? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
Paid jobs or the thankless unpaid ones we all do for our families? LOL!
Like many of you, I’ve worn many hats in my day. Highlights include: waitress, dog walker, house cleaner, receptionist, customer service rep, appraisal coordinator, loan officer, loan processor, underwriter, sales manager, regional manager, and lastly a Realtor and property manager (those two were right before I started writing).
? How long does it take you to write a book?
Actual time to write and polish a book is about six months, I’d say. Lately I haven’t been writing like I should be, but more focused on publishing and marketing aspects of the job.
? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Umm… the tense I write in? (which is present tense) Honestly, I don’t know if I have any real quirks.
? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
Read the previous day’s work and possibly further back, to re-immerse myself in the story and the point I need to pick up at. That usually means I edit along the way, too, so it’s win/win for me.
? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
Everywhere – the people around me, personalities I meet on Facebook, movies, other good books. It’s not that you see or read something and copy it, so much as what you are exposed to triggers a chain reaction of thoughts that can inspire a turning point in your story or another concept you’d like to expand on in a new work.
? How do you decide what you want to write about?
I write what I like, be it vampires, werewolves, sex, sci-fi, an adventure book for my kids… whatever it is, it will more than likely carry aspects of things I like personally in my life.
? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?
Great question! When I was growing up it wasn’t like today with the plethora of kids and young adult books. The first book that really made an impression that I recall was when I was 12. Jack London’s Call of the Wild. I loved animals and the story sprang to life in my mind, it was like watching a movie in my head.
? What are you reading right now?
Boone Brux’s debut novel, Shield of Fire. If I had to use one sentence to describe her rich fantasy world with a romance I’d say it was like reading a combination of JRR Tolkien and Nora Roberts. Highly recommend it to fantasy fans.
? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I like to avoid cooking (I like to do lazy cooking, meaning easy dishes), cleaning, and most especially, the laundry. I swear, if I ever get rich the first thing I’m doing is hiring a laundress. For fun, I like to read, soak in tub, walk the dogs, play games with my kids (assuming they aren’t driving me crazy on that afternoon), volunteer with my daughter’s girl scout troop. Oh, and have sex with my husband. Am I allowed to say that? :-O
Hey, if he cooks and cleans up and manages to throw a load of laundry in, I get hot for him. Surely I can’t be the only one who feels that way?
? What is your favorite comfort food?
Mashed potatoes
? What do you think makes a good story?
Action, twists, characters you can relate to, and sex. Just like life!
? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?
It is too hard to pick just one. For different reasons, I really enjoy the following authors: Jim Butcher, Keri Arthur, Jenna Black, Kim Harrison, Laurell K Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Christopher Moore, P.N. Elrod, Tanya Huff, and Patricia Briggs.
Fun random questions:
- dogs or cats? Both! But I have a new allergy to cats, so it’s got to be dogs for the rest of my life.
- Coffee or tea? Coffee, but I like tea, too. And I’m a pariah in the writing world for this—I only do de-caf.
- Dark or milk chocolate? Dark! If I want milk in my chocolate and I’ll drink it whilre having my dark dessert ;-)
- Rocks or flowers? Ummm… if the rock is a diamond then sign me up for rocks. If it’s a plain old rock I’ll take some flowers, please. Preferably sunflowers.
- Night or day? In my youth I’d have said night. My children’s butt-crack of dawn wake up calls combined with my inability to convince my husband only one of us needs to get up and it should be him, means I am now a day person.
- Favorite color? Red
- Crayons or markers? Depends on my mood, most days I’d say “Hand me the Sharpie!”
- Pens or pencils? Interesting questions, again depends on the job, but I’d say primarily pens.
Keep reading...blurbs for books one and two:
