Eileen Dreyer, 59, author and retired nurse. She writes suspense, thrillers and historical romance novels as Dreyer, and contemporary romance novels under the pseudonym Kathleen Korbel. She has published 38 books and eight short stories and has more than 3 million books in print.

FAMILY — Married to Rick Dreyer, an engineer and international sales associate. They live in Sunset Hills. Two children: Kevin Dreyer, 33, a computer systems analyst who lives in Richmond Heights; and Kate, 31, a physician's assistant who is married with two children and also lives in Richmond Heights. Eileen is the second of seven children born to the late Larry and Dode Helm of Brentwood. Her father was a CPA who owned his own company; her mother was a nurse. Siblings are: Larry Helm, 62, of south St. Louis County, a retired case manager with the St. Louis County Veterans Program; Thom Helm, 57, of west St. Louis County, a CPA and principal with Huber, Ring, Helm & Co.; Peggy Madras, 55, of Webster Groves, a nurse practitioner; Tim Helm, 53, of south St. Louis County, a custodian with the Ladue School District; Dan Helm, 52, of Brentwood, a chemist; and James Helm, 49, also of south St. Louis County, an engineer. Eileen has 14 nieces and nephews.

EDUCATION — Nerinx Hall, 1970; Maryville University, associates degree in nursing, 1972; B.S., health arts, through St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., 1981.

How long did you work as a nurse?

Twenty years. I was a trauma nurse for 16. I worked in the emergency room at St. John's (now Mercy Hospital St. Louis, in Creve Coeur).

Did you start writing after you retired from nursing?

No. I always wrote. I wrote for myself from the time I was 10. It's like the Moliere quote, "Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money." By 10 I had gone through all the Nancy Drew books, and when I asked the librarian when the next book would be out, she said, "Next year." I knew I couldn't wait a year, and then the light goes on over my head and I think, "I can write that and I can make it turn out the way I want." So I created twins who lived in a boarding school and solved crimes.

When did you start writing "for a few close friends?"

In seventh grade. I realized that if I wrote stories that starred my friends and famous people — like the Beatles — I would be very popular and have people gathered around me every morning in the playground. They wanted to know what I had written the night before.

When did you start writing "for money?"

Not for a long time. I stopped writing when I was 17 because I always thought it was a childish pastime. But the problem with writers is you can't stop. When I was about 21 or 22, my husband said, "You're miserable. Have you done anything you want to do?" I was trying to be a good wife and keep the house clean and cook and that sort of thing. He said, "Honey, no one cares what the house looks like." So I started writing again just for me. It took me five years to write the first book, and that one is still at home in my drawer. My first published book was in 1986.

When did you become a full-time writer?

I was on my seventh or eighth book, about 1988.

How did you get interested in the romance genre?

I had always read mystery and suspense. I thought characters in romance novels were TSTL (too stupid to live). But those were European romances, and a friend brought me some American romances with kick-ass heroines. I liked them. A nurse friend and I challenged each other to write, and I looked at all the genres and just started writing. The second year after I got published I was named the best new Contemporary Romance Author by "Romantic Times." I write what I love to read.

Have you won a lot of awards?

I've won five RITA Awards from the Romance Writers of America, which puts me at fourth place in the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. (The award is named after Rita Clay Estrada, the first president of the Romance Writers of America.)

You started writing suspense some years back, and then historical romances. What accounts for your change in focus?

ADD (attention deficit disorder). I was probably the last to know, but I was diagnosed with adult ADD and it made sense. I'm very, very, very obsessive about research. I took training to be a member of a SWAT team for one of my books. I love history and I love, love, love to travel so I branched out into different genres so I could indulge my passions.

Why do you have a pseudonym?

When I started writing romance it was a marginalized genre. I knew I wanted to write other things, too, and I didn't want to have to keep explaining myself. And, my dad was still trying to get used to his daughter writing romance novels so I wanted to make it easier for him.

What do you do other than write, research and travel?

I can tell you what I don't do — I don't do anything that stops the words from coming. I love to garden. I do the entertaining for my whole extended family. I'm a big Cardinals fan. I do a lot of travel research. I'm the queen of Internet travel.

What was the last book you wrote?

"Always a Temptress," which is part of "The Drake's Rake" series of historical romance novels.

What does a successful author drive?

A VW diesel. My husband loves diesels. It's a new one, a 2012, gray.