I'm a realist in my writing, as well as my art. I don't have as much imagination as many other writers--a handicap (or strength) that comes partly from my training (Ph.D., University of Illinois) and experience as a mental health program researcher/evaluator. I'm also a flâneuse, a female observer-wanderer. So, I watch, and observe. And listen. That's where the meat of my writing comes from.

As an author of love stories, I tend not to rely on broad shoulders and heaving bosoms. Instead, I go into the protagonists' thoughts and emotions, and how those show their growth. My novels deal with protagonists' insecurities and disappointments, love/hate relationships with parents, characters who seem to behave out-of-character, and even life events not typically included in romantic fiction. My stories do have happy epilogues, and I've tried to work in intriguing plotlines into them. I have a book blog at http://margaretofthenorth.wordpress.com.