy my books, and come back occasionally. I've got lots more stories up my sleeve, and won't rest until I put them down on paper!
Have a great reading day!
Donna Lea Simpson
http://www.donnaleasimpson.com
