In her previous life, Gemma worked in such diverse jobs as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic. Luckily, she sold her first book, Spying in High Heels, in 2005, ending her string of eclectic employment.

Since then, Gemma has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Reader's Choice award and three RITA nominations. Feel free to check out her trophy shelf to see a complete list of her awards.

Gemma now makes her home in the San Francisco Bay area, where she is hard at work on her next book.

How did you start writing?

One day, out of reading material, I picked up a romance novel that had come free with some promotion. Sadly, the quality of this book was not indicative of the romance genre as a whole. It stank. Really badly. It was the worst thing I had ever read. So, after chucking it across the room during one particularly laughable chapter, I said to myself, "Well, even I can do better than that." So I did. Okay, well, first I wrote a couple of awful manuscripts - it was a lot harder than I thought to write a terrible book let alone a good one! - but, then I wrote a couple that weren't so bad, then even a couple pretty good ones. Eventually I hit on one good enough that an editor bought it.

How many manuscript did you write before selling one?

Six. It was lucky number seven that was finally published.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Everywhere. I know, cop-out answer, but it's so true. Any little bit of dialogue I hear at Starbucks, song I hear on the radio, or guy in line at the grocery store can inspire a new idea. The only thing I can say for certain is that I steal from the people I know a lot. Thankfully my family and friends get a kick out of seeing me exaggerate their finer traits on paper, but there are a few ex-boyfriends that probably shouldn't read my books. I do write about murders after all.

Which books are in your High Heels series, and do I have to read them in order?

#1 Spying in High Heels

#2 Killer in High Heels

#3 Undercover in High Heels

#4 Alibi in High Heels

#5 Mayhem in High Heels

Each book in the series follows the same character, shoe designer turned crime fighter, Maddie Springer, as she unravels a murder mystery while trying to sort out her own screwed up love life as well. The series follows her on-again-off-again relationship with homicide detective Jack Ramirez, but each book stands alone as its own story, and I try to catch readers starting in the middle of the series up to where the characters are now. So, no, you certainly don't have to read them in order.

What are the books in your Hollywood Headlines series?

#1 Scandal Sheet

#2 The Perfect Shot

#3 Deadline

This is a romantic mystery series (often shelved in the romance section of your local bookstore) published by Dorchester Publishing. The books in this series all center around the L.A. Informer, Los Angeles's premier tabloid magazine, reporting on all the latest celebrity gossip, scandals and dirt. They're not above a little sensational exaggeration and have even been known, on occasion, to bend the law in pursuit of a hot story. Their ace reporter, Felix Dunn (who also played a role in the High Heels series), has just been promoted to managing editor. Now, he's got his work cut out for him keeping the magazine running smoothly while keeping his staff in line, because each book in the series follows a different one of the Informer's reporters as she investigates a story, unravels a mystery, and falls for her own fabulous hero.

Are any of your titles available in ebook format?

Yes! Currently several of my books are available in Kindle and Sony Reader format. My publisher, Dorchester, is hard at work converting them to other ebook formats as well, so please check back if the title and format you're looking for isn't yet available. This is a medium both my publisher and I are very excited about!

I also have two short stories, Watching You and Confessions of a Bombshell Bandit, available exclusively for Amazon Kindle.

What new projects are you working on?

I'm currently working on two new series that I'm very excited about!

The first is a teen mystery series - think Nancy Drew with texting. The first book is called Deadly Cool and is about sixteen year old Hartley Grace Featherstone, who not only finds out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her with the president of her high school's chastity club, but also stumbles on a dead body that turns her entire life upside down. Look for this series to debut with Harper Teen in fall 2011.

The second series is a brand new mystery series about a former assassin whose checkered past finally catches up to her. The first book, Play Dead, will be published with St. Martin's Minotaur in hardcover in 2012.