I’ve always been a fan of playing -- which probably explains my career choice. Playing with words, with stories, with people -- make that characters -- is one of my favorite things to do. But when I’m not playing God and altering the course of true love for various and sundry individuals I’ve made up, I’m usually doing something fun. Tennis is one of my favorite pastimes, though it does often depend on who’s on the other side of the net. Somebody I can beat is good, though not too easily nor too often. Skiing is another passion, though it took a hit on my list of favorites a few years ago when I caught a tip and ended up tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in my right knee. Knee surgery was great for ensuring a lot of reading time -- not to mention catching up on DVD watching, seven seasons of Buffy, anyone? -- but it seriously compromised my tennis game. When I want to be alone, though, there’s nothing better than hopping in the kayak and paddling down river. I live very close the the Potomac River and can drop in right next to Roosevelt Island in D.C. From there I can paddle past the Georgetown waterfront, the Kennedy Center, even the Lincoln Memorial! And if I want to go a little farther afield, the C&O Canal is only half an hour away. All of those things take a back seat to writing, however, though the adventures I find in my playtime often end up in my books! (Watch for that slopeside EMT novel, complete with toboggan-stretcher ride to the bottom of the mountain, that I’m sure is in my future.)