Chatting with Gemma Halliday... fun-filled mysteries set in Hollywood!

How many of you have taken the leap and made a career change? It seems that fewer and fewer people these days stay in the same job. Perhaps it has something to do with the world in which we live. Everyone is always on the move. For a mother, I think a new career is especially hard because everything we do has an immediate impact on the family. Speaking from my own experience, I never thought I would be a writer, but honestly my job suits the lifestyle of my family perfectly. It's a win-win situation for us which makes it all worthwhile.

I first met Gemma Halliday back in July at the annual Romance Writers of America conference in Dallas. I had heard the buzz about her awesome mystery series as well as her vivacious personality and I knew that she was someone I just had to interview. Meeting her in person exceeded my expectations and what follows is the conversation that we had concerning her exciting career. Like many of us, she has made a career change (or two!) and luckily for her readers, it was one of the best decisions she ever made. What an awesome writer (as well as a genuine person)!

As part of this interview, Gemma has graciously donated five copies of her latest release, UNDERCOVER IN HIGH HEELS. So don't forget to check for the trivia question at the end of the column.

Go grab a Starbucks latte and get to know my friend, Gemma Halliday!

Jen: To say that you have had a myriad of professions in your short lifetime would be an understatement! I was amazed at your interesting line of credentials. So that my readers can get a better understanding of you as a person, please tell us a little bit about your educational and professional background.

Gemma: Yes, as my bio says, I've done just about everything. I have a very short attention span, especially when it comes to jobs, so I tended to move around. I've worked as a 900 number psychic, a temporary tattoo painter, a teddy bear importer, and a department store administrator, as well as doing background and feature acting in films and TV. And I'm sure there are a few I've forgotten and left out.

As far as education, I did take tons of creative writing classes in college, and I'd have to say that's where I really became interested in writing as more than a hobby.

Jen: At what juncture in your life did you decide to take a stab at writing and become an author? Had it always been a lifelong dream of yours? What gave you that extra push to just do it?

Gemma: I've always loved to write, but what really made me hone in on it as a career was a book that I read one day while home alone and bored out of my mind. It was a romance book that had been sitting untouched on my bookshelf for ages. I started reading it and, I'm sorry to say, it was so very not indicative of the genre as a whole. It was awful. Terrible. One of the worst books I've ever read. I thought, well, even I can do better than this. So, I tried my hand at writing and quickly found out it was a lot harder than I thought to write a terrible book, let alone a good one.

Jen: UNDERCOVER IN HIGH HEELS is the third book in your contemporary hip-chick, if you will, series. How did you arrive at the premise for these delightful murder mysteries?

Gemma: Hip-chick -- I love that! Well, I've always loved reading mysteries, but had never tried writing one. Then I saw that the Get Your Stiletto in the Door contest had a "Chick Thrill' category, described as sort of a Bridget Jones meets Murder She Wrote. It sounded like a lot of fun, so I tried my hand at combining the romances that I'd been writing with the mysteries that I'd always loved to read.

Jen: Honestly, I was so taken in with your lead character, Maddie Springer, who is a ball of energy with such a story to tell. How did you come up with her? Is she you?

Gemma: Well... yes. :) Actually, there's a lot of me in her. Whenever I'm stuck as to what should happen next, I always think, "Well, what would I do?" and that's what

Maddie does. Thankfully, I don't eat quite as terribly as she does and I like to think I'm not quite as accident prone. But I do thoroughly covet her shoe collection.

Jen: I have to say that Felix was my favorite character in this book. His lines are hysterical and his scenes with Maddie are priceless. What do you like best about him as a secondary character? Will we see him again in your next book (if you have one in the works!)?

Gemma: I'm so glad! I'm half in love with Felix myself. He's been a very fun character to write. I love his dry, British take on life. I really wanted to add a new man in

Maddie's life that was the polar opposite if the tough, rugged Detective Ramirez, but also appealing in his own way.

And, yes, we will be seeing much more of him in the future.

Jen: What is your favorite part or scene of UNDERCOVER IN HIGH HEELS? Which part was the most challenging to write and why?

Gemma: My favorite part about writing this book was going back to my own days working in the film industry and reliving some of those funnier moments through Maddie and Dana. A lot of the settings and some of the situations and characters in this book are based on things that actually happened to me while working in Hollywood. (Though, no, I never stumbled on any dead bodies.)

The most challenging thing for me with this series is always keeping the romance fresh. I think that's always hard to do when you're writing about the same hero and heroine, creating new conflict for them and making sure the romantic situations don't seem stale. Jen: Your writing career thus far is quite impressive with a plethora of awards and nods under your belt. As a writer, how has your craft developed and matured in the sense that do you now feel more confident in your writing ability than you did when you first started your career? What area of your writing has shown the most improvement and how so?

Gemma: Thank you. Though, I honestly, I don't feel all that much more confident now than when I started writing. :) I think with each new project there's always the fear that this is the one where all my creative juices have dried up and I won't be able to think of a single interesting thing to say. But, I think just writing every day helps. The more you do anything, the more comfortable you are doing it and, hopefully, the better at it you become.

Jen: I have read that you are in negotiations with a major network to perhaps bring Maddie Springer to the small screen. How exciting! Any news or updates that you can share with us? (We promise not to tell anyone!!)

Gemma: Yes, I'm thrilled about this! My first book, SPYING IN HIGH HEELS, was optioned for a TV series back in December and since then the USA Network has been interested in adding it to their 2007/2008 lineup of TV shows. At the moment, we're awaiting network approval on the pilot script. I'm just dying to see how Maddie and Ramirez translate to the small screen. I'll definitely keep you posted as things progress!

Jen: I see that you have started a blog and the premise is really cool! Would you mind telling us a little bit about it?

Gemma: Yes, I've banded together with five other romantic mystery authors -- Jana DeLeon, Christie Craig, Kathleen Bacus, Bethany True, and Leslie Langtry - to create the Killer Fiction website and blog. We're having so much fun. I tell you, these woman are a riot! We try to post something new every day and have fun contests going on almost all the time. You can come visit us at www.killerfiction.net

Jen: Do you have a website? Mailing list? E-mail notification of upcoming releases and appearances? Do you participate in author phone chats?

Gemma: You can visit my website here: www.gemmahalliday.com and I have links to my blog, myspace, crimespace, and all those other fun networking sites that I participate in. I do also have a newsletter that I send out periodically that you can sign up for on my website. I don't have a ton of appearances scheduled for this year, but what I do have is also posted on the website as well, so feel free to check them out and hopefully I'll see you in person soon!

Jen: What are you working on now?

Gemma: I just finished up the fourth Heels book, ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS, due out in March of next year, where Maddie and the gang investigate murder in Paris, France. I'm also just finishing up a novella called "So I dated an Axe Murderer" that will be in the THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR STRUTTING anthology out with Dorchester in the Spring. This one has a bit of a paranormal slant to it that I haven't yet done and, I admit, it was really neat to try something new like this! And then next I'm diving right in to the fifth Heels book.

Jen: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with my readers. It was such a pleasure meeting you in Dallas and I look forward to seeing you next summer in San Francisco. Best of luck with all of your exciting projects!!

Gemma: Thank you so much for having me, Jen! San Francisco can't come quickly enough for me.

I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Gemma. Five readers to answer with the correct answer to the following trivia question will win a copy of her latest release, UNDERCOVER IN HIGH HEELS. Good luck!

What is the name of the first book in Gemma's contemporary mystery series?

In two weeks, I will be bringing to you my interview with Kimberly Raye, author of YOUR COFFIN OR MINE? just in time for Halloween! You won't want to miss it!

Until next month...Jen