And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Our Mystery Author this round is Pamela Ford. Pamela has done a little bit of everything: Modeling, Advertising, Mom - even Pantyhose Sales. But now she is writing romance novels for all of us to enjoy.

Check out what she has to say about these things and more below.

When you're done, visit Pamela at her website: http://pamelaford.net/

1. Tell us about your family. You have three girls! How old are they? The teen years will be/are sure to be interesting if they are close in age.

The girls are 21, 19, and 15. The teen years were/are interesting, but, in general, the three have always gotten along pretty well. The oldest two are in college -- one is a Junior, the other a Freshman. So I'm down to one child at home. It was pretty hard the first couple of weeks this fall after the house had emptied out, but we talk on the phone a lot and, I have to admit, I'm getting pretty used to things being more quiet at home. Although the 15-year-old just started high school so the activity around here is picking up and I don't think anything will be dull for a few more years!

2. You've certainly held a variety of jobs - which was the most interesting or unusual?

I sold panty hose for No Nonsense and my territory was Wisconsin -- every drugstore and department store in the state. Talk about being a little overwhelmed. Not only was I supposed to sell pantyhose to all those locations, but I was also supposed to restock the pantyhose racks in every major department store with product from the store room.

3. On your website, you mention that you 'had plenty to learn about the craft of novel writing'. What did you do about it? What suggestions can you give for other aspiring writers?

I still remember the first writer's conference I went to -- during a workshop on Point of View, I was stunned by the realization that in the first scene of my book, I had hopped through four different heads -- and this was not a good thing! I have learned so much during conferences and workshops through the Romance Writers of America. I also took a class from Kathy Jacobson, an incredible writing teacher, one I credit with really setting me on the path toward publication. She rarely teaches writing classes anymore -- she's a life coach in Utah, but if anyone wants to track her down, her classes are worth their weight in gold (kathyjacobson.com). I am also a writing book junkie -- every conference I buy more books on craft and read them all -- favorites are GMC by Debra Dixon, The Hero's Journey by Christopher Vogler, The Comic Toolbox by Jon Vorhaus. I could actually go on and on, but I'll stop at three!

4. One thing that made you give writing another shot was 'writing a video script about motors and drives'. Augh... that sounds tedious and boring? What in the world was it for?

It was for a big company that manufactured motors and drives...and all sorts of other products not too exciting to someone who ended up writing romance! Years ago, they were on the cutting edge of automation in manufacturing plants -- not just in processes, but in the exchange of information. They had me write a 13 page booklet for them on the automation of information -- a subject that was so new, it had never been written about before anywhere. I didn't have a technical background, and the subject matter was so new, no one was very clear about exactly what it meant. Looking back today, with so much information now automated in every step of life, it's hard for me to believe that we didn't quite get it back then.

5. What do you like to do in your free time - though I have the feeling, with three girls, there isn't much?

I love to ski, both downhill and cross country. I learned how to skate ski two years ago and am having a blast at that. In the summer, I like to ride bike and sail. I really like to be active.

6. You definately have to tell us about sailboat racing!

I crew on Soveral 33 sailboat that is owned by a friend of mine. We usually have between 6 and 10 people on the boat during a race -- we've gone with fewer, but then it's a bit of a fire drill if there's much wind. We're a well-matched crew personality-wise and get along really well so it's always a lot of fun. During the summer, we do course races on Wednesday nights and there are some distance races (2-3 days long) which can be fun -- or boring, depending on the wind! I've been sailing since I was 18 and used to own a Laser, a one-person boat, but sold that years ago.

Your second book finaled in several contests but you say it's off in the attic since it wasn't picked up. Do you ever think about pulling it out and doing something with it? Maybe it was just a matter of timing?

7. Any hobbies? What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I think about it all the time. It's a good plot. But I wrote it before I ever learned about "turning points" and some other important craft things, so it would need a major cleaning up before I could send it out...and the thought of all that reworking keeps holding me back. But someday....

8. Tell us about your new release, THE WEDDING HEIRESS.

I actually have a newer release -- HER BEST BET just came out in October 2009. At its core, it's a story about dreams and how they change with time and reality. As Carl Jung said, "Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outsides, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."

When Izzy Gordon receives a letter she wrote to herself as part of a high school English assignment ten years ago, detailing the career as a filmmaker she expects to have by her ten-year reunion, she decides it's time to throw off the restrictions in her life and start following her dreams. She and a friend head to Wisconsin to make a short documentary about an old Wisconsin lodge that was a vacation hideaway for Chicago gangsters in the 1920's. Because her parents own the land on which the lodge sits -- and they want to sell the property -- Izzy hides her real identity from the lodge owners.

Eight years ago, Gib Murphy left home to become a photojournalist, running from anything that might tie him down and eager to leave behind the 24/7 responsibility of working at his family's resort. He comes home to recuperate from injuries suffered while in Iraq, and learns that the land on which the resort sits, land which his family has leased for the last hundred years, is about to be sold -- and they have just 30 days to match the offer or lose the resort.

Both Izzy and Gib are sure they know exactly what they want in life. But as Izzy makes her documentary, as Gib works to save the resort, and as they get to know one another, each begins to reevaluate h/her dreams and the place where they belong.

9. What's next? Any Work In Progress?

I'm working on several projects right now -- three ideas all vying for attention!