About
Frequently Asked Questions
Between the interviews I'm asked to give and my conversations with readers, innocent bystanders, family, etc., the same questions tend to come up over and over. I've tried to answer many of them here, but I'm sure I've left some out. If you want me to answer your question, just send me an e-mail. I promise to reply as soon as possible.
- Do I have to read the books in order? And what is the correct order for each series?
- Why do you write under more than one name?
- Will you ever write another Deborah Martin or Deborah Nicholas book?
- How long does it take you to write a book? Can't you write any faster?
- How can I become a romance writer?
- Where do you get your ideas? Can I pay you to write up my idea for me?
- Will there be a book for the triplets from The Dangerous Lord
- How can I get on one of your book covers? (asked by models and their representatives)
- Why do your book covers not match the stories sometimes?
- Do you choose your own titles?
Do I have to read the books in order? And what is the correct order for each series?
The books in the Lord Trilogy stand alone pretty well and don't have to be read in order. That's not true of the first three books of the Swanlea Spinsters series, however. You should probably read A Dangerous Love, then A Notorious Love, then After the Abduction, in that order. Dance of Seduction and Married to the Viscount stand alone, but if you want to read the whole series in order, they're fourth and fifth respectively.
The interconnection of the two series is detailed on my Series Connections page.
Why do you write under more than one name?
To distinguish between my different styles of writing. My Sabrina Jeffries books are lighter, sexier historical romances than my Deborah Martin books were. They have more dialogue and more sensuality, but less history and complicated plots. What can I say? I always preferred to read that sort of book, and I finally decided to try my hand at writing it. It's certainly proved successful for me.
My Deborah Nicholas books are contemporary paranormal romantic suspense books, so they're miles apart from my current books. And all my various publishers preferred to make it easy for readers to know which sort of book they were reading.
Will you ever write another Deborah Martin or Deborah Nicholas book?
I couldn't write a Deborah Martin book now even if I wanted to. My style has changed because of changes in my own interests and the sort of book I want to write, and I doubt I could ever go back.
If I ever write contemporaries again, however, I will probably do so under the Deborah Nicholas name. And yes, I have some ideas for those; I just don't have the time to write them.
How long does it take you to write a book? Can't you write any faster?
I love this question! I'm so happy some readers want my books more often! The truth is, book releases are largely dependent on when the publisher schedules the books (except for authors who take a year or more to write a novel). I've written books in as little as four and a half months and as much as a year. I'm comfortable writing a book every six months, and my current publisher is happy to publish me at roughly that rate. For more explanation of scheduling, see my Publishing Process page.How can I become a romance writer?
I get asked this question so much that I have a page for writing advice, complete with links and articles..Where do you get your ideas? Can I pay you to write up my idea for me?
I get my inspiration everywhere—anything I read or watch or experience can be fodder for a novel. Sometimes a scene or an exchange of dialogue just leaps into my head. Or a character shows up out of nowhere. In fact, my problem is generally that I have too many ideas for books, not too few. Which is why I'm not interested in fleshing out anybody's ideas but my own.Will there be a book for the triplets from The Dangerous Lord?
I don't have one planned at present, but who knows what the future holds?How can I get on one of your book covers? (asked by models and their representatives) Why do your book covers not match the stories sometimes?
For answers to these and other questions about cover art, check out my Cover Art section.Do you choose your own titles?
Sort of. I title my books, but my publisher rarely keeps my first choice. The title of the first book of The Royal Brotherhood series was mine, but we worked together to come up with the second two titles. They kept all the Lord trilogy titles I chose, but for the Swanlea series, I had to come up with another title after my first choice was rejected.
There were my original titles for those books:
- A Dangerous Love: The Man of Affairs
- A Notorious Love: The Highwayman's Son
- After the Abduction: A Reckless Love (to fit the series titles they'd come up with previously)
- Dance of Seduction: A Wicked Love, then Until the Seduction
- Married to the Viscount: The Viscount Takes a Wife