What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
As a preteen, my first job was selling clothes in my parent's small department store. I learned a lot about customer service and successful selling techniques. The customer service perspective has been especially helpful working with my IT clients. I've found my selling experience invaluable throughout my career when pitching my ideas and projects to others.

Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire? Why?
I've been fortunate to have a number of smart and successful women mentor me in life and in my careers - and they are all heroines in my book. Before she retired, my mother was a successful businesswoman who worked with my dad to run their store. She instilled the confidence that I could achieve whatever I wanted if I put my mind to it and worked hard enough. Virginia Jenkins, a DOD manager and friend, taught me how to plant seeds with people to let them know about jobs I'd like to have in the future. I had the opportunity to meet and hear Grace Hopper a number of times. Her out-of-the-box thinking has inspired me to apply my creativity to IT as well as writing. I told her story in my Y2K Run book as well as used her spunk as inspiration for a character I created in one of my MircoAdventure books.

What is your favorite book?
I love to read - and that's probably what led me to writing many years ago. The favorite book I've written is "Flight of the Raven" by Rebecca York, a romantic suspense novel set in Madrid that was part of the Peregrine Connection series. One of my favorite books on writing is "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. It's a wonderful guide to higher creativity and innovative thinking. For business, I found Peter Senge's "The Fifth Discipline" a thought-provoking strategy for creating a learning organization. And for pleasure, I love every novel that my friend Nora Roberts has written.

What advances in your field do you envision over the next 10 years?
I predict that we'll see significant advances in intelligent agents, personalization, e-publishing and e-learning. We'll have sophisticated intelligent agents who serve as personal e-trainers to improve both our mental and physical skills and well-being. They could well change the look and feel of our education system.

With advances in collaboration tools, we'll be able to partner effectively with people around the globe and in different languages. Virtual offices, telecommuting, and virtual teams will be the norm rather than the exception. E-books and e-publishing will be the dominant media for the publishing industry led by new technology for e-paper and reader friendly personal displays. Perhaps ten years from now, I also see biobots - tiny computers inserted inside the body along with agent technology to monitor the body's function, cure diseases, and maximize human potential. I enjoy using future technology in the stories I've written - I've done plots with implanted computer chips, smart houses, and intelligent agents.

What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?
I find that helping people do things better and easier using technology gives me a lot of satisfaction. I love working on the web where almost anything is possible. With technology changing so rapidly, I like the challenge of continuously learning new things.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment is raising two incredible sons. I'm very proud of their entrepreneurial spirit and drive. The fact that they've both chosen technology and business related careers and that we've worked together on a number of projects is an extra bonus.

I've been fortunate to have the ability to turn many of my ideas into reality. Whether taking a plot idea and turning it into a novel or taking a idea for an Information Technology project and bringing it to fruition, the process takes a lot of hard work - and a little bit of magic. I feel a sense of accomplishment for having helped a lot of people in their careers, helped thousands of women and kids learn about computers and the web, written over forty books, and contributed to the national security of our country.

What was your greatest challenge and what did you learn from it?
One February in 1983, I was managing a new technology group, co-chairing a large computer conference, raising two small sons, and had both a computer book and a novel due at the same time. I realized that I couldn't do everything - in fact, I just about lost my mind. Going through that personal crisis led me to set priorities, make the necessary tradeoffs in my life, and to learn to say "no" sometimes. A friend gave me an analogy that has been helpful. Think of yourself going through life as a juggler trying to handle a dozen balls in the air. Some of the balls are rubber and if you drop them, you'll get another chance to catch them on the bounce. Others - like your children - are priceless crystal. If you drop them, they'll shatter in a million pieces and you'll never have the opportunity to hold them again. The trick is realizing which balls are which.

What strategies do you use to maintain balance in your life?
I have a great family - husband, sons, mother and brothers--and wonderful support networks - writers, my agent, co-workers, and many others--who support me in my various endeavors. I'm fortunate that I have good friends who are willing to join me on my latest and greatest projects and adventures. One strategy that I've learned recently from Dr. Pamela Peeke, my personal life coach, is that no matter how busy you are, you have to make time for yourself - especially make the time to stay healthy and fit.

What advice would you give to young women who want to enter your field?
Think of learning as a K to 80 - or perhaps K to 108 - commitment. Technology is changing so fast that you will have to continually learn to keep up. Get involved with the Internet as early as possible. It's an incredible training ground for whatever career you pursue. And finally, hone your writing and communications skills. They will help you sell your ideas.