Q: Hi Deidre, and welcome to RomanceJunkies! Deidre: How do you schedule writing time amongst you other obligations? Do you have a set time to write? This is the toughest part of my writing career, the balancing of my life as a busy literary agent, mother, wife with the demands of writing novels. But it also gives my life a great deal of energy, to always have another world where I can go play and lose myself. I guess you could say that my novels are a sort of magic playground for me.

Q: Do you find it difficult to write love scenes?

Deidre: Well, not sure what it says about me, but they’re some of the easiest writing I do. So long as the “mood” is right (my husband will confirm that fact! LOL!).

Q: What is the easiest part of the writing process for you? How about the hardest?

Deidre: The easiest part is the last half of a novel and the toughest part is the first half. Literally. By the time I’m mid-way the only genuine frustration is that the unfolding of the book is presenting itself so strongly, that I can’t get the pages out fast enough. There was a point in writing PARALLEL SEDUCTION when I literally thought, “If I stayed up all night, could I somehow write sixty pages?” Not long after that I wrote 100 pages over Labor Day Weekend. They literally poured out of me and into my Word document.

That first half, though? A serious grind. A hair-pulling, whining festival of discomfort - which always makes it so easy to question my abilities. “How did I do this before? It was obviously a fluke!” So I try to ignore all of that, shove aside the natural fear of beginning a new book, and focus on the moment. Take it one day at a time and stay with what’s unfolding then and there in the book.

Q: How long does it take you to write a book? Do you write one book at a time or do you have a few going at once?

Deidre: With this series, I generally write a little bit ahead on the next book. I came up with my opening line for the next in the series the other day, and immediately put it onto paper. The funny thing was I don’t even have a title for that one yet, so I called it PARALLEL FIVE which actually sounds like a way cool sci-fi series or something, don’t you think? As in: “I’ll meet you over in Parallel Five, Commander…”

As for how long it takes me, when I get really serious, it’s generally about 90 days. But there’s usually some thinking time that has to be added on top, so probably I’d say six months, with several of those being pure rumination.

Q: Have you seen any changes in your writing style since you have started writing? Have you ever taken any classes/workshops? What would you recommend to new writers starting out?

Deidre: My writing has changed a great deal, becoming much more crisp. I used to be the adverb queen until I read Stephen King’s ON WRITING which revolutionized my thinking. Suddenly I could see all my unnecessary words and descriptions for what they were: clutter.

Q: Is there one genre that you would love to write but haven’t yet? How about any that you would shy away from?

Deidre: I would love to write women’s fiction or Young Adult, but right now I can only focus on writing romance because of those pesky ole time constraints. Still, I have the ideas and hope to one day expand my creative horizons a bit more. As for shying away…not sure. I’m pretty much game to try most any type of writing, although I doubt I’d pen a mystery.

Q: What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment so far? Do you have any goals you would like to achieve in the near future?

Deidre: I’d actually say my biggest accomplishment isn’t as a writer, but is as an agent. We started the Knight Agency literally from nowhere about eleven years ago, and have grown it to the international, successful agency that it is now. I have a tremendous amount of (healthy) pride about that. Otherwise, I’d say simply selling in this tough market is something I’m very proud of as well. Plus, I recently won two PEARL awards, one for Best Debut Author and one for Best Time Travel. That rocked my world!

As for goals in the near future, I’d love to see my books translated into other languages, but that takes time. There would just be such a huge thrill knowing that someone in Italy or Poland or Germany - or anywhere other than in the English-speaking world - could read my work in their own language. I’m definitely interested in all sorts of cultures, and that’s probably why I am so hopeful about those translations.

Q: How did you meet your husband? What is the most romantic thing you have done for each other?

Deidre: I made him breakfast in bed this morning, on a week day. J Seriously, we dote on each other all the time, and enjoy each other as best friends. We met almost twenty years ago when I was still in college and was home on a spring break. My mother had just gotten engaged to a man named Harry Knight. Well, Jud and I wound out on a sort of group “friend” date - I never knew his last name until the end of the evening, even though I was drooling all over him. As I was walking across the parking lot I shouted, “Wait! I don’t know your last name!” When he said, “It’s KNIGHT!” I knew it was a big sign. So my mother has remarried a man named Knight and I have married Jud - that makes me a “double Knight.”

Q: What kinds of hobbies do you have? Is there anything you would love to learn but just haven’t had the chance to yet?

Deidre: Hobbies. Sigh. What a pleasant sounding word. LOL! I wish I had a lot more time for pursuing hobbies. Writing *used* to be my hobby, but now I’d say crochet is my biggest hobby. I started up with it end of last year and have had to pull myself back from the brink of obsession. I was starting to feel carpal tunnelish, and that’s no good when you’re a writer and an agent who emails all day long.

As for things I’ve yet to learn, I’d love to master snow skiing and be fit enough to last with it. So far I’m a down-ant hill racer. Grin.

MORE FUN…

Q: What are your favorite TV programs? Do you have any that you can’t miss every week?

Deidre: I am totally into television! I admit it! J I love everything from “Lost” to “Friday Night Lights” to “Battlestar Galactica.” I’m also a big fan of true crime shows like “Forensic Files.” Mostly, it’s just so much fun to have a rotating world that you can visit in shows like “Lost.”

Q: When vacationing, do you prefer to camp, stay in a hotel or hit the all-inclusive resorts?

Deidre: Honestly, I just respond to the word “vacation” - period. I really love going to Wyoming and being close to nature, but I’m generally the kind of girl who likes to be pampered too. So maybe a spa set in a rustic setting? That’s probably my greatest dream vacation. That, or a week on the beach with nothing to do but read and be lazy.

Q: If you could meet anyone famous to have a thought provoking conversation with, who would it be and what would you talk about?

Deidre: I have to admit that most of the people I admire, well, I just wouldn’t want to meet them because I’d be a geek of the highest order. I’ve seen that when talking to favorite authors at RWA National when I’m certain I sound like a babbling stalker. So I’m a wash out on the “famous person conversation.” Perhaps another way I’d answer is this: I’d love to meet some of the people I admire - film directors, authors and such - but have all the trappings of their “identity” removed. Just get to know them as people, THEN learn how cool their creative side is after the fact. By then, the fear/geek factor would be eliminated on my end of things.

Q: What is your most memorable Valentine’s Day memory?

Deidre: Ha, well this is a funny one, but in 1998 my husband and I went out to dinner for Valentines. The whole meal I had this tingly, strange feeling throughout my entire body—like my head was fuzzy, but more than that. Anyway, little did I know that I was one day pregnant. J I always looked back on that and knew that somehow my body had *immediately* begun to change. I felt odd until about two weeks later when I found out I was expecting my first child! Talk about a Valentine’s present!

Thank you, Deidre, for spending time with us—it has been a pleasure! Best of luck with your writing career!

By Kim Atchue-Cusella