Strong Medicine

Day Leclaire writes for the Harlequin Romance line and lives in the midst of a maritime forest on Hatteras Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Despite the yearly storms that batter them and the frequent power outages, she finds the beautiful climate, superb fishing, and unbeatable seascape more than adequate compensation.

Being flexible and having a sense of humor also helps, she's discovered, along with a love for both the island and her craft.

Day's interest in writing started at an early age. "There were four kids in our family, the three girls all close together in age. We were home from school one winter day because we'd had a blizzard and Mom...Well, she was practically pulling her hair out in an attempt to keep us entertained.

"We'd fought our way through any number of board games, had read all the books in the house and were basically making a total nuisance of ourselves. Out of sheer desperation, Mom told me that if I didn't have any books to read, I should go write one.

"So, I did. It was a historical. A Cinderella story set in the Wild West with a wicked stepmother and two wicked stepsisters. As I recall, those two stepsisters bore an uncanny resemblance to my own two sisters. I guess I was out of charity with them at the time!"

Those initial attempts, rooted in elementary school, continued all the way through college. "Although I'd thought about being a writer in high school, I majored in Anthropology at University of California, Berkeley. I was going to be another Jane Goodall...right up until I went camping for the first time. It forced me to reconsider a lifetime spent without the basic necessities of life-- like running water and flush toilets."

So she dropped out to reconsider her career choices. That's when she met her future husband, Frank. "It was a whirlwind courtship. We married five months after meeting."

The two went into business together, first running a film library in Ber