Q: How long have you been writing?

A: I wrote my first short novella in fourth grade. (I won't say how long ago that was.) It was about an Arabian horse that took a boy on wild adventures. Pure fantasy, but my teacher liked it and had me read it to the whole class. I started submitting and wallpapering my computer room with rejections about seven years ago.

Q: During those years, did you ever become so discouraged you decided to quit writing?

A: Yes, for about two days until a new story popped into my head. For a writer, writing is not a choice. It's a necessity.

Q: How do you get your ideas?

A: I honestly don't know. Almost anything I hear, see, read or dream can spark an idea.

Q: Is anything in The Lady Dares autobiographical?

A: Not that I'd care to admit (wink, wink). Funny, my husband keeps asking the same question. Really, I have a wickedly erotic imagination.

Q: What process do you use for constructing a story?

A: You've probably heard that some writers are pantsers (fly by the seat of their pants with little or no planning), and some outline to the nth degree. I'm somewhere in between. I always start with the characters and put them in a situation. I plot the ending roughly and a few chapters ahead, then let the characters tell their stories and transport me to their world.

Q: Is the Elizabethan Era your favorite historical period?

A: For some reason, it speaks to me. Perhaps that's because of the Renaissance and Shakespeare and all the creativity coming from that time.

Q: What other eras intrigue you?

A: The Discovery of Gold in California and its Barbary Coast, and the WWII era.

Q: What other genres do you write?

A: Romance, always Romance! Not always historical.

Q: What are you working on now? What's next for Tish Domenick?

A: I've begun another Elizabethan and also a ménage during the Gold Rush days.

Q: When can we expect your next offering?

A: That's up to the Siren staff, but soon, I hope.