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Readers always ask, where did I get the idea for my first book?

Well, it all started fifteen years before I ever put pen to paper. (That was how I wrote before I used a typewriter and finally the computer). I was traveling through the Cotswalds in England and stopped in a village called Castle Combe. I found it such a charming, enchanting place, it made a vivid impression on me. So vivid, in fact, that fifteen years later, after more study and travels in Europe that included the Basque country, coupled with my admiration for Winston Churchill and a fascination with nuns after watching THE NUN'S STORY with Audrey Hepburn, I wrote a World War II story about an RAF fighter pilot, his little boy, and a nun.

The original title was called, Our Love is Holy Too, but the publisher was afraid it sounded too spiritual, so they changed it to BY LOVE DIVIDED, which turned out to be a great title. When Leisure Books bought the manuscript, they asked me what else I had written? By that time I'd finished a novel called, THE LOVING SEASON, (based in France and Switzerland) which they published. (The above photo shows me the day I received my first copy of BY LOVE DIVIDED, hot off the press. What a thrill!

After that I was picked up by Harlequin and started writing Harlequin Romances. A few years later I began writing novels for the Harlequin Superromance line too. My love affair with writing grows deeper and stronger with every book. Raising four children gives you so much experience about life, you never run out of ideas or situations for a novel. Because I'm a genealogist, I come across amazing stories that take me to different times and continents, thus enriching the panorama of impressions flowing constantly through my mind.

When my doctor put me to bed because of toxemia with my third baby, I read my first Harlequin Romance by Roberta Leigh. It was love at first sight. Today I still can't believe I've become one of their authors. I think Harlequin Romances are like precious gems to be savored and treasured.

In 2004 I'll have seven books out, five Harlequin Romances and two Superromances. I'm so lucky to be in such a happy place at this point in time with wonderful editors, colleagues and readers who love this world of reading and writing as much as I do. ENJOY!

Rebecca Winters