Rebecca Forster and The Bailey Devlin Series

Amazingly prolific and popular USA Today Best Selling author, Rebecca Forster,  interviews about her latest release available for multiple electronic readers here. Enjoy these words from a born storyteller:

 Is The Bailey Devlin Series really a departure from legal thrillers for you? Why?
It all started when my mother asked me to write a book-without-bodies. Then I received two letters from fans of the Witness Series. One lady asked me to write something funny and another asked for a book with a bow ending. I started writing on a dare, so this dare was one I couldn't pass up. Besides, lawyers in love is kind of a thrilling concept don't you think?
 Is this series more 'personal' for you than The Witness Series? How so?
There is a lot of me in Bailey so it's not more personal, just a different kind of personal. I am a bit of a klutz, a bit of a dreamer, a bit superstitious, and a firm believer in love just like Bailey. I remember working two jobs and going to school at night and being so tired I could cry. I remember getting married, being laid off the day after the honeymoon, and returning wedding china so we could eat while my husband studied for the bar exam. The Witness Series is my dark and righteous curiosity about the world; Bailey Devlin is my bright and hopeful outlook on life. If someone reads my thrillers and Bailey Devlin, they will know me well.
 I know that you write primarily to entertain, but I'velearned exciting and reflective facts from your storiesabout the human condition. Do you ever feel like you're sharing your wisdom with others through your writing? Why or why not?
I would love to think I'm wise, but I believe I am only observant. When I write, I try to find some universal emotional question to ask; something we have all pondered in our soul. Then I try to find an answer. Of course, there never is a perfect answer. Bailey is dear to me because she is me at twenty-three: a woman teetering on the verge of self-confidence but positive she doesn't deserve it, taking life so seriously and not recognizing that love is right in front of her until it is almost too late. If there is any wisdom in my books it is only that I recognize the importance of at least trying to find answers to the big questions life throws at us.
 Who taught you to write?
No one. I just write.
 What does your writing process look like?
Concept, title, character, plot. I always know the beginning and end of my books before I begin to write. No outlines, no character sketches, no writing exercises. I am in the moment for months.
 Do you have any strange writing habits(like standing on your head or writing in the shower)?
Wouldn't I drown if I did that? Question: Is the water on while I'm standing on my head? Anyway, I don't think my habits are strange but here you go: I cannot write except at my coffee shop (Coffee Cartel) but I can edit at home. I must work everyday. I prefer to be dressed up a little (favorite outfit, jeans, work shirt, high heeled boots) and have my make-up on. Sometimes, though, when I walk to work I have to wear sweats and tennis shoes because it's over a mile. Is that strange?
 What book do you wish you could have written?
Gone Girl or Canterbury Tales
Just as your books inspire authors, what authors have inspired you to write?
Stephen King. My son, Eric Czuleger. 
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Check out Eric's podcast interview about his Immortal L.A. collection here]
 If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play your characters?
Funny you should ask that. The Day Bailey Devlin's Horoscope Came True was a script first. We were lucky to have directorial and acting attachments but kept losing out to comic books when it came to funding. My dream casting for Seymour would be George Burns. For obvious reasons, that's not going to happen. Amy Adams would make a great Bailey although I think it would have to be someone younger (sorry, Amy). I think I'll have to leave casting to the professionals. My oldest is a talent manager. He would find the perfect actors. 
How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?
I recommend 100 Names for Baby and the phone book (I know they still exist). Sometimes a character's name is symbolic, sometimes it simply reflects character traits,at other times I just like the lyrical quality of a name. Sometimes I use real people if they ask to be in a book. In Forgotten Witness, Stephen Kyle and Ian Francis are U.K. friends. Their personalities lent themselves beautifully to the leads in that novel.
 What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
Raising my children. They are kind, hardworking and smart. They are gentlemen.
Rebecca Forster
 What phrase or log line would you like people to remember you with?
She made me curious.
 What's in the future for you?
I'm no spring chicken, so I'm not sure I can keep up the seven-day-a-week pace much longer. Still, I have so many books I'd like to write. I have a new series - Dalton/Anderson police thrillers - I have two more humorous book I'd like to do. I have a political saga I would love to spend two years writing. I really want to write a few more witness books. I can't tell you how thick my to-be-written file is. But I also am passionate about travel and I find myself flying the coop way too often these days. The world is big, the mind over-active, and time is fleeting.
 Is there anything else that you would like to add?
I would like people to know how much I appreciate getting a letter, email, or a review. I am pen pals with the first reader who wrote me a fan letter twenty-five years ago. I am amazed at the friends I've made because of stories I've told. I count myself very lucky, indeed.

You can contact Rebecca at rebeccaforster.com