Can
you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about
yourself and how you became an author?
I
am a mom, military wife, dog and rabbit mom, who is a geek at heart.
I love puns, lists, and spreadsheets, but hate outlining with a
passion. I've played D&D since the third grade.
It
was soon after I started playing D&D that I dictated (to my
younger sister) my first book. It was a D&D romance. Thankfully,
no copies have survived.
Not
long after, I discovered Alan Dean Foster and Piers Anthony. They
each had a book that made me cry. In a good way. They both made me
to view the world differently. I wanted to be able to do the same.
I
went through a long period of wanting to be an author, but not
actually doing any writing. It is far easier to day dream about
writing than to do it. The story is perfect in my head. Not so
perfect on the page.
When
I hit a milestone birthday, I decided it was now or never. I was
going to stop the random hobbies ( like painting, making jewelry,
etc) and focus on writing.
I
started to write consistently from that point forward.
What
is something unique/quirky about you?
I
am far more enthusiastic and vocally original than is appropriate for
my age.
For
example, my friend and I were going through the Mc Donalds drive thru
because we wanted ice tea. We decided to get cookies.
When
the man at the window handed over the still warm cookies, I may have
raised my hands and exclaimed, "cookies!"
Where
were you born/grew up at?
I
was born in New Jersey. Not on the shore, but somewhere in the
middle. I moved to the midwest as a teenager. Nothing like high
school peer pressure to eliminate a jersey accent. :)
What
do you do to unwind and relax?
I
may hide in the bathroom from the kids/hubby to binge read romances.
Don't tell them.
How
to find time to write as a parent?
I
think it depended on how old the kiddos were.
As
a first time mom, I had planned to do Nanowrimo right after my
daughter was born. I know you are shocked that it didn't happen.
A
few years later my son was born in November. I again started
Nanowrimo and had every intention of completing it. Yeah, not so
much.
I
was mad at myself for not being able to write those first years.
Sleep schedules for a newborn and a two year old took so much energy.
There wasn't anything left to be creative. Things got better when I
stopped judging myself.
As
they got older and I was able to do more non kid things, it became
slightly easier to carve out time to write. It wasn't much time at
first, but it got bigger and bigger.
I
started figuring out tasks that I could do in the small pockets of
time. Ten minutes? I could figure out character names or play the
what if game on a story idea.
Every
action, no matter how small, got me closer to writing 'the end.'
And
as my kids wanted to play with their friends instead of me, I could
find more time.
Describe
yourself in 5 words or less!
Dorky,
pun-loving, introvert
When
did you first consider yourself a writer?
I'm
still waiting for that to happen. ;) Writers, as a general rule, are
overrun by imposter syndrome. I try to focus on picking
tasks/projects that help me get stories completed. I hope, with time,
I will feel comfortable calling myself a writer.
As
a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
I
would want some sort of dragon or small flying mythical creature.
In
fact at a recent Ren Fest, I found a creature that I really love that
fit the bill. Willow.
She
has butterfly wings, four legs, furry body with a furry tail, and a
lizard like face with moth ears. She is a bit goofy/ugly, but she's
got a story she hasn't told me yet.
What
inspired you to write this book?
I
had a dream about a team of people leaving the jungle and breaking
into a crumbling building. Inside was alien tech. I could tell they
were desperate, but I had no idea why they were there, except they
had to find a Relic.
They
managed to turn the machine on and after a flash of light and rumble,
an 80's aerobics instructor popped into existence.
At
that point I realized I had to write the story just to find out what
in the world was going on!
Do
you have any “side stories” about the characters?
I
do! I have a prequel about the bad gal Ravenne. It is in the middle
of editing right now.
I
also have the seed idea for why Falcon's Folly – a place the crew
goes to a number of times in the trilogy - got it's name.
Who
designed your book covers?
I
worked with Kelly at
https://www.kelphotography.net/design-services.html
She
did the cover art for all three books. She has been a photographer
for almost twenty years, and ventured into cover design and virtual
assistant services in 2018.
Did
you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
The
most recent book I completed was the last book in the Relic Trilogy.
I learned that ending a trilogy was hard. I was so worried about
getting it correct for each character.
It
also didn't help me that I had a very strong image of the ending.
Which would have been fine, but it didn't actually work. I had to
give up that image in order to work out the real ending.
Do
your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have
the reigns of the story?
Oh
the characters take over. Simon and Matilda didn't start off being
special, but then in a scene they showed the first hint of backstory
and secrets.
It's
always my own curiosity that gets the better of me. So I end up
exploring what they are talking about to see if it could be worked
into the story.
I
knew the end (mostly) of the book and these discoveries didn't change
the trajectory.
Have
you written any other books that are not published?
I
have focus issues. I hop between books and have at least four books
in various states of edits.
Thorn
of the Rose which is the second book in the Merged series is going
through line edits.
The
third book in that series is starting a first draft.
I
have the prequel to the Relic Trilogy about half way done.
Fun
Facts/Behind the Scenes/Did You Know?'-type tidbits about the author,
the book or the writing process of the book.
I
started writing this trilogy in the second book. The book was based
on a dream, but I was missing so much info. I had to go back and
write the first book and even figure out how Ravenne got to the
planet before I could finish it.
I
had an end scene that popped in my head early in the writing that if
I told you would ruin the ending. I REALLY wanted the trilogy to end
that way, but it just didn't work. I was half tempted to create an
alternate ending version. It's a very Hollywood visual.
Do
the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them
come to you as you write?
I
generally start with one or two characters and a scene. And a vague
gist on what is going on and where it is going.
The
rest of the characters show up on the page as I write. Sometimes they
take up too much space and I have to back them off, but sometimes
they reveal something about themselves that is actually very helpful
for the story line.
Do
you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I
prefer silence or just music. I have a bad habit of singing along
when I listen to music. That's way too distracting.
I
also like the background noise of a coffee shop or in a restaurant.
Then I might listen to the music playing and not be as distracted by
it.
Do
you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I
have several books going at a time. I tend to pop between books.
Right
now:
Horizon
Lost – The Ravenne prequel to the Relic Trilogy – needs the
second half
Thorn
of the Rose – The second book in the Merged series after Book of
Secrets is in line editing
Feather
– The third book in the Merged series. I have an opening scene with
Wren and his sister.
Play
the Game – a serial I have a concept for female robinhood sci fi.
Pen
or type writer or computer?
Computer.
Although I have been known to use a huge piece of paper for
brainstorming.
Advice
they would give new authors?
Know
yourself and try everything (people with the right age kids may now
have the image of a bunny cop)
There
is so much advice out there. Even if it worked for the person saying
it, that doesn't mean it will work for you.
Does
the thought of writing an outline for a story make you want to barf?
Then don't do it, find a different plotting method that appeals to
you. Try the flashlight method for example.
Keep
trying. Try everything.
This
is not going to be an easy road (for most), but if you know yourself
and what works for you, that will help immensely.
Also
– if you hear advice that there is only 'one' way to write. Ignore
it, unless that way happens to be the way you think, then dig in. :)
What
is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do
you do the chapters first?
I
generally have a scene come to me. There's a character with a
situation. I may daydream about the situation exploring it.
Then
I like to fast draft. Get the ideas all out on the page.
I
have an editor I work with to take the steaming pile of junk and find
the bones of what was cool about the draft.
And
then edit. Oh the editing. The chapter break out comes out in this
step.
Do
you believe in writer’s block?
For
me writer's black has to do with me unconsciously recognizing that my
conception of what has to happen doesn't actually work. I have to
talk the whole thing through. Once I get better alignment the words
flow better.
