1.  What inspired you to write JUST ONE KISS?

Inspiration for JUST ONE KISS came from a secondary character in WHITE LIES.  Normally, I don't do sequels because my characters are set in my mind at one age. I haven't gotten to the point where I can watch them grow into their seventies and eighties because I fear I'd still have them acting like thirty-year-olds. But many readers expressed the need to know what happened to Dolores Jones because she had such a sad story and wished happiness for her. I took her back to her beginnings because it was there that she would lay ghosts to rest and in the process would fall in love with a man she'd met eight years before.

2. Tell us a bit about the book?

Dolores who is called Dory Morgan in the story is a successful mystery novelist. She takes her heroine sleuth to her birthplace in Rockford, Illinois, to solve the mystery and to bring closure to her own past with what she hopes is a positive ending to her somber childhood. The journey is made by rail and becomes a nightmare with murder and mayhem aplenty.  Coincidentally, the man she'd lost her heart to years ago is traveling on the same train and is instrumental in keeping her from harm. Once in Rockford, Reid Robinson, who has ghosts of his own to bury admits he has fallen in love with Dory but the struggle with his personal demons cause him to walk away from the love she offers.

3.  Do you have a full-time career outside of your writing?

Not anymore. Before retiring from my city government position, I wrote six novels and one novella.

4. When you're not writing, what do you like to do in your spare time?

Spare time? You'd think I'd have a lot of that since I'm retired but not so. I swear the days zoom by and before you know it I'm smack dab in the middle of another deadline and I write as I did before, very sleepily! But when not writing I like to travel, though not by air anymore since I had a scare. Hence, putting Dory Morgan on that train!

5. What is something about you that your readers would be surprised you do?

Probably talking football with my sons. Raiders and Giants fans in the house!

6. What should a reader expect from one of your books?

A caring hero, one that is not afraid to show emotion though he is supposed to be tough, shrewd, and worldly. A heroine who has a goal and does her utmost to achieve it without stepping on toes along the way, which is still a feat even in this 21st Century. A hero and heroine who will work together towards achieving that happy ending. Also, unusual occupations!

7.  Which of your books is your favorite? Did you most enjoy writing?

Hard question! That's asked a lot and I'm afraid I still do not have a definitive answer. In each book I get so caught up in the characters and what they're about that they all become alive. It's hard to lay them to rest. So as not to straddle the fence here I would select WHITE LIES as my favorite.  I did enjoy creating the characters in PRECIOUS HEART and writing their story.

8.  Which of your heroes is you favorite? Why?

Also difficult to choose though Steven Rumford from PRECIOUS HEART is hard to ignore in a crowd. The man carried a heavy burden and I admire him for staying and facing the adversity in his household. Many a good man's patience would have been tried to the nth degree. Instead of walking away from the love-hate relationship he had with his mother and her despicable treatment of the family he did his utmost to be the peacemaker. The danger in assuming that role was to keep alive old wounds of the heart indirectly inflicted by his mother. But he was strong enough to let the protective cover around his emotions fall away and to eventually accept the love of a good woman.

9.  If you could pick one of your books for a movie, which one would you choose, and whom would you cast in it?

WHITE LIES. But I'm not so sure that I would want to see it come alive expressly because I know the final product won't resemble anything I've written. However, I like unknowns in some movie roles because one is not tempted to associate the star with previous works. I could see Gabrielle Union from City of Angels as Willow Vaughn. Michael Michele is also a pick.  Mykelti Williamson from The Fugitive would be terrific conveying the quiet presence and underlying passion of Jake Rivers.

10.  How would you define the African American Romance?

Cultural differences.

11.  How did you get started writing your novels?

I've always written but seeing a completed work was not to be until I joined a writing group where I was motivated to FINISH something!

12.  What process do you use in writing your novels?

Always an outline. Before I'm finished I may veer off course a little but at least the bones of the story are in place. Changes occur because of a character's actions but the beginning, middle and end are still recognizable.

13.  How long does it take you to complete a manuscript?

Between seven and eight months from start to finish. Sometimes less. Before the actual writing I spend a month writing profiles, selecting names, locations, plotting some scenes and doing other research.

14.  What was your becoming a published writer journey like?

Frustrating at times. Sometimes it was a case of almost giving up my quest until I realized how much I loved to write and stubbornly pursued my goal. I submitted a completed manuscript and it was eventually published.

15.  Is being a published writer what you thought it would be like?

Being a romantic tends to make one see things as rose-colored. But no, it's not as I envisioned. It's hard work and when personal tragedy strikes it can be telling. Especially in a romance and you're writing a sizzling love scene while trying not to grieve. It's like putting your emotions on hold until after a deadline is met.

16.  What do you feel has been your greatest accomplishment as a writer and why?

Touching another's life. Each of my novels and novellas has prompted a reader to write about some aspect of the story that gave them pause to think and question their own motives and behavior, whether in regard to a love relationship or interaction with a friend or relative.

17.  If you had known then what you know now, what would you have done differently in terms of your romance writing career?

I think that would be to have found someone early on to handle the business side of writing. Trying to create and talk contracts is emotionally draining.

18.  Any advice for those aspiring romance writers?

To lose the "aspiring" handle. That is only accomplished by sitting down and WRITING! No excuses. Waiting for the perfect time, the perfect space, the perfect plot, is like waiting for Godot. Just plop your backside in that chair and go for it. At the end of a session, no matter what you've written, how satisfied or dissatisfied with what's on the page, never leave the room until you've done one thing. Write the next sentence that you intend to start with the next day. It may change and most likely will, but at least you've given thought to where you're taking your character.

19.  Do you like communicating with your readers? In what forms. And how can a reader contact you?

I love hearing from readers in any form. I can be contacted via e-mail at Bessdj@aol.com or P.O. Box 130370, Springfield Gardens, NY 11413.

20.  Can you give us a peek at what we can expect from your next romance?

MIDSUMMER MOON is scheduled for release November 2001. It is what I call a sweet romance and takes place in historic Oyster Bay in New York.