Christine Feehan is an award-winning author of more than 40 novels. She was amazing enough to take some time to answer some questions for us about her writing, her loyal fans and inspiration for her work.

You’ve had a successful career spanning 40 novels in a genre that has been consistently growing in popularity – what is the secret to your success? What is it do you think that readers find in your books that they don’t elsewhere?

A lot of hard work, discipline and absolutely fantastic, loyal, supportive readers. I hope that readers find a sense of family, women’s issues, women empowerment along with action and romance.

How has the genre changed since you’ve been writing?

It’s opened up to include almost anything. It’s so diverse there is no end to the writer’s imagination. It gives authors the ability to write anything so there is so much out there for the readers now.

How has your writing changed over the years and 40 novels?

I strive to do a better job with every book as most authors do. I try to do better with the research. Hopefully I am able to give my readers a better story with each book that is written.

How does a book a take shape for you? It is with an idea, a title, a general outline?

Characters always come first. I have to know everything about them and then the book evolves as I write so there is never an outline.

What inspires you as a writer?

Everything. Nature, storms, people, weapons, animals, legends…

Looking through your different series, your single titles and everything that you have listed for 2012, the first thing that popped into my head was that you must be bursting with ideas, the characters and the plots and they must flow from your pen or rather your computer quite easily – is it? What is the hardest thing about being a writer?

I always have ideas, it’s true. I am not a fast writer contrary to what people think so I have to write every day. The difficulty is in staying true to myself. To not be influenced by the thousands of letters telling me what they want.

I read too that you and Brenda Novak arranged a convention – Fan 2010-Fan 2012 – for your fans. How did this come about?

We wanted to do something to give back to our readers. We wanted to do something extraordinary. It’s an event giving us an opportunity to spend a weekend with our readers instead of a minute or two signing a book. We wanted something really unique and fun for our readers to remember for a lifetime so we came up with the FAN convention.

What has been the most surprising thing you’ve learned from fans through it?

How extremely loyal my readers can be. It is quite an honor. I have a community on my website where I am able to visit with my readers and it astonishes me how truly wonderful they are. They continually recommend my books and we are getting new readers to the community every day because of them. I never realized how involved they would become with the characters and worlds that I have created and I love that they are so passionate.

Of all the titles you’ve written, it is Waterbound that caught my attention as your heroine there, Rikki and that she was autistic. What made you decide to write her as autistic?

There is autism in the family. There are 1 in 88 children diagnosed with some form of autism in the United States. It was important for me to show the courage and difficulties that someone with autism faces in daily life but that they can still have a happy ending.

How did you approach writing her (ie research)?

I talked to a couple of people in the family, occupational therapists, and research books. I based the story on a girl and a man that I knew and the things that our family has gone through.

Can you tell us a little about what to expect from you in 2012?

Samurai Game will be released in July. It is one of my favorite Ghostwalker books to date. It was heavily researched and is full of action and romance. Dark Storm is being released in September. It has a lot of action, is set in the Andes and has new characters that have never been introduced in the Dark series. A new leopard book will be released at the end of the year (no title yet) It is set in the swamps of Louisiana. It is a thriller and very sultry. I am happy to announce that Avon is re-issuing Dark Desire as it has been unavailable for some time and they will be re-issuing two of my anthologies together in a book titled Dark Nights. Dark Nights will have Dark Dream and Dark Descent. I have rewritten Dark Descent and it is 100 pages longer.

Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity to reach out to my readers. You can visit me anytime at my community on my website at www.christinefeehan.com where I answer questions, visit, and interact with my readers daily. I would love to see you there!!!

Thank you so much for answering these questions for our readers, Christine!