Please start by telling us a little about yourself (education,
jobs, significant other, children, pets, etc.)
I retired from the US Air Force
last August, and since then I’ve been writing full time, and getting to be a
full time mom to. My husband is still in the Air Force, and we are currently
stationed in North Carolina, although I’d really love to get to be stationed
overseas one more time before he retires. We have five children all together,
three who are still living at home with us.
I began writing in 2010, and
self-published my first book in 2011. Since then I have released fifteen
titles. I write a mixture of YA, NA, and Romance.
Tell us about your latest New Adult book and what inspired
you to write it.
My current NA book is 10 Years,
and it is book five in my Time for Love series. Each book focuses on a
different couple, and I always knew that I wanted to show Gwen and Craig’s
relationship over a span of time. They are both the younger siblings of other
characters in the series, and I liked the idea of seeing everyone grow.
I focus on some heavy material in
this book, more so than the others in the series, and although I know some
readers may be turned off by the subject matter, I think it’s important to
write organically, and hopefully help someone who has dealt with a similar
situation.
I tend to do this in some way in
all of my books. I like to write about real situations, and real reactions to
those situations.
The New Adult genre is fairly new. What's your definition
of it? How does it differ from Young Adult or just regular Adult books?
I think New Adult is categorized
by the age of the characters. I’ve seen differing views on this, but in my
opinion, characters who are out of high school, which could be seventeen or
eighteen, all the way through their mid-to-late twenties. It’s that time in
your life where you are out of your parents home, and starting to discover who
you are. Suddenly, you are responsible for your own decisions, mistakes, and
successes, and you’re trying to find your place in the world. It’s an exciting
time, filled with angst, joy, and extreme emotions, which makes it really fun
to write.
Do you belong to any critique groups and/or do you have
other people read your work as you're writing it? Who's brutally honest and
who's a cheerleader? Which do you prefer?
I have a critique partner, someone
who reads my chapters as I write them. She is very honest and doesn’t shy away
from giving me her opinions, which I like. Then I have a group of people who
beta read for me, once the first draft is finished. They tell me whether or not
the flow of the story is believable, and what they do and do not like about the
characters.
What are your all-time favorite authors/books?
This is so hard, because I’m an
avid reader. I’ve always read Nora Roberts and Stephen King. Some of my new
favorites include: Kristen Ashley, Kristen Proby, Samantha Young, Karina Halle,
Dannika Dark, Tarryn Fisher, and Penny Reid.
Do you outline before you write or just dive head-first
into a manuscript? Do you maintain a schedule for writing, or is it
more haphazard?
I don’t have an outline, but I build stories in my head
months before I start writing, and will often jot down notes in various
notebooks. I don’t have a strict schedule, but I tend to like to write in the
morning, and save my evenings for family time.
Where do you do your
best writing? (Ex: desk in your office, public library, under a tree in the
park, in front of a Real Housewives
TV marathon, etc.) Do you like music or some other background noise, or do you
need quiet?
I change it up. Sometimes I’ll write at the kitchen table,
or at Starbucks, but usually I’m in my office at my desk. Sometimes I’ll have
music playing in the other room, so that I can hear it as background noise, but
it isn’t in the same room that I am. I can’t watch TV, or else I won’t get any
writing done.
What are the best and worst parts of writing a book?
I always love writing the big
emotional scenes, and the ending. The hardest tend to be the middle for me,
because I want to get to the big scenes, but I know that I have to include the
journey as well, and I don’t want to rush it.
When you're driving
and you have a sudden, brilliant idea for the new manuscript you're working on,
what do you do? (Ex: pull over and fire up the laptop, keep driving while
scribbling on a McDonald's bag, tell Siri, etc.)
I have jotted it down, did a voice text/note in to my phone,
and just prayed that I’d remember it when I finally stopped.
Imagine you have a whole day free for shopping. Where do
you go? (Mall, unique boutiques, flea market, antique shops, bookstore, home
improvement store, etc.)
Yay! I love to shop, Lol! I’m an
equal opportunity shopper. I enjoy the mall, outlets, and individual stores.
Some of my favorites are book stores, Lucky, Old Navy, and Kohls. Of course,
when I’m with my kids, I end up at American Eagle, Nike, Under Armour, Game
Stop, Claire’s, Hot Topic, or the Disney Store, depending on who I’m with.
What are the top 5
titles in your Netflix queue? (Be honest.) Or if you don't have a Netflix
queue, which books are on your bedside table? (Again, be honest.)
We are a little crazy with Netflix right now, which makes it
harder to write! We’ve gotten in to The Following, The Walking Dead, Gilmore
Girls, Parenthood, and American Horror Story. So we’re catching up on TV shows
that others have been watching for years.
Do you prefer to read
ebooks or print?
I read a lot more ebooks than print now, but I still love
having print copies of my favorites.
Where
is your favorite place in the world?
Italy.
Hands down. My husband took a trip there while we were stationed in Belgium,
and I’m dying to go back. We flew in to Venice, then took the train to Rome,
Florence, and Pisa, before flying back home. It’s a magical place, and the food
is fantastic!
Do you have any advice for people who want to write a book?
Don’t give up. Keep writing and
don’t be afraid to try new things. If you’re planning to publish, be prepared
to do a lot of work marketing, not just your book(s), but yourself. Try to avoid
negative reviews whenever possible, and don’t measure your success by the
success of others.
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