Janet Lane Walters lives in the scenic Hudson Valley with her husband of many years. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of five.

Writing is her obsession. From the time she began to read at the age of four, story-telling has intrigued her. In third grade, she re-wrote the ending to Anna Karenina. During her training as a nurse, she wrote case studies that contained the elements of fiction. An eclectic reader, she's carried her reading habits into her writing career.

Her books include mysteries, romances (sweet and sensual), historical and contemporary, fantasies and suspense. She's also published short stories, non-fiction and poetry. There's nothing she enjoys more than asking "what if" and finding what happens to the people she creates.

Away from her busy writing schedule, Janet is devoted to the Hudson Valley Romance Writer.  She has held every possible position on the board. (Some twice.). She hosts our bi-monthly critique sessions and is also willing to take on manuscript critiquing for anyone who asks her.  She is an Eppie Winning author, with more than 20 books to her credit in both print and electronic format.

We managed to drag Janet away from her computer long enough to answer a few questions on her thoughts on writing and publishing today.

How long have you been in the business?  I’ve been writing since the dark ages.  Those were the days of manual typewriters and carbon paper.  The best fun was when the carbon paper slipped and the copy was blurred.  My first short story was sold in 1968 and my first novel in 1972.  Novel writing was inspired by a rejection letter stating my short story sounded like a synopsis for a novel.  There is a gap in my writing career when I returned to nursing to put four children through college or other education.  In 1993 another novel published (with thanks to Jane Toombs who pitched it to her editor) I returned to my love of the written word.  In 1997 I discovered electronic publishing and it’s been uphill from there.

What's a typical writing day like for you? I’m not sure there’s a typical day since I write in bits and snatches.  Since I write everything in the first few drafts by hand I also have to type things in.  I think with a pen in hand and the computer is for typing and making corrections.  I try to do 2000 to 3000 words a day in my writing phase and the same in the typing phase.  I also take time to research as I go along.  There are also the mundane things one has to do that break up the writing stints.

What kind of promotion do you do and why?  I belong to two promotional groups.  One has chat lists for readers and here I post excerpts and there are giveaways.  The second group also does giveaways but they also do collections of novellas that are published and hopefully are good for getting my name out there.  I also post to a number of other online groups.  Some are genre specific and others are more general.

I do some RT ads but I’m not sure how effective they are.  One of the thing I do is when I go to conferences or send books in the mail is to include a disc with the first chapters of all my books available and otherwise.  I have a blog and am on Facebook and My Space plus a number of other sites.  Name recognition is the answer.  I also will do book signings when the opportunity presents itself.

How do you balance writing with the rest of your life (i.e., day job, family, etc.)? For me balance isn’t needed.  Years ago, I had to find writing time between working as a nurse, raising children and other assorted things.  Since I’m retired, the children are grown I have the time I need and want to write.

Where do you get your ideas for a romance novel?  This is a very hard question to answer.  I really don’t know where they com from.  They just grow.  Sometimes something I read may spark an answer but usually I sit around and ask that wonderful question.  What if?  I carry this thought to bed and in the morning I have an idea.  Then the characters start to design the plot.

How important is it for you to have a critique partner?  Having a critique partner is important for me since having someone else hear what I’ve written and point out the things I might have missed or the flaws in a plot.  I’m fortunate to have both a group of very good critiquers and also the Saturday meetings to allow others to find the flaws.  I was once in a group that wasn’t a good one since the object of the group seemed to be to put down the kind of material I wrote.  They had little use for anything that wasn’t literary.  Having a critique group helps but only it the group is a good fit for the genres you write.

If your book was made into a movie, which actors would you like to see play your characters?  A question that stumps me.  I have never really thought of any of my books being turned into a movie.  I feel books and movies are two different things and really have no heros or heroines in my thoughts when I write a book.  But then I don’t see scenes.  I hear words when I write.

What do you know now about writing/publishing that you wished you knew before The Call?  I’ve been writing for a long time and I think the only thing I wish I knew before I began writing again is how to write a synopsis.  I have yet to write one that makes sense to me or to any publisher.  I have read everything about writing them I can put my hands on but I still haven’t the slightest idea how to write one.