Erin O'Reilly lives a quiet life in the Hill Country of Texas with her family. She attended the University of Oklahoma and has a degree in dental hygiene. Her passion for the last fifteen years has been computers and worked for eleven years in a school system as a computer guru.

In addition to her writing, Erin has a small consulting business maintaining and creating websites along with computer troubleshooting.

Your first book, Revelations, was released in July of this year; how long has the story been in the making?
I first wrote Revelations in 2003 and in 2004, it was published under the name Emma’s Journey. The original story never really had a chance as the publishing company ceased to exist. This of course made me never want to publish a story again until I met Kathy Smith of Intaglio Publications at the New Orleans GCLS convention. After that, I took Emma out, dusted her off, gave her a make-over and a new name and off she went to Intaglio Publications.

What was the process like from finishing the manuscript to getting it to a publisher whom you felt would do the book justice?
Because of my heart-wrenching experience with the first publishers, I was skeptical of all publishers and leery of trusting one again with my story. I cannot say enough about the owners of Intaglio Publications, Inc. and their professionalism. The first person I dealt with was Kathy Smith who accepted Revelations for publication. When she sold the company I thought, oh no, here we go again, but unlike my previous experience, the transition was seamless. The new owners took great care to see that I was not only a part of the Intaglio family but also a part of the process in making Revelations a reality.

Can you tell us a little about what inspired the story?
Good question. I was attending a family reunion in an area of Maryland very similar to the setting for Revelations. The idea for a story involved a lake that all the fish were mysteriously dying. The town council hired a private detective to find out why and she traced the source to a reclusive woman. My process for developing a story begins with an idea, a first line or a title and then I expand upon that. For Revelations the original story line changed considerably when the characters decided they had other ideas.

Who would you count among the authors who have inspired and influenced you?
The one person that influenced me most was JM Dragon who encouraged me to let my imagination run free and write a story. She sent me a story she wrote out in longhand and I expanded on the idea, added more content and my first story, Gentle Sunset was born. Up until that point, I was satisfied with reading stories not creating them.

Most of the stories I read and am inspired by have strong female characters with a well thought out storylines. I‘ve read all of Patricia Cornwell, Lisa Scottolini and Sue Grafton’s books along with James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series. Each of those stories involve woman as main characters who are smart, savvy and have the strength of character to involve themselves in the happenings around them.

Your second book, New Beginnings, was a co-authored effort. What were the challenges of working with another writer?
Honestly, the biggest challenge is time. The second challenge is creating a story that flows in such a manner that one cannot distinguish who wrote what. My co-author, JM Dragon lives in New Zealand so finding a time when we can work on a story together is definitely a challenge. We each write parts for specific characters then converse and write through Yahoo Messenger parts where there is interaction between the characters. In that way, we have a real time conversation between the characters since neither writer knows what the other has in mind for their characters. Another challenge is that I tend to want to get on with the story and Julie likes to take her time. We have had times when one will make a suggestion and the other will say “No, that isn’t how my character would react.” In the end, we have a story that we both think can stand on its own.

The best part about co-authoring a story is that each author challenges the other to be the best writer they can be. I like being able to bounce ideas around with the co-author and seeing a story, scene or character in a completely different light. I think that makes for a more interesting and enjoyable story.

Do you rewrite as you go along, or do you prefer to finish a first draft first before returning for the second?
Both. I am a perfectionist when writing so I dislike seeing those green lines that MS Office uses for mistakes and am compelled to change them as soon as I see them – a definite flow breaker. When not actually writing, the story is constantly on my mind and if I come up with an idea that I think will work I go back and do a rewrite. My favorite time is when the story is complete and I can do what I call tinkering or as most would say a second draft which leads to a third and fourth.

If you had to pick a strong point, would it be plotting or characterization?
Characterization. If the characters are flat, it doesn’t matter how strong the storyline is, the story will be mediocre. Once I begin to write I know the characters names and the paths I’d like them to take. After I’ve written, about ten to fifteen pages the characters begin taking on a life of their own and they become entrenched in my mind. More often than not, they take over and the plot takes care of itself. That’s not to say I don’t have an idea of where the story will go for I do, but often the characters dictate how the story will flow to the conclusion I envisioned.

What is your writing environment like?
It’s a comfortable mess. I look out on a lake and often see deer wander into the yard. That is where my concentration goes when I am trying to figure out what to write next in a story. I find the noise of a television or music distracting so I tend to write in silence although a soothing classical piece can add to the mood.

What are you currently working on?
I recently sent a story to Intaglio Publications for consideration so I need to purge those characters from my mind before I can seriously write another story. That being said, earlier this year JM and I wrote a story for the Internet called Echoes of the Past and I am attempting a prequel for that involving a character I added…that is proving difficult since every character’s path has already been determined.

Tell us something about Erin O'Reilly no one else knows…
Hmm that’s a tough one…I was a polio pioneer back when they used grade school kids as guinea pigs.

What have been some of the most surprising aspects you've discovered about the writer's life?
I think the most surprising thing for me is how totally wrapped I can get in the characters. Once I’m really into writing a story, the characters are in my head night and day until the story is finished.

The endless support those that read my stories give me was not something I expected. The one downside of writing for publication is that unless someone writes a review the only feedback you get is a royalty check.

I have also found that the thing called writer’s block is real. I am jealous of those writers that can crank out one story after another. I shake my head in wonderment as to how they do it.

What do you always have in your fridge?
Coke Zero

Any interesting books you'd like to recommend?
One fear I have as an author is unintentionally taking another’s storyline and making it my own. Therefore, I tend not to read anything in the lesbian/romance area. Although, Kate Sweeney’s Away From the Dawn sounds so interesting I am tempted to read it when released later this month. Other than that, I am currently reading the last of the Harry Potter books, which should keep me occupied for the rest of the year.

What do you feel makes your books unique or stand out from others in your specific genre?
Since I don’t read stories in my genre for fear of plagiarizing someone else’s idea, I can’t really say why mine would stand out. I can say however, that I do pay attention to detail - I find it annoying when I read something and have to go back over a part because I didn’t understand what was happening. I want to write so the reader can be involved in the story and its characters and when finished, they will be satisfied.

What do you consider your best and worst writing attributes?
My best attribute would be writing so the reader can feel how the character responds to a situation. My fatal flaw is altruism and as strange as it sounds I think that is what makes my characters real. If the reader weeps, is embarrassed, laughs, feels aroused or is fearful because of a character then I know I’ve written a good story.

My worst attribute is I am too hard on myself and hypercritical of what I’ve written.

A happy writer is…
When readers request a sequel.