I have to admit I am not at all objective when it comes to our member in the spotlight this month. Having known Collette for years, I can assure you she’s as lovely in person as she is in her photos, and she’s a sweeter, kinder person than you can imagine. Please help me welcome multi-published member, Collette Cameron, into the spotlight this month!

Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write.

I’m so tickled to be here!

So you want to know a little about me? Well, I live in the Pacific Northwest and am a self-confessed Cadbury Milk Chocoholic. I’m also a bit nuts about dachshunds and cobalt blue!

I write Regency and Scottish historicals, always with a dash of humor and often with a pinch of suspense.

Do you write full-time or part-time?

I write full-time now.

In January 2016 I stopped teaching and now spend all day long, every day doing what I absolutely love!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I wasn’t one of those people who always knew they wanted to be a writer, though I did dabble in poetry writing as a teenager. Awful stuff!

But, in the back of my mind, this little thought niggled and niggled, that perhaps, someday, maybe, I’d attempt to write a book.

I never dreamed I’d write romances. Ever!

What drew you to write in the historical romance genre?

Historical romances are my preferred genre for reading, always have been, and it seemed logical when I started writing to dip my toes into what I knew.

I’m also a history buff, and I enjoy uncovering all sorts of interesting tidbits during research for my books.

What’s your favorite historical movie?

The Count of Monte Cristo!  Yummy.

If you could time travel, what era would you visit?

 19^th century Scotland!  I don’t think I mentioned I’m also a bit obsessed about almost everything Scottish.

Are there specific books or authors who have influenced you as a writer?

Not so much as far as my writing craft goes, but I attribute Kathleen Woodiwiss’s THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER for causing me to fall head-over-heels for historical romances.

I even named my daughter Brianna after Heather Brianna in that story.

Give us a brief rundown of your process. Are you a plotter, a pantser, or somewhere in the middle?

I have a friend who calls me a linear panster, although I’d call myself a plotser.

I always have basic plot points I make sure I hit, and before I start my books, I complete a Goal, Motivation, and Conflict chart for my hero and one for my heroine. I also complete an extensive questionnaire for each of them, and for my last few books, I’ve written a short summary of where I think the story will go.

My novels are character driven, though, which means, I end up places I didn’t know I was going.

That’s okay; I simply adjust the plot and keep on writing.

Thanks for stepping into the spotlight this month, Collette! To find out more about Collette, you can visit her website or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Unpublished or published members, would you like to be featured in the member spotlight? Just drop me a line at christy@christycarlyle.com!