Under what pen name did she write her first two published books?
Julia Quinn. An award-winning historical romance novelist now goes by the name but Darlene was the original.

What’s her most valuable piece of advice?
Never give up. If you stop trying, you can’t reach your goals. She knows what she’s talking about. Seven years went by between the publication of her second and third books. She’s passed thirty sales and counting.

Where does she get her ideas?
Everywhere. So watch what you say around her!

What’s her favorite theme?
Secrets. Her books are teeming with them.

What’s her writing process?
She used to be much more disciplined but now she has to write on an Alpha Smart, a writing tool with no Internet access, to avoid going online and checking her email ad nauseam.

Which of her books is the book of her heart?
Forget Me? Not!, her first romantic comedy for Harlequin Duets. She was in love with the hero even before he became alive on the pages. That’s because she modeled the irrepressible Zach Castelli after her husband.

…and everything else

Which professional sports team is the team of her heart?
The Pittsburgh Steelers. You can take the girl out of Pittsburgh, but you can’t take love for the black and gold out of the girl. Her favorite player? Troy Polamalu, of the soft voice and hard hits.

What contest did she win as a baby?
She was the first winner of the Valley Daily News’ baby photo-caption contest. She has two fingers on her cheeks and seems to be staring off into space. The caption:” I wonder if the (Pittsburgh) Pirates will ever win the pennant.” That could be why she loves sports – or why she majored in journalism and worked for daily newspapers before becoming a novelist.

What activity does she feel meshes perfectly with writing?
Tennis. After sitting for long stretches at the keyboard, a writer needs to move. At least that’s what she tells her husband to justify playing tennis 3-5 times a week.

Which food gives her the shudders?
Onions. She doesn’t believe her parents that tiny pieces of onions often flavored the food she ate growing up. She hates them and has never brought one into her house

Which supposedly cute critter doesn’t fool her?
Squirrels. She knows they belong to the rodent family and did not like finding one of the rats with tails climbing up the curtain in her kitchen. She will never again  leave the fireplace flue open.

What TV show can’t she stop watching?
House Hunters International. She can travel all over the world without leaving her reclining chair. One day she went to Rome, Slovenia and Melbourne, courtesy of her DVR.

What does she think is essential to life?
Love, of course.