Author Jennifer Archer dishes with Michelle about best girlfriends, soft-hearted bad boys, and the brother Archer calls "hero." Read on …

MB:What or who inspired your novel?

JA:"Sandwiched" was inspired by a lunch I had one afternoon with two of my girlfriends. We were discussing the fact that, while our parents were getting older and wanting more of our time, our teenage children were getting older and wanting less of it. It occurred to me that this is an issue most women face when they reach middle age, at least if they are mothers. We want to accommodate these cherished people in our lives at this turning point in their lives, but it requires an often difficult adjustment on our parts, a new way of approaching our relationships with them.

MB:What do you like most about your novel?

JA:CiCi, Belle and Erin became so real to me. Much more so than other characters I have written, they seemed "outside" of me, if that makes sense. Just when I thought I knew them inside and out, they would surprise me with another insight into their personalities and lives. I also really enjoyed the members of Belle's reading group. I have a soft spot for all of them!

MB:Who is the most heroic person you know?

JA:Wow. That's a tough question! The person I know personally who comes first to mind is my brother. Over the past seven years, he has had a lot of stress to deal with. A child with health problems, losing his job, finding another job that took him more than a 1,000 miles from home, more family illness. Throughout it all, he has pressed on with grace and determination and a sense of humor. He's so devoted to his family and is the most fabulous father. And he never forgets to ask about others, to offer to help, to congratulate successes.

MB:Who's your romance hero: dark brooding bad boy or white knight in shining armor?

JA:I'm partial to the guy who falls somewhere in between. The white knight with a hint of mischief in his eyes. He may seem "bad" at first glance, but he has a soft heart and a sense of humor. I don't care if he broods from time to time, but if he takes himself and life too seriously, he's not for me. I like a man I can laugh with.

MB:Answer the question you wish an interviewer would ask.

JA:How did I feel when my book hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, you ask? Thrilled and grateful and stunned and …"