SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Author Martha O'Sullivan!

Joining me today in The Loft is author Martha O'Sullivan. Formerly an Acquisitions Editor at MacMillan Computer Publishing, Martha writes contemporary and erotic romance with traditional couples and happy endings. A native of Chicago, Martha is living her own happy ending in Florida with her husband and two daughters.

Author Martha O'Sullivan

S: Good morning, Martha. Thanks for joining me today.

Why write romance?

M: I write what I love to read--contemporary romance novels with Happily-Ever-After endings. Bonus points if they are part of a series.

S: Writing what you like to read is a sound baseline for creating a book. I think you need to understand the genre and sub-genre before you start writing.

What would you like people to know about you?

M: I was underestimated much of my life. Surprise!

S: What is the best/worst thing that has ever happened to you as a writer?

M: The best thing that has ever happened to me as a writer has been seeing my books in print. There is just something about holding your book in your hand. The worst thing is the years of rejection. But it makes you stronger, better. Sometimes, the last thing you'd ever want turns out to be exactly what you need.

S: I have to agree. Rejections are great motivators.

If you had to do it all over again, would you choose to write books?

M: I would have to. Writing chose me!

S: What’s the best advice you have ever been given?

M: Write what you know, what you like to read. I loved writing "Second Chance" and the rest of the trilogy. I would read the books, even if I hadn’t written them.

S: What do you consider your greatest achievement?

M: My daughters.

S: What inspired "Second Chance?"

M: "Second Chance" was my first book and will always be the book of my heart. The setting was inspired by my summers in Lake Tahoe and my fascination with California as a girl. But Moira Brody, a secondary character in "Second Chance" and the heroine in "Last Chance," has a lot of me in her. "Last Chance" ended up being my favorite book in the series, although all three were a labor of love.

S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Second Chance?"

M: "Second Chance" and "Last Chance" were originally one book called "The Missing Piece." But the book was getting too long and was losing focus. So the Chances Trilogy was born!

Here's the blurb--

Is a Second Chance at love worth the risk of losing your heart forever?

Lindsay Foster has convinced herself that marrying Paul Webster is the right thing to do. But she and Brian Rembrandt have some unfinished business. And now that Brian is suddenly standing in front of her again, she finds herself torn between the life she's always wanted and the man she'll always love.

Brian is up for that fight; he's used to getting what he wants. And he's never met a rule that couldn't be broken. So when Lindsay won't come to him, he goes to her. Despite the passion-filled night they share, Lindsay sends Brian away and decides to go through with the wedding.

But this love triangle has an extra side. Lindsay's lifelong best friend Moria Brody has a heart-wrenching secret. And she's not the only one struggling with an epiphany. The chain of events set in motion on the placid shores of Lake Tahoe come to a head on a foggy San Francisco night. And alter the course of four lives forever.