Jamie Denton: I was in my mid twenties when my fickle muse first made an appearance, but she liked to play hide and seek a lot, so I only dabbled here and there. My first real attempt to write didn't happen until I was 29. I had no idea such a thing as category romance even existed, so I wrote historical romance. There are two and half completed manuscripts stored under the bed along with the dust bunny ranch, and that is where they shall remain. Like I said, I had no idea category existed, other than the Harlequin Presents line I basically devoured during my last pregnancy, which was around 1982. It wasn't until a friend introduced me to the world of category romance. I still have the first book I ever read post 1982. It was JoAnn Ross's SCANDALS. I was hooked!

Writerspace: What comes to you first, the character(s) or the plot? What's your next step to help flesh out your story and do you have a formula that you follow to create your characters?

Jamie Denton: It's not really the characters or the plot that comes first, but a what if' situation. From there, my characters are born. I have to know whom they are first so I'll know how they'll react to a specific plot. I spend a lot of time with my characters, getting to know them, interviewing them, learning about their backstory. And no, I don't have a formula for this. I have a list of basic questions I ask and I just allow my characters to tell me what I need to know.

Writerspace: Of all the heroes you have created, which is your favorite and why?

Jamie Denton: This is a tough question. I simply cannot narrow it down to just one, but I can narrow it down to two. The first one would be Derek from THE SEDUCTION OF SYDNEY. He was just so adorable and his continual mistakes in trying to seduce the heroine made him even more endearing. The second one is without a doubt, Chase from SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY. He was a different kind of hero for me and one I really enjoyed writing. Of course what woman can resist such a challenging man? I know I can't .

Writerspace: Please tell us about your latest release, UNDER THE COVERS.

Jamie Denton: Every so often a character emerges that catches a writer's eye. This character may not be the hero or heroine of the book we are currently working on, but a secondary character that has something a little extra special. Vice squad detective Blake Hammond is one such character.

I met Blake when I was writing my first book for Temptation, FLIRTING WITH DANGER (Nov. 98). Blake was a smooth kinda guy that never seemed to have his feathers ruffled. For two years he sat in the back of my mind in his well-pressed trousers, gleaming dark hair and intriguing silvery gaze just waiting for the right woman to come along. When sassy DEA Agent Veronica Carmichael appeared, we both knew she was 'the one.'

The story opens with Blake in desperate need of a vacation, not an undercover assignment that has him posing as loving groom to a sexy, uptight DEA agent. But someone is running a smuggling operation out of an exclusive honeymoon resort, and it's up to the 'newlyweds' to solve the case...if they can keep their undercover assignment out from under the covers.

Writerspace: I understand you have a hot and steamy firemen's trilogy coming out next year. Could you kindly tell us more about these books please?

Jamie Denton: We don't have actual release dates for the SOME LIKE IT HOT trilogy, but due to scheduling, these books won't be released until the early part of 2003. SOME LIKE IT HOT is a trilogy that consists of three brothers, Drew, Cale and Ben Perry, all employed in varying careers with a Los Angeles County Fire Department. Not only do the Perry brothers share a love of firefighting to some degree or another, but they also share a common conflict stemming from the loss of their parents as children. My hope is that these stories will explore how this conflict-in-common affects each of the Perry men differently.

Book 1 is youngest brother, Cale's story. Cale is the paramedic who rescues a young woman from a burning paint warehouse seconds before it explodes. Not only does she have no idea why she was in the burning warehouse, she has no clue as to her identity. When Cale asks for her name, she tells him Maggie, but the name doesn't exactly ring any bells with her, although it is somewhat familiar. As Maggie's memories begin to slowly return, they do so incorrectly in the guise of a recurring character from her books - a female assassin. Maggie is really Amanda Simons, the author of several successful international spy novels under the pen name Simon Ambrose. Her most prominent recollections lead her down the path of a case of mistaken identity of fictional character Maggie LaRue, a vampy killer for hire.

Arson Inspector Drew Perry, the middle brother, is a ladies man. He's not quite the love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy, but unlike his two older brothers, Drew enjoys women . . . immensely. When he meets Emily Norris, the temporary director of Norris Cooking Academy, Drew finds himself playing with fire.

In the final book of the trilogy, we meet Jana Linney who has never had an orgasm. She didnâ't even lose her virginity until graduate school and has only had two non-fulfilling sexual relationships in her twenty-seven years. Needless to say, Jana is frustrated and tired of missing out on something so vitally important. With the help of her two best friends, Jana sets out to correct this little problem, and the oldest of the Perry brothers, firefighter Ben, is the man she's decided will show her the way.

Writerspace: Your stories are always loaded with steamy love scenes and sizzling passion, much to the delight of your fans. How do you handle them as far as writing goes? Do you write them as you go along or do you just outline the scene and then come back to fill in the details at a later time?

Jamie Denton: I write in two ways throughout a manuscript, and I never know which way will surface as I start a new scene. I either end up outlining the entire scene with dialogue, then go back and fill in with emotion, stage direction and introspection or I sit down and from the first word, I write what I call complete, with everything falling into place as I write. The same is true for love scenes.

Writerspace: Is there a sub-genre of romance that you hope to write one day? Or are you content with staying in the contemporary category romance field?

Jamie Denton: If there were any sub-genre of romance, it'd have to be a vampire romance. There's just something incredibly sexy about vampires to me.

Writerspace: What quality(ies) do you most admire in a person?

Jamie Denton: Honesty is number one. Don't ever lie to me. That is something that hurts me deeply. Unconditional support, or respecting my choices is another quality I admire and respect. I may do something you don't think is right for me, but I expect support for the decisions that I make that feel right for me. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but it's a lesson I need to learn, obviously.

Writerspace: In your opinion, what are the three most essential ingredients of an excellent romance novel?

Jamie Denton: Characterization, emotion and the ability to tell a good story.

Writerspace: If you weren't a writer, what would you be?

Jamie Denton: Oh, I dunno. An actress maybe. I was very into drama during junior high and high school. Whatever it would be, it would have to be something creative.

Writerspace: What is the one thing you've always wanted to do but never had the courage / opportunity to try?

Jamie Denton: Go backpacking across Europe. I'm such a homebody!

Writerspace: Thanks for taking time to give us an interview, Jamie. We're looking forward to your upcoming releases and wish you all the best in everything!