Nora Roberts Behind The Scenes

If the writing thing doesn’t pan out for Nora Roberts, she definitely has a second career in home repair.  The toilet worked perfectly the rest of the week.  It was just too bad she left before she could check the light.

Looking back now at the interview we did with Vicki Lewis Thompson (which you can see here), there is a slight resemblance between the actress we “hired” to play Nora and the real Nora.  I should have been more supportive to the actress JD because she really did try her best.  It’s not her fault she didn’t sound or act like Nora.

The fact that Gena and I were interviewing Nora Roberts was truly the worst kept secret of my life, and believe me, I have spilled the beans on a lot of secrets, so this being the worst kept is saying A LOT. Normally, Gena and I do shroud the identity of our guests until the videos go live.  I mean let’s face it, I could screw up so many things before making the video a reality on youtube.  There’s the uploading, and the editing and a million other details…

But how can you keep Nora Roberts a secret?  Our typical conversations about the subject went like this.  “I can’t tell you who it is, but her initials are NORA ROBERTS!!!”

And like her skills with a wrench, or a pen, Nora was a pro at acting as well.  She never flubbed a line or missed a cue.  A way better actress than Gena or I could be.  Not that that’s saying much, but Nora deserves her props.

In her book Tribute, Cilla McGowan, a former child star, has come to her grandmother’s farmhouse, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin. Sadly, no one was able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet Hardy. An actress with a tumultuous life, Janet entertained glamorous guests and engaged in decadent affairs—but died of an overdose in this very house more than thirty years earlier. To this day, Janet haunts Cilla’s dreams.

Plunging into the project with gusto, she’s almost too busy to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer—but his lanky form, green eyes, and easy, unflappable humor are hard to ignore. Determined not to perpetuate the family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels herself against Ford’s quirky charm, but she can’t help indulging in a little fantasy.

But love and a peaceful life may not be in the cards for Cilla. In the attic, she has found a cache of unsigned letters suggesting that Janet Hardy was pregnant when she died—and that the father was a local married man. Cilla can’t help but wonder what really happened all those years ago. The mystery only deepens with a series of intimidating acts and a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilla and Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting her and why, she may—like her world-famous grandmother— be cut down in the prime of her life.

You can learn more about Nora Roberts by visiting her website here, and look the actress we hired writes, too!  You can visit her here.  To discuss all things Nora, visit the adwoff message board here.

After the interview, Gena confided that Nora told her she liked Gena way better than me.  Being my best friend, she just couldn’t keep that burden to herself.  Did Nora Roberts really say that?  She DID give a quote for Gena:

“I have read Gena Showalter.”

                          Nora Roberts

Later I ran into Nora and asked her casually about it.  Nora just shook her head, and I knew.  I knew.