And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Jaclyn Reding was born in the Midwest and now makes her home in Massachusetts. She lives there with her accountant husband and her golden retriever, Midas. I don't think she would switch jobs with her husband considering accountants "don't get paid to daydream, can't go to work in their pajamas, and certainly aren't allowed to write off their 15th rental of a Jane Austen video on their tax returns."

Visiting her website I not only got the impression Jaclyn loves her job as a writer, but also possesses quite a fondness for the country of Scotland. Of course, you could have deduced that from the fact that many of her novels take place amongst the glens and highlands of that land. You'll discover that she didn't set her stories there because it was the popular thing to do, but because she has traveled there twice (Lucky wench! *G*) and truly fallen in love with that country. A trip to her website will take you to her travelogue, where Jaclyn's pictures and descriptions will fool you into thinking you are there with her on her trip. Speaking for myself, it's probably the closest I'll ever get and I very much enjoyed it. There's also a liberal dose of webcams to take you do other interesting spots throughout Wales, England, and Ireland. You can look for ghosts in a castle or watch the people walk through the city streets and small villages, or you can simply see the beautiful landscapes throughout the country. Along with these cams, she'll tell you a bit about the place. A few of the places were actually where some of her stories took place and helps to feed your imagination while reading her books. Reading the FAQ's at her site, I found the following comments by Jaclyn rather interesting and thought to include them here:

Q: "What book that you have read has had the most influence on you?"

Jaclyn's response: Without a doubt, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. From the time I read it when I was eight, that book made me want to be a writer.

Q: "Where do you get your story ideas?"

Jaclyn's response: Everywhere, through my research, in the newspaper, on television, even in the grocery store. The idea for my novel White Heather' came about from a lyric in a song.

Q: "What style, medium or artist do you have a fondness for? I am an artist myself and I was interested in your opinion."

Jaclyn's Response: My taste in art focuses mostly on the 19th century artists, artists like Manet, Morisot, and Rosetti. I'm drawn most by the color and whimsy of the Impressionists, and the chivalric romance of the Pre-Raphaelites.

Jaclyn was also kind enough to answer some additional questions for me as well:

1. How did you get started in writing?

I went to an RWA conference. Wait, let me backtrack just a little. I'd toyed with the idea of trying to write for several years, but never really got up the courage to do it. Then I went to an RWA conference and got up the nerve to really give it a shot. I met other writers, authors I had read and admired for years, agents, editors. I wrote my first manuscript during the following two years. While I tried to market it, I wrote my second manuscript, which ended up being my first published book.

2. Have you always written Romance?

For publication, yes. Always romance. For my own enjoyment, I've also written some mystery and straight historical fiction. I've also done some other creative writing.

3. At your website, I saw that you are going to be writing a novel set in the 21st century. Do you think this will be more of a challenge after writing Historical Romance or will it actually allow you more freedom in your writing?

I'm actually about halfway into the book and am finding it a mixture...both a challenging, as well as a freeing experience. The challenge is not to write the book to sound like an "historical contemporary," with historical language and atmosphere. After eleven books, it's the rhythm I'm most accustomed to when writing, so I have to be aware that I don't start falling into that same rhythm with this particular project. The freedom comes with not having to obey the rules of a history that has already been written. If my heroine wants to by a skydiving pilot or a brain surgeon, she can, whereas her eighteenth-century counterpart had limitations on what she could do. That said, I am really enjoying the writing of this story because of both the challenge and the freedom.

Visit Jaclyn at her website at: http://www.jaclynreding.com/

And "Thank You, Jaclyn!" for allowing us to feature you as a Sue's Clues Mystery Author!