Elizabeth McKenna is a full-time technical writer/editor for a large software company. She never read romance novels until one Christmas when her sister gave her the latest bestseller by Nora Roberts. She was hooked from page one (actually, she admits it was the first love scene).

She had always wanted to write fiction, so when a psychic told her she would write a book, Elizabeth felt obligated to give it a try. She combined her love of history, romance and a happy ending to write her first novel Cera’s Place. She recently released a short story titled The Gypsy Casts a Spell.

Elizabeth lives in Wisconsin (Packers, Brewers, and Badgers – oh my!) with her understanding husband, two beautiful daughters, and sassy Labrador. When she isn’t writing, working, or being a mom, she’s sleeping.

Welcome to the blog. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a technical writer for a large software company. I’m married to a wonderful man and have two teenage girls and an extremely sassy yellow lab.

What made you want to become a writer?

Honestly, writing comes easier than anything else I’ve tried. Since I was a little girl, I have told stories to myself in my head. In high school, I did get strong grades in math and science, which made my father push me to be an engineer. However, in college, English class was much easier than Physics – and I could still go out at night – so I switched.

Who are your favourite writers?

J.K. Rowling would be at the top of that list along with Suzanne Collins. I’ve read most of Stephen King’s books. In the romance genre, I went on a huge Nora Robert’s kick a few years back.

Why do you choose romance as the genre within which you write?

I need a happy ending and I like history, so it made sense to me to pick historical romance as my genre.

What’s the most rewarding element of writing for you?

I think the most rewarding thing is connecting with people. I am shy by nature, but I’ve met so many people (readers and authors) over the internet since I started writing. It’s been fun.

What’s the most challenging element of writing for you?

Definitely finding the time to write. I wish I could quit my day job or win the lottery(!).

At what point did you think, ‘I’ve done it – I’ve become a writer’?

I’m not sure I’m there yet! I struggle with self-doubts on a daily basis. However, I went into fiction writing with the attitude that if I sold one book to a stranger (because relatives don’t count), I’d be happy. I’ve sold more than that, so I guess I should consider myself a writer.

Can you share a little about your writing process?

When I write a story, I start with the setting, research the history of the place, and then build the plots and characters from there.

What’s your most recent book about?

My debut novel, Cera’s Place, is set in San Francisco 1869. Cera runs a saloon but, unlike other such businesses of the times, she doesn’t allow prostitution. Over the years, she has helped women escape their terrible lives and become “respectable.” Jake is an ex-soldier haunted by his Civil War experiences. He’s on a mission to find the daughter of a friend who died in battle. One of the subplots of the novel is based on actual events. During this time period, since the majority of the Chinese population in California was male, Asian women were kidnapped and forced into prostitution in America. The Anti-Prostitution Act of 1870 made it illegal to import women for criminal or demoralizing purposes. Cera and Jake team up to fight a gang that is kidnapping Chinese girls for the local brothels. Of course, in the process they fall in love.

What inspired you to write this book?

Several years ago, my children were studying different careers at school. They asked me if I liked my job and I said I would rather be writing fiction. They asked why I didn’t do that then. Instead of explaining about bills and mortgages, I started writing romance in my spare time. I felt it was important to show them that it was never too late to follow your dreams.

When I starting writing Cera’s Place, I read about the history of California and picked San Francisco because of the turmoil going on there – things were ruthless as the city grew. I wanted my heroine to be strong. There weren’t many jobs for women, but I read about a few saloon owners and how tough the women had to be to survive, so Cera became a saloon owner. I wanted my hero to be a rugged cowboy somewhere in the West but in the end, he became a soldier to honor the service people who find it hard to go back to a normal life after serving in a war.

How did you decide upon the title?

I struggled with the title, but to Cera, the saloon was her home and a place of safety for others. She was willing to fight for it and to fight for others, whether they were prostitutes or kidnapped Chinese girls. I thought Cera’s Place – the name of her saloon – just encompassed it all.

What message would you most like readers to take away from the book?

One message would be that it is ok to let others help you. Cera tries to do everything by herself and that doesn’t always work. She needed to learn that it was ok to accept Jake’s help – and ultimately his love.

If a movie was made of your book, which actors would you cast in the leading roles?

Jake has always been Viggo Mortensen in my mind. Cera is tougher to cast. I think it would be Amy Adams as she was in The Fighter (not Enchanted).

When you’re not writing, what do you most like to do?

Sleep. I can’t get enough.

What, for you, is the very epitome of a romantic moment?

When a man takes a woman’s face in his hands, looks into her eyes, and then gently kisses her lips. It could also be when he cooks dinner AND cleans up afterwards!

What’s next in your writing career?

I’m working on another historical romance, Venice in the Moonlight, set in 1753 during Casanova’s time. It is a story of vengeance, forgiveness, and love and should be available later this year. Here is the description:

After her husband’s death, Marietta Gatti is banished from the family’s villa by her spiteful mother-in-law. With nowhere to go, she returns to Venice and her only kin – a father she hasn’t spoken to since her forced marriage.

Hoping to make amends, she is devastated to find he has died two months earlier. When his lover insists it was under suspicious circumstances, Marietta retraces her father’s last days only to learn someone may have wanted him dead.

When the prime suspect is the father of the man she is falling in love with, Marietta faces a heart-breaking decision. Should she risk her future happiness to avenge the death of a man she has despised for the past five years?

To find out more about Elizabeth’s books, visit http://elizabethmckenna.com/buy/. You can also find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMcKennaAuthor and http://www.facebook.com/CerasPlace, and on Twitter at @elizamckenna.