When I wrote IN MY DREAMS, I had a detailed paranormal magic system, a whole fantasy system that I was really excited about. The Chosen, the children who were going to save the world from demons at Armageddon. I have a rather complicated reincarnation thing going on too. . . Three sisters relive their lives over and over again because of their mother who cast a spell over them before she died on a slave ship during the Middle Passage.

There’s a hero and a heroine, but the magic, the sisters, demon slaying, and astral plane stuff was more exciting to me. When I’m excited the words flow through my keyboard, I can’t help it. If I’m not feeling soap-opera romance, that’s not what I’m going to write.

The book wasn’t a romance. I slashed, cut and burned the story down to what I thought was the core of the romance and turned it in. After my editor recovered from her heart attack, she had a paranormal CE (someone who’d edited Joss Whedon–and she was GREAT!) edit it and another editor read it to see it was within the confines of a paranormal romance or if I’d simply gone insane. It got thumbs up and went into production with a wildly inappropriate cover (The Ass Cover). Yes, I’d told her that I was in a paranormal mode way before I turned it in, but nobody ever listens to me.

But the strength of the story was what I was excited about–the paranormal aspects–and I’d pared that down. I think it’s a stronger fantasy than a romance. Fantasy readers do tend to like IMD better too. If I had left it as it was, it would have been even stronger.

For Love’s Potion and Mr. Right Now, I’d decided the fix–lighter, simpler storylines and more focus on the hero would get me my paranormal and satisfy romance readers too.

Mr. Right Now wasn’t the original title. All my other titles were paranormal and weird, I suppose. I’d stuck Mr. Right Now on the end of the last batch of titles for my editor to consider. She loved that one. At that point, completely title-exhausted, I didn’t give a damn what the title was. When I was cleaning out my mail client trash a month later, I realized Mr. Right Now was the title of Wendy Duran’s WIP–I’d read it ages ago, and I don’t remember a lick of it–but apparently that title stuck in my head. I was horrified when I realized, and called her. Thankfully, Wendy said it was cool, so I have her to thank for the title. Oh, I have to thank Donna Hill for the title of In My Dreams too. (My own titles never work).

For Love’s Potion, I write a lighter storyline. I’m still in major paranormal mode, but I made the plot far simpler and spent more time with the characters building their relationship. I think it worked well for my romance readers.

For Mr. Right Now, I deepened erotic aspect and highlighted the luscious man. I also spent more time with my characters as far as their relationship. But I wanted this book to have more depth and texture than my romances. The paranormal plotline is there, but it is also simpler and more straightforward than IMD. The read is fast and short. I wanted to write a book that readers wouldn’t put down.