Do you ever find yourself eaves dropping on conversations while out in public? Or making up entire scenarios for people you see at a mall or restaurant? Writer’s do this a great deal,and I think it’s the secret spy in all of us. Writer’s can’t help but create characters for almost everyone we meet, and listening to other people’s conversations, well, that’s just part of the job.

I make up stories all the time for people. Sometimes I turn them into covert agents and other times what they say is enough to send my mind whirling. Last fall I was traveling through Oklahoma and stopped at gas station to grab snacks and fill up the tank. I was coming out of the store when I heard a woman say, “I can’t do nothin’ on Wednesday, I got to go to court every Wednesday.” It took everything bit of restraint I had not to stop and ask her what she did that she had to go to court. Two hours later as I made my way into Oklahoma City, I had an entire scenario for her in my head. Actually I had several ideas, including one where I was a spy and I infiltrated to truck stop to find out who was carrying illegal cargo. Snort. I kid you not.

But I digress… I’m rather fond of those covert operatives. That’s one of the reasons I have so many in my books. The Stonegate series for Blaze is filled with spies. They are mysterious and clever, and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of them. I like books, television and movies about spies. The Bourne films are some of my favorites. And hello, Tom Cruise in those Mission Impossible films, well that’s just fun.

Spies are also trending in the entertainment world. We have the adorable Ashton Kutcher starring with Katherine Heigl in “Killers.” Then Mr. Cruise is back in a new spy film “Knight and Day” with Cameron Diaz. (He’s also doing Mission Impossible IV for 2011.)

In television we have a couple of new spy series coming up. One of my favorites so far is “Nikita” coming up on the CW this fall. I was a big fan of the original French film “Nikita” with Anne Parillaud, the American film “Point of No Return” and the first TV series “Le Femme Nikita.” The new version stars Maggie Q as Nikita, but there’s a big twist in this one that I won’t ruin for you. I like that Nikita has a heart, but she’s also one lethal assassin.

Another interesting spy TV show coming up is “Undercovers” on NBC. This one is about a couple played by Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw who come out of retirement to rejoin the CIA as spies. It was created by J. J. Abrams, who did one of my all-time favorite spy series “Alias.”

There are some other series like, CBS’ “The Event,” which also has spies, but they aren’t the focus of the show.

So obviously I’m not the only one who is obsessed with spies. Have you ever dreamed of being a spy? Do you have a favorite spy TV show or film? Tell me I want to know.

Earlier this week I interviewed Bill Sanderson for “True Blood.”(My day job is as a TV and Film critic for print and radio.) You guys might know him from his work on “Deadwood” or as part of Larry, Darryl and Darryl on “Newhart.” He’s a lovely character actor, a polite Tennessee boy and he’s become a friend. The last time we chatted he went out and bought my book “Charmed & Dangerous.”

“I really liked the book,” he told me during the interview. “It reminded me a lot of Charlaine Harris’ stuff. I think you should be writing your own TV shows.” This was flattering on several levels. First, that he actually bought the book and had read at least some of it because he knew details. Second that he compared me with one of my favorite authors and third that he actually liked the book. And yes, I’m well aware he was just being sweet but it still made my day.

And If I were really honest, I would tell you that I absolutely would love to write my own TV shows. Someday. I think we could use an infusion of strong female leads in television and film. We have no shortage of tough chicks in books, but we are sadly lacking in TV and film. It’s to the point with me that if a heroine is wimpy or vapid, I turn it off.

I write strong female characters. They may be a little clueless about their love lives, but they can kick butt. When things go to hell, they are right there on the front lines. They often are the ones who swoop in and save the men in their lives. Many times they save the world.

I wondered why I felt so strongly about this, and I realized it’s because I come from a long line of women just like that. My mom and grandmothers are/were the type of women who never backed down and always stuck up for the underdogs of the world.

When I wrote my first book I wanted a heroine who had the fighting skills of Buffy, the humor of Stephanie Plum, the take no prisoner’s attitude of Anita Blake and the vulnerability while still kicking butt of a Sydney Bristow (“Alias”). Bronwyn, the lead in my “Charmed & Dangerous” series, turned out to be all of those things and had her own special brand of magic.

In my new Blaze, my heroine, Mariska, has a big secret. She’s not exactly comfortable with what she has to do, but she does it anyway. Don’t we all, as women, have to do that? We take on situations and do what we must to get the job done. And more often than not we swoop in and save the day.

So how about you, do you have favorite female heroines in TV, film and books? (Funny how there is no lack of strong females in books.) In addition to the ones I previously mentioned, I’m also a big fan of the “Terminator” chicks, old school Linda Hamilton and new school Lena Headey and Summer Glau. Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah on “Chuck”) may play one of my favorite CIA agents ever. But my all-time favorite kick-butt chicks are Kate Beckinsale from the “Underworld” movies and Peta Wilson in “Le Femme Nikita.” As for books, there are too many too mention, but I want to hear all about yours. So tell me…