Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
For many decades I worked as a regional sales manager for a Fortune 100 company. When the company was sold in 2002 and I was laid off that August, I had a lot of time to read while I tried to figure out what to do next. I clearly remember buying a paperback at the grocery store and coming home excited to have a new book. And then about a third of the way through it, I couldn’t stand any more. It was horrible. The plot and characters, the editing – everything was bad. In disgust, I tossed it in the garbage and offhandedly told my husband, “I can write better than that!” He shook his head and told me, “Then do it.”
I clearly recall frowning at him and thinking about all the books I read that I really didn’t like and thinking I probably could do better. But if I wrote something, what would I do with it? The thought of writing appealed to me and I started researching possibilities. And that research led me to one of the “NEW” online publishers that I had discovered recently from a friend’s recommendation. I had been reading my way through their catalog and the next time I logged in I noticed they had a manuscript submission section of their website.
So, I looked at the requirements and then sat down and started writing. Within a week I had the first three chapters. Which is what I needed to submit, thinking I’d finish the book in the next couple months while I waited to hear from them.
I got an email in two days requesting the rest of the manuscript. This was right at Thanksgiving time. I replied that I needed a couple of weeks to “polish” the book and sent them the rest right after Christmas. My book was accepted within a few days, and then went through months of back-and-forth revisions with the editors.
That
first book was Zylan Captive, it was originally published in June of
2003, and is still one of my best sellers – and is regularly listed
in Amazon’s top 50 in the relevant Sci/Fi and Fantasy categories.
At the end of December 2020, I released Vlad & Veronica, my
40th
book!
Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born in Oregon and grew up overseas. When I was 12, my family moved to Bougainville, New Guinea. We lived there for four years and I did correspondence courses for my schooling. (This was before the internet and online schools. It would take months to send assignments in the mail to teachers and get the corrected work and grades back!) My junior year in high school we moved to Singapore. Then back to Oregon my Senior year.
If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day? I would hopefully be near a beach and have my grandchildren with me. I love the ocean and love spending time with my grandchildren.
What do you do to unwind and relax? Go to the beach. Read in the hammock. Write.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less! Coffee-addict, dedicated, structured, imaginative, hippy-ish
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? A gecko. It hangs around on the ceiling in warm climates and just watches everything.
What are your top 10 favorite books/authors? I can’t really give you top ten… but JD Robb the In Death series, Christine Feehan all her books and series, and Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita and Merry books.
How long have you been writing? Since 2003
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book? This really depends on the book. For instance, for Let Them Eat Cake I did a great deal of research on Marie Antoinette and what her life was like. For UnDuplicated Magic I spent days reading about the Romani, Travellers, and the Nazi purge when it came to the Travellers or Gypsies. It may be something to do with a character, a time period, or something I want to know more about. Okay… more examples. Also, for Unholy Magic (part of Magic and Myth) I did a lot of research on Ute Indians. And for all the subseries, Children of the Dark Mage, I spent time researching and reading about cloning.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why? Sometimes music, more often the sound of waves. A specific character might demand music… Midnight in Midnight’s Mystery wanted old rock. Lots of Billy Idol or ACDC. But I typically write to YouTube Videos of the ocean and waves. When I can travel, my “writing” vacations are to the ocean. Because I find I am two or three times more productive if I am by the ocean when I write. I duplicate that with videos of ocean waves, tropical beaches, and the sound of the ocean. And… sometimes when things get complicated, the only thing that works is silence.
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time? Both. Sometimes I work one of the paranormals and one of the sci/fi fantasy. The primary book I will write three hours a day or 5000 words, the secondary book will only be for ½ an hour and no word count limit. Just enough to keep the story going. When a book gets close to the end, or I’m doing revisions and final edits, I only work on one.
A day in the life of the author? I’m up by 7:30. Take about half an hour to get coffee and take care of the dogs, etc. Then write for three hours on the primary book, ½ hour on secondary. Then an hour of housework, exercise… or something that requires me to move. 😉 Then three hours of “Author” stuff. Promotion (Social Media, creating promotional material like newsletters, participating in other multi-author promotions, etc.) and book housekeeping which often means checking or updating categories, blurbs, formatting and editing to put a book in print, research on author tools, creating and managing advertising… etc. An hour of personal management – bills, medical/insurance management, going through the mail, etc. Then another hour of something that requires me to move. More housework, projects like painting or gardening, I have a dancercise subscription that I move to. I make dinner, do laundry, and read, edit, or write more after dinner and check my list for the next day of what needs to be accomplished. This is a day that I don’t have grandchildren over, errands to run, or specific things that need to be taken care of. I go to bed from midnight to 2 am.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Write more, write faster, take writing classes, and keep abreast of the changes in the industry. Don’t be afraid of that change, move with it.
Do you believe in writer’s block? Yes. It comes. Sometimes nothing other than time will help. But I’ve learned to sit down and write about a character’s day. Do they smile at the neighbors, get coffee every morning, talk to the kid on the skateboard… or go through life without seeing anyone? Do they wear clothes they’ve always had, or ones they just bought? What is their favorite food, drink, color? Etc. I have mundane conversations with them. Getting to know them better. Sometimes these pieces get in the book, sometimes they don’t. I’ve also found that if I have been using the computer, I switch to pen and paper. And if all else fails… I take a bath and take the pen and paper with me. If I have writers block, a soak in a hot tub will always shake something loose.
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