People often ask where I get my story ideas, and the truth is they can come from anywhere: an overheard conversation, a dream, a slice of real life. For SHIMMY FOR ME, the first book in my new California Belly Dance series, it was a belly dance class. Actually, years and years of belly dance classes. I took my first one in college in 1990, and have continued with them off and on ever since.

In my experience, there is something incredibly special about the kind of women you find in the belly dance world. They are bold, strong, adventurous, and they are probably the most interesting people I have ever met.And these are the kinds of women I love to spend time with, and the kind I love to write about. I also love all the comments I get from readers that they’ve enjoyed getting to know the dancers in my stories, too. So I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the real women in the belly dance world who inspired them.