Laughter, to me, is so important - especially in books. It can lighten a tense moment, and keep a sad one from being too melancholy. It can give the reader a chance to breathe after something major has happened. Humor is something I incorporate into every book I write. My female characters can be balls out funny, or sometimes it's a little subtler.

Alex, the star of Dragons Prefer Blondes, has a very dry wit. She fights such darkness every day of her life that she has to find the humor in most situations whether it's running from paparazzi, slaying a dragon or planning her crazy friend's monstrosity of a wedding. When she's dealing with the super hot Jake, her love interest, she often uses humor to make it look like she doesn't care, but of course she does. Whenever she's dealing with Ginjin, a handsome dragon warrior, who thinks marrying her will solve his problems, she is the queen of sarcasm.

I don't talk about it much, but I get a lot of grief about my books. Most of the time it comes from readers, who aren't sure where to find them in bookstores. Sometimes they are shelved in mainstream, other times romance or sci-fi/fantasy. I, for one, am grateful to be in a bookstore anywhere at all, but I understand how frustrating it can be.

The truth is, my books are a blend of genres. There is action-adventure, mystery, fantasy, suspense and romance. There are snobs out there in the world who love to say, "I don't read genre or romance books." It makes me laugh. You'd be hard pressed to find books on the top 10 fictions lists, that aren't genre books of some kind. So evidently someone is reading them.

I learned during my job as a journalist covering TV and Film, that mixing genres can make things more exciting. The first time I was really aware of this was with Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." He was able to mix horror, comedy and drama, in such a clever way. I knew that if I ever decided to write fiction that I would want to do the same sort of thing.

I'm not sure I could write a wimpy heroine if my life depended on it. Okay, maybe if there were a gun to my head, but that would be the only reason. I just can't relate to women who don't want to solve their own problems.

That's one of the reasons I love the Caruthers sisters so much. They are tough chicks, whose job it is to save the world. That doesn't mean they don't have screwed up love lives, or that things are easy for them. Life is messy, and no one knows that better than the Caruthers sisters.

In the new book, "Dragons Prefer Blondes," Alex Caruthers is responsible for keeping the dragons under control. It's one of the toughest jobs for the Guardian Keys, and it's somewhat warped her outlook on life. She has a difficult time trusting people, and she's one tough chick.

I never question the idea machine that is my brain. That's why when people ask, "How did you come up with the idea for this book?" I usually turn and run away. These things come to me out of the ether, sometimes in dreams and other times in the middle of incredibly stressful or happy times. I never know when I might see something that sends me to the computer typing as fast as my fingers will go.

The one exception for me is the Caruthers sister's series. That series was born out of the watching my kids interact one Sunday afternoon, and wondering what it would be like to come from a big family with lots of siblings. I grew up an only child, and always wondered what it would be like to have that sibling bond.

What I learned from watching my friends and their families, and later on with my own two boys, is that bond is often strong but messy. I know sisters who are the best of friends, and others who haven't talked to each other in years. My own kids talk a lot of trash to one another, but if someone picks on the other one, watch out! I once called them on the rather disturbing way they talked to one another, and they both said, "Mom, this is how we communicate." I find it all immensely fascinating.