Questions from Spain

Cadiz, Spain. I got the worst sunburn of my life on this exact stretch of beach.


Lucía de Vicente, an author from Spain, tagged me on her blog for 10 questions as part of a spring meme that is popular right now among Spanish bloggers.
I thought I would answer the questions, though I probably won’t tag anyone. I post them here in the original Spanish, alongside my possibly lame translations. I understand a lot of Spanish, but I don’t write it or speak it well.
Before I get started answering, I just want to say that I spent two weeks in Spain one summer. I felt in love with the country, the people, the food, the beach. It was paradise, and I hope to visit again.

Si te dieran un billete sin fecha para viajar en el tiempo, ¿a qué época te trasladarías? If you were given an open ticket for time travel, which period of time would you travel to?
There are so many periods of history that fascinate me. It would be very hard to choose. I would have to decide between seeing ancient Rome in all its glory, seeing Crete at the height of its powers, visiting ancient Sparta, seeing the American West before it was taken away from the Native peoples, or being present during the French and Indian War (1754-1760). 
I’m a history geek, so I could choose a lot of other things, too, but I’ll limit myself.

¿Por qué decidiste escribir romántica? Why did you decide to write romance?
I decided to write romance because I love reading it. I did a lot of reading as a teenager, and romance novels are what I enjoyed most. I figured if I wrote what I enjoyed reading, I would be more likely to be successful.
¿Has pensado en alguna ocasión salirte del género romántico? Have you ever thought of leaving the romance genre?
Yes, and I probably will one day. I’ve always been interested in writing straight historical fiction. I think it would be easier in some ways not to have to worry about sex and romance and sexual tension. Plus, then I could write historically accurate stories without worrying about being too violent or not cheerful enough. History is violent.
¿Por cuál de tus protagonistas masculinos abandonarías a tu marido o pareja? For which of your heroes (male protagonists) would you abandon your husband or partner?  I’m single so I could theoretically be with all my heroes. I like that idea.
¿Con qué autora te gustaría firmar una novela a medias? With which author would you like to write a novel?
Gosh, I’ve never thought about this before. I guess I could make a list: Julie James, Jill Shalvis, Robyn Carr, Norah Wilson... I’m still thinking.
¿De cuál de tus novelas, te gustaría cambiarte por la protagonista? For which of your novels would you like to trade places with the heroine?
None! They all go through hell. I don’t want my life to be that hard. Then again, to be Annie or Tessa or Kat or Sophie... There would be distinct benefits, wouldn’t there?
¿Qué escena de todas las que has escrito te ha costado más trabajo? Which scene out of all those you've written was the most work?

¿Qué sería de ti y tu trabajo sin ordenador? What would happen to you and your work without a computer?
Impossible. I don’t think I could write without it.
¿Tus personajes “te hablan” o sólo “te molestan”? Do your characters talk to you or just bother you?
They talk to each other, but they do it in my head. And sometimes they keep me awake at night. They get especially chatty when I’ve been writing all day and try to go to bed.
¿Recuerdas cuál fue la novela que te impulsó a decir «yo también quiero, y puedo, escribir algo así»? Do you remember which novel it was that made you decide, “I can do this, too. I can write something like this”?
I knew I wanted to write novels when I read Misty of Chincoteague as a child. It was such a magic experience — disappearing into a story. I wanted to do that for other people. I wanted to write stories they could disappear into. That’s really all I’ve ever wanted to do.