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Press Room Questions and Answers for Beth Trissel   What was the inspiration for your writing?  I’d have to say my wildly inventive mind mingled with a passionate absorption for the past, almost as if I’ve lived before, or am deeply attuned to those who have gone before me.   Are there any other influences you'd like to mention?  I come from a highly literate family who encouraged my creativity from early childhood.  I don’t remember a time before I could read.  On our cherished excursions to the library, my mother told me I could only check out as many books as I could carry, so I piled them with arms stretched down to my knobby knees up to my arched chin and staggered to the car.   For the future, do you see yourself continuing to write historicals or is there another genre you'd like to try?   I can picture myself trying my hand at mystery or young adult, but am very happily engaged in writing historicals.   Why do you write?   I’ve always written, kept a diary from childhood on, wrote poems and short stories as a teenager.  Some driving force inside compels me to write—it helps me sort out all the stories swirling in my dizzied mind.   Who are some of your favorite authors?   I have an eclectic collection of favorites, many of whom are—would you believe it—from the past.   To name a few ‘oldies,’ Jane Austen, Baroness Orczy, author of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Daphne Du Maurier, author of Rebecca and Frenchman’s Creek.  More contemporary, I like Cathy Maxwell, Mary Burton and Catherine Coulter.  Some talented newcomers are Pamela Roller and Donna Dalton!       Who would your books appeal to?   Readers who yearn to swirl back in time through adventurous romance from ages past!   How did you learn how to write romance fiction?    Untold hours of just plain doing it, and absorbing constructive feedback from knowledgeable folks.   How has your writing changed over the years?  I am mastering the craft so that I can really capture all that I see!   Do you have a writing routine?  I try to write every day, but sometimes I will put in 12 hours or 2, or none.   How much research goes into your books?  I am an obsessive nut about research and have literally put in years.   The reader will definitely feel that they are ‘there.’   Do you plot everything out in advance, or just let it flow?  Whatever works!  But mostly I am a very intuitive writer and trust the characters to lead me.   Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Especially for writers of romance?   Write what you love because you are going to be spending a lot of time doing it.  And persevere!