And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Have you ever read a romance where the man and woman literally fall in love at first sight?

Well, of course you have - who hasn't?  Chances are that most of us have thought, "Aw, that's so sweet, but c'mon... in real life?"

After visiting Patti Berg's website, I've decided that it really is possible.

"My mom (Anna) had met my dad (Clinton) in Long Beach, California, right after World War II ended, and two weeks later they got hitched!" Then there is Patti's own whirlwind romance: "...we met in late October, decided to get married in November, and on New Year's Eve 1976, we ran off to Las Vegas with eleven family members and friends and tied the knot. Obviously we did something right, because even though we knew each other only two months before we married, we're still together!"

Let's see, 1976 from 2004.....28 years! Yep, I'd say there is something to this love at first sight thing. *G*

I also decided that, aside from having a sense of humor and very easy-going, Patti is obviously a bona fide romantic. She'd been a closet romance writer since she was 13 (she talks more about all of that below) and, once she decided to go for it, sold her first novel within a year in 1994. Patti has since written 11 books and has a new release due out in July 2004.

Patti lives in Northern California with her hubby, Bob, where they are working on building their dream home.  She enjoys travelling, collecting, reading mysteries and romance, and, of course, writing. I imagine when that home gets built, Patti will have plenty more to keep her busy since she's looking forward to populating the area with various animals and getting the pet she wants - a Newfoundland dog. She mentions at her website she wants, "...at least one gigantic black Newfoundland dog to keep my feet warm while I write my books! (Bob laughingly thinks we should call the dog Kitty like the big, blue, furry monster in the movie Monsters, Inc. The romantic in me is leaning toward Belle, from one of my all-time favorite movies, Disney's Beauty and the Beast.)"

Personally, I love the idea of naming it Kitty. Maybe she'll have to get two pups. Then she can have Kitty and Belle. *G*

Take a few minutes to get to know Patti from the interview below and then take a trip over to her website.  There you can read a little more about her, check out some excerpts from her books, and even get some tasty recipes from Patti's Cousin Fay and John.

1. I was trying to figure out how old your daughter was when you started writing romance novels. I'm guessing she was in her early teens? What did she think of it? I know I still get the rolling eyes from my girls over my books. *G* Now that she's older, has she ever read one of yours?

Actually, I've been writing romance since I was 13. I started out writing love stories with Paul McCartney as the hero and me the heroine. I was SO in love with him and was sure I'd marry him eventually. Back in the 60s I spent a lot of time writing, but I wouldn't tell anyone that that's what I wanted to do. I was far too shy. In the early 1990s I finally got the guts to try and write an entire book. I finished my first one in 1993 and sold it in 1994! I've been writing and selling ever since.

My daughter was 13 when I joined Romance Writers of America and got serious about writing. She was in her own little world at that time (you know, the teenager thing!). She didn't think about my writing one way or another, but she wasn't about to read anything I'd written. She thought it was silly. Her girlfriends, however, did read my first book, which came out when Melanie (my daughter) was 15. Melanie is very proud of what I do (as is my husband). She tells everyone that I'm a writer, she loves to see my books in the stores, she has her own collection of them, but to date she hasn't read any. <sigh> I think she's too embarrassed.

However, Melanie (like my husband) is not a big reader. I couldn't get her interested when she was younger, although she did read an occasional horror story and she has always been fascinated by ghosts. Since she got married a year ago, she's become very active in her church and when she does read, it's mainly the Bible.  That's a pretty good start for reading enjoyment!

2. Your books have all been basically contemps. Have you ever wanted to try your hand at writing historical romances?

When I joined Romance Writers of America I read nothing but historical romances.  Jude Deveraux was my favorite author and I devoured her books. I wanted to write just like her, although I wanted to write historical romances that took place in the U.S., post-Civil War era. I wanted to write historicals that took place in Montana and Wyoming--I even have one half-way completed manuscript that would have been the beginning of a very long historical saga, written, would you believe, in first person!

I still love to read historicals, but I doubt I'd ever attempt to write one. There are so many fabulous historical writers and I'd rather stick with what I do, and hopefully convince those who only want to read historical that they should give contemporaries a try. They might have a lot of fun!

I do, however, have a story in the back of my mind for a book that takes place in the early 30s. It's a = mystery/suspense. But I've yet to try writing it!

3. How do you go about writing your stories? Do you have a routine or is the way each book written different ?

I wish I had a routine! After thirteen books, I'm still looking for a better way to get the words on paper.  Sometimes I write a complete rough draft first, but that doesn't always work. Too often I make changes in the beginning and find that the last 200 draft pages no longer work. I am starting to write more outlines so I have a better idea where the story is going to go once I start. Wish I could say I had my writing process down to an exact science, but I'm not that organized or analytical. I just like to tell stories and create characters who fall madly and passionately in love.  So quite often I just start writing and see where the story takes me!

4. You have to admit, your family certainly seems to have a romantic streak. Your parents married 2 weeks after they met shortly after WW2, you married your hubby after 2 months, in Las Vegas and on New Year's Eve! LOL Do you think that maybe these things have played a part in wanting to write romance ?

I've never thought about that! Actually, I've been a romantic from my earliest memories. I was in love with Davy Crockett when Fess Parker played him on TV in the early 50s, and I was only five years old. I loved watching old movies when I was a child, and my favorites then, as now, were with Cary Grant and Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn--and most all of their movies were romances. It's just part of me, I think. As I said before, I was in love with Paul McCartney and wrote stories about him. During the Vietnam war I wrote dark poetry, but all of that always centered around lost loves. I always wanted to be the princess and have a knight in shining armor sweep me up in his arms and carry me off.  I did fall head over heels in love with Bob and married him just two months later, and he's always been my knight in shining armor. But I will always live in that fantasy world, where everything is perfect and everyone always falls in love! Personally, I think that's what makes the world go round!

5. Do you ever find yourself patterning characters or the things they do after people you know? Or people you don't know, like famous actors or famous people in the news?

I don't think I've ever patterned a character after someone I know, except, possibly, some secondary characters, but even then, I like to make those secondary characters a little over the top.  In the end, they don't reflect the character of the real person.

In the beginning I patterned heroes after famous people. Tom Selleck was the inspiration for Mac O'Brien, the hero of my first book, ENCHANTED. The hero in my book IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, Trevor Montgomery, was patterned after Cary Grant, Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power. I made my hero a 1930s movie idol who traveled through time to 1998. He was gorgeous, but he also had a lot of the troubles stars of that time had: he drank too much and got into a lot of trouble.

Nowadays, I tend to create the characters out of my own imagination. The women are feisty, the men are tall, dark and gorgeous. I make them do whatever I want them to do, and my mind is active enough that I can create all sorts of characters, and I don't have to rely on famous people or movie stars for my inspiration. (But it never hurts to see a picture of a good looking hunk!)

6. You mentioned that you and your hubby, Bob, love the outdoors. "You can find us once or twice a year in Yellowstone National Park looking for moose and grizzly bears!" How many times have you managed to find the moose and bears? Have they ever found you instead? LOL I don't think I'd want to get too close to one!


We've only seen one moose in Yellowstone--but that doesn't keep us from looking!  We have yet to see a grizzly in the park, but we have seen brown bears a time or two. We usually go in the off season, either early spring or late fall when there are few visitors in the park. The weather is always cold, but we can sit and watch the animals without any disturbance from others. It's amazing out beautiful it can be!

Like you, I wouldn't want to get to bump into a moose or grizzly! There are several trails in Yellowstone where you can hike, but some are marked "Caution: bear country." Bob and I usually stay off of those.

We have seen a pack of wolves a couple of times. You usually have to look for them through a high-powered telescopic lens because they rarely get close to the roads. The last few times we were in the park we concentrated on looking for bald eagles and swans. Obviously our tastes change!  We just love it there and love the wildlife, and will be happy seeing anything!

7. It must be very exciting to be building your new dream home. The view from where your office will be is just breathtaking. I'm so jealous! Tell us a little about it. It sounds like quite a project and not a simple one, either. Are you designing your own home? Is it going to be one of those gorgeous log cabin homes?


Actually, Bob and I aren't doing the building ourselves. We're having it built. If it was up to the two of us to do it on our own it would never get done! Bob is a perfectionist and I just like to get things done!

I do love the view that I'll have from my office. That will also be the view from the master bedroom, the living room and the kitchen and dining areas. The house isn't going to be huge, but it will be comfortable, and just perfect for the two of us. And no, it's not going to be a log home. I think they're fabulous looking, but I'm going with something more traditional. The house will have very tall windows so we can take advantage of the view. I'm going to have a big office where there will be room for a sofa and a very comfy chair. I rarely sit at the computer to write, but prefer sitting where I can relax. I use a laptop for writing and just kick back! I've pretty much decided that I want to decorate my office with old movie posters, with maybe a few posters from newer movies like Pirates of the Caribbean thrown in.

It's the outside that I'm most excited about. We've always wanted acreage and this 40 acres is beautiful. It's covered with juniper trees and there are several areas with ten-foot high flows of lava rock. I've always wanted horses. I'm not sure yet if we'll get any, but if we do, they may be wild horses. Maybe even wild burros. We might even have a llama or two--but all in good time.

I'd love to have a big fountain in a patio area out back, surrounded by azalea and roses and anything colorful. Bob and I want to put in walking paths with benches here and there so we can take a rest or just sit back and enjoy the outdoors. And eventually I'd like to put in a swimming pool.

For now, though, I'd just be happy to get the plans finished so we can get the building permits!!!

As I've said, I've always been a romantic and a dreamer. I think if you dream big, you can almost always get what you want. And I should know--so many of my dreams have come true!

You can visit Patti at her website: http://www.pattiberg.com