And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Last summer, I went to the RWA book signing in NYC. My suitcase was easily ten pounds heavier than when I arrived due to all the books I bought. Some of the books were ones I had, but wanted new copies signed by the author. Others were by authors who were new to me. One of those authors was Julianne MacLean. The book was TO MARRY THE DUKE and I was so glad I picked it up. It was excellent. I couldn't have been happier when she agreed to be our Mystery Author for Sue's Clues.

Julianne was born in Nova Scotia, Canada to a family with a history of rather unique occupations. Her profile at eharlequin.com  mentions:

"Julianne comes from a creative family — her great-grandfather was an inventor and a cowboy, her grandfather a photographer and painter; her father is a filmmaker, her mother a flutist, and her cousin is also a published romance author."

Maybe she thought to follow a more conservative path by earning a degree in English Literature and a second degree in Business Administration. She even worked for the Office of the Auditor General in Canada for a few years. But when one comes from a family like hers, it's not too surprising that adding and subtracting numbers didn't quite give her the satisfaction she was looking for in a career.

She was already hooked on romance novels. She read her first one "...after I had completed a degree in English Literature and was extremely burnt out from reading heavy classics for three years." We can thank her cousin for opening the door to romance novels since she was the one who handed Julianne a copy of DAWNFIRE, by Lynn Erickson, for a change of  pace.

So, while she was still working and studying to be an auditor, she sat down and wrote her first novel. It didn't sell, but Julianne was far from giving up. She joined a local chapter of the RWA and soon realized that being a romance novelist was the career for her. Her husband was wonderfully supportive, encouraging her to devote herself to realizing her dream. Her second manuscript, PRAIRIE BRIDE, became her first published novel. "I've been a happy, fulfilled stay-at-home Mom and a devoted  romance writer ever since. Hooray for dreams coming true!"

To learn a little more about Julianne and her books or to contact her, you can visit her at her website:   http://members.tripod.com/julianne.maclean/index.htm

Thank you, Julianne, for taking the time to answer the questions below! .

1. A portion of the proceeds from An Affair Most Wicked will be donated to the IWK Hospital for Children in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.  Can you tell us a little about this Hospital? Is there a special reason that you are involved with it?

The IWK is a SUPERB children's hospital here in Nova Scotia.  I donate to the hospital twice a year, as much as I can afford to give, because my daughter was very ill when she was two.  She contracted H.U.S. (sometimes known as Hamburger Disease) from E.Coli poisoning.  We spent 5 weeks in the hospital.  The first couple of weeks were a horrible downward spiral until she had kidney failure and spent some time in isolation and intensive care. My husband and I moved into her room and were able to "live" there with her the entire time, so I never left her side.  There was a pullout couch in the room, but I would often share her bed with her because nurses were coming in at all hours of the night to do bloodwork etc, and it was pretty frightening and painful for her.  Even writing about it now makes my heart ache.

I was so grateful for the expertise of the people at that hospital, and the kindness and the willingness to let us stay there like we did.  My daughter is 7 now (and a happy, healthy little girl!), but we still have to be monitored for long term kidney problems, so we return to the hospital periodically for tests.  That's why I donate to them

2. I read your bio at eharlequin. You have an interesting family! Your grandfather was an inventor and cowboy. That's an interesting combination. *G* What kinds of things did he invent?  And your father is a filmmaker. What types of films does he make?

It was my great grandfather, and he spent time in the Canadian west herding cows and eating from a chuck wagon<G>.  He invented a type of reclining lounge chair, but never pursued it from a business angle, and someone else later invented the same thing and made a mint.   We have a picture of him sitting in it.  There were other things, too, but nothing that ever caught on, mostly because he just invented things to see if he could.  (I think I get a lot of my characteristics from him :))

My father is in the film business here in Nova Scotia.  He does documentary television shows (one of his more popular shows was called Steeplechasing, which featured a host who rode a bike to churches and investigated their history.  It ran on Vision TV, a Canadian spiritual channel.)  He's also done many TV commercials and corporate videos over the years, and he's the Canadian east coast representative for Vision TV, so he helps local producers create programs.

3. You mention at your site that when you are writing  " I keep a shelf of healthy snacks well stocked (okay, maybe not always healthy...I love those pink chicken bones....."  What are pink chicken bones? LOL?

Pink chicken bones are a type of candy.  They're cinnamon flavored on the outside, with chocolate on the inside, and they're in the shape of little sticks.  Since I wrote that, however, I've been very good about not eating sugar while I write, because it puts me to sleep!  I stick to tea and peanuts.

4. I read TO MARRY A DUKE and loved it. I look forward to reading the next in this series, AN AFFAIR MOST WICKED. Can you tell us a little about it and the books that will follow?

AN AFFAIR MOST WICKED  is the second book in the series about three sisters who are American heiresses in London looking to marry into the British aristocracy.  This is Clara's story, and she's an adventurous young woman who tries very hard to be good and virtuous.  But naturally, she becomes attracted to a wicked rake who is on the fringes of good society.  He's not the marrying kind, and she has to lure him back into "respectability"  in order to have him as a husband.  He's a very big challenge for her.

I just finished writing the book for the third sister, who is the opposite of Clara.  She's virtuous and dutiful, and never does anything "bad."  She's engaged to the perfect English gentleman, but becomes infatuated with his cousin, a less than perfect match for her.  He's broke and he has a scandalous mistress, and he's intensely loyal to his cousin.  Their romance is a very bumpy, difficult road, and writing it nearly killed me :).  It's called MY OWN PRIVATE HERO, and it'll be out in late November!

5. Your previous books were historical Western and you wrote one Contemp. Now that you are into Victorian era books, do find one type of book easier to write than another? Do you have a preference?

I've been finding this Victorian series more difficult, but mostly because I've grown as a writer and I'm harder on myself now than I was early on.  I always try to push myself further and further with each book.  My preference would be the Victorian series as well, because when I read for pleasure these days, I read British historicals.  But I will admit that writing the Silhouette Desire was the most fun I've ever had with a book.  Maybe because it was a nice change of pace and felt fresh for me, after years of writing in a historical voice.  I would like to do another contemporary and squeeze it in between historicals.  We'll see.  Right now, I'm contracted with tight deadlines at Avon, so it'll have to wait!

6. Can you tell us a little about your husband, Stephen, and the triathlons that he competes in?

Stephen and I are very similar creatures.  We each have a passion, and we completely understand and support each other's desire to give it all we've got.  I cheer him on and he cheers me on.  It's great.  He trains at home on a bike in the basement after our daughter goes to bed, and he swims at noon on his lunch break from work.  He squeezes in his running whenever he can, so he's ready to compete in local triathlons.  I'm very proud of him!