Frequently Asked Questions
When did you start writing?
I'm pretty sure I started writing in utero...but I don't have proof. LOL. Nah...I started writing in my journal when I was really young. Sort of making observations and writing my thoughts down. But I started writing fiction when I was about ten years old, mostly because I wanted to be just like my mom (who's a writer as well), my first short story was a mystery about a thief that breaks into a museum to steal a valuable diamond. And then I wrote another story about rat pirates and brothers that turned into dragons. Where they are? I don't know.
Then I started writing poetry when I was thirteen and stuck with that for a long time. Then when I turned eighteen I decided I wanted to be a novelist. My very first novel was titled Note to Self but it's currently out of print.
Where do you get your ideas from?
Everywhere. Anywhere. Anything. Anyone. Dreams. Songs. Clouds. Random things people say. When my children allow it, you will often catch me staring off into space trying to figure out what my characters are trying to tell me. Sometimes they say the funniest things. And yes...I will laugh out loud.
Do you have a writing routine?
I actually giggle every time someone asks me this question. I'm a stay at home mom to two little boys...there's no such thing as routine at least for me. Never had one to start with. Life is unpredictable and you should be able to roll with the punches. I write while my kids are napping. Or playing peacefully in the living room. I write while I cook. Sometimes I’ll take my notebook with me when I drop my son off at school and I’ll write while I’m in the parking lot and I do the same thing when I have to pick him up. Its 20-25 minutes of quiet time. So I steal little bits of time here and there until somehow I end up with a novel.
If you could give an aspiring writer any advice, what would it be?
Follow your heart when you’re writing. Listen to your editor. They’re there to help you, to make your manuscript shine. So don’t take it personally, they’re there to help you catch all of the mistakes and plot holes before it goes into print. And read your contract. Sometimes authors forget that publishing is a business. Once contracts, royalties and money are involved it’s all business. Learn as much as you can.
What are you working on that readers can look forward to next?
I just finished Ruby Frost (book #4 in The Frost Series) and I'm currently working on Zombie Ever After. It was supposed to be a comic book but since we weren't able to make it further along in the series I decided to turn it into a novel. I'm also working on a sci-fi novel.