Who's that girl? Interview - Chris Taylor

Today, I have an outback Aussie author in my blog hot seat!

Name? Chris Taylor.

Where are you? Moree, NSW Australia.

How many years have you been a member of RWOz? I joined in 1991 and attended the very first RWA conference which was held at the Macquarie University in Sydney.  Life, marriage and children intervened and my membership lapsed for some years. I have recently re-joined (2009) and am loving being back!

What genre do you write? Single title romantic suspense.

Who are your favourite authors? Sandra Brown, Tami Hoag, Richard North Patterson, Kathy Reichs, Kathleen E.Woodiwiss (although her latest stuff is not as good as the earlier work).

What inspired you to write romance? I love romance, reading it, living it. I am a Cancerian, so am a real romantic at heart. I started reading silhouette desire in secret (my mum would not have approved) from about the age of 12 and I’ve never been able to shake my addiction to romance. Everyone loves a good love story, with real characters who have real emotions and find themselves in believable situations. 

Who's your dream agent and/or dream publisher? Bradford Literary Agency & Simon & Schuster or Harper Collins.

What's the best thing about going to conference? It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one, but I still remember how absolutely fantastic it was to eat, breathe, talk, dream romance writing with other wonderful, like-minded individuals.

And lastly, finish these statements...
My greatest strength as a writer is...my ability to get words down on a page. I regularly write about 3000 words a night.
A sexy hero needs...a partner who complements and balances him in every way.
My latest WIP (work in progress)...is about a profiler who works for the Australian Federal Police and is brought in to help solve the case of a serial killer who is kidnapping and mutilating the corpses of young women (sounds gruesome, I know).
When I write I like...to have hours and hours of uninterrupted time to devote to my computer (yeah, like that ever happens with a husband and five kids under nine in the house)...
My best writing milestone to date is... being a finalist (one of the top 6) in the RWA 2011 Single Title and Loving It contest!!!  Hopefully one of many small steps towards the ultimate dream goal of PUBLICATION!!!

Thanks for answering my questions. It's been great having you here, Chris and congratulations on being a finalist in this year's RWOz STALI contest - good luck with the final results!