Rebecca York is excited to announce that movie producer Peter Fuhrman has optioned her novel INVASION OF THE BLUE LIGHTS. "It's my first novel, a kids' science fiction story," she says, "written under my own name, Ruth Glick." Read more about Rebecca here. Her latest single title is DAY OF THE DRAGON. The hero is dragon-shifter Ramsey Gallagher who was a secondary character in DRAGON MOON.

BYS: What went Between the Sheets of this book? Either what was happening in your life when you wrote it, or what was happening with the book as you wrote it.

RY: My latest single title is DAY OF THE DRAGON. The hero is dragon-shifter Ramsey Gallagher who was a secondary character in DRAGON MOON. But I became so fascinated by him that I knew I had to give him his own book. I wanted him to star in a vivid, complex story, including his passionate relationship with archaeologist, Madison Dartmoor. My research trip to Peru played significantly into the plot because I was able to find authentic locations that added to the richness of the story.

BYS: When did you decide to sit down and write your first novel and what led up to the publication of your first book?

RY: I always wanted to be a writer, but I thought I couldn't do it because I am such a bad speller. However, when my husband told me he'd proofread my work, I decided to see if I could carve out a career for myself. And of course, it's gotten easier with computers and spell-check. My first published work was for my local newspaper, then magazines. But I took a writing course at my local community college where students read what they were working on. Some people were reading chapters of novels, and that made me want to see if I could write one, too. I wrote it in the class, revised it several times, and sent it out to editors. Four editors shot it back with form rejections. An editor at Scholastic kept it for nine months and sent me a two-page letter. I was smart enough to know that was a good rejection and vowed to make the revisions and sell the book-which I did.

BYS: Where did you find the idea to write this novel?

RY: That first novel was a kid's science fiction story called INVASION OF THE BLUE LIGHTS, and it was inspired by the Fourth of July fireworks in my town. I thought, what if an alien spaceship used the fireworks as cover for an invasion?

BYS: How long did it take to develop your characters for this book?

RY: I was more worried about the plot. I told myself I wouldn't start writing unless I could plot a quarter of the book. The main character was a boy my son's age. Ethan was having some fights with some of the kids in the neighborhood, and I decided to use that conflict for the characters in the book. (Yes, I named my son Ethan long before it became so popular.)

BYS: Why this story at this time?

RY: I'd been writing newspaper articles. The idea of writing a 100K-word work terrified me. But a kid's novel was only 23K, and I thought that I could handle that. I also told myself that each chapter of the book would only be as long as one of my articles.

BYS: Are you a visual writer? Do you see scenes and characters in your head? Or do you hear the characters voices?

RY: No. I tell myself the story, and I hear my characters talking.

BYS: What are your thoughts on First Person versus Third Person? Which is your preference?

RY: INVASION OF THE BLUE LIGHTS was first person, and I was very comfortable pretending to be a 12-year-old boy.. Oddly, I haven't written in first person since.

BYS: What is your re-writing and editing process? Do you let anyone read your work in progress before it goes to your editor?

RY: I used to write slowly, then edit a lot. After a few years I figured out that I could write fast, then edit a lot. No matter how many books I write, I need to go through a full screen edit, then two or three paper edits. When I read on paper, I always see things I totally missed on the screen.

I used to have people read my books, but for the past few years, I haven't found anyone I could use as a reliable Beta reader. I'd love to have one. Anyone want to apply for the job? Most of my work these days is paranormal romantic suspense. I get to write a hot, intense romance and include all the fantasy elements I loved reading as a kid.

BYS: What is your opinion of critique groups? Do you find them helpful?

RY: I've been in a critique group for the past 25 years. I often discuss proposals with people in the group. And I read scenes that I'm having trouble with. I think a critique group can be very good or very bad. If all you get is "that's good," it's not very helpful. But you need people who understand what works in fiction, or their comments aren't of any value.

BYS: What are you working on now?

RY: I'm working on a Harlequin Intrigue called MINDBENDERS. Probably the title will change before it's published in December. My hero, Jake Harper, ran away from a dysfunctional foster home when he was fifteen. He lived on the streets in New Orleans, scrounging food from dumpsters. He also prowled back alleys, finding household goods he could sell. Through guts and hard work, he turned himself into a New Orleans businessman--the owner of antique shops, restaurants and some enterprises he doesn't talk about in public. But he's always felt there was something missing in his life. He was never able to form a deep and lasting relationship with anyone--until he met Tarot card reader Rachel Gregory. One touch and they found their minds opening to each other in a way that thrilled and frightened them. Too bad they're being chased by a killer, the police, and a shadowy figure who wants to find out the secret they're hiding. My next single title is out in September. It's called DARK WARRIOR. And it's about women descended from priestesses, who were similar to the Delphic Oracles, and their conflict with Greek warriors who have pursued them down through the ages.

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