Kinda like Twenty Questions, but takes half as much time.  So, interview time! Here’s my choice of questions and answers for one and all.

  1. What makes this particular genre you are involved in so special?

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a huge fan of fantasy and science fiction stories. My mom read The Hobbit to me and my brother and I just fell in love with it. I played D&D, watched every sci-fi movie and TV show, and always believed in magic. But it wasn’t until I discovered Interview with a Vampire that I realized romance had a place in the magical, paranormal realm.

 

  1. Over the years, what would you say has improved significantly in your writing?

Gosh, so much. I foolishly submitted my first novel without a lot of knowledge and experience. I just thought it was a good story and friends convinced me to start sending it out into the world. I think my chops at editing have greatly improved. Between the multi-levels of beta readers and my own six-step editing process, and let’s not get started on the hours of workshops and conventions and any other classes to improve, I feel like the finished project is much cleaner and I keep learning and working to improve each book.

 

  1. Did you ever think you would be unable to finish your first novel?

Finish? There were days when I did have my doubts. But only because it kept flowing, not because I lost ideas. Every time I thought I was reaching the end of the story, another twist would tap me on the should and demand stage time. Before I knew it, I had an unedited manuscript of almost 110K words! Who does this? At one point, when another tangent jumped into my mind, I had to step away from my laptop. I opted to start jotting down ideas in a completely different notebook if only to keep my mind focused on the current WIP. Once it was finished, I actually sat on it for years before getting up the nerve to send it out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right?

 

  1. Do you reply back to your fans and admirers personally?

I do! I make it my personal mission to respond to every comment on social media. Reviews? Well, I try not to read them as much as I used to, but I do like to say thank you. I believe it’s the only thing to do. A person took the time to seek me out and tell me whatever it was they did. It would be rude to disregard their efforts. As of now, it’s fairly easy since I’m still a new author and I don’t have thousands of raving fans. But I promised myself that I would always respond in some way to any reader, no matter how many. Each reader is so important and, being a reader myself before I stepped onto the other side of the page, I remember what it was like when my idol’s remarked on a comment I made.

 

  1. Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?

Only one. At the start of my first novel, Spirit Fall, we meet our heroine, Siobhan, as she stands on the ledge of a very high bridge in San Diego. It was not a good time in my own life. Things were piling up and getting out of control, and hope seemed distant and unattainable. In my defense, I didn’t actually stand on the ledge. But I did look over the side. In that abyss between the ground and my eyes, my story began. I imagined a strong hero, a Good Samaritan who stepped in and made everything better. The reaction was so visceral, I headed back to my car and began writing. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

  1. Did any of your books get rejected by publishers?

Oh dear heavens, yes. I’ve gotten the polite and the not-so-polite refusals. I had small press publishers at the beginning. I think because I had convinced myself that in order to be a real author, I had to have a publisher. The indie route terrified me. Plus, I didn’t know exactly what that meant.

But my publishing career with a publishing house didn’t go as I had hoped. A couple of them went bankrupt, one didn’t offer me what I needed, and a final one was just a bust.

Do I dream of having an agent and a PA to do all the marketing and such for me? Hell, yes. I’d be lying if I said no. But I do have lots of friends in the industry, many of whom are big names with agents and PAs and publishers, and even they tell me it’s no picnic. So until one of the Big 5 come knocking on my door with a six-figure contract and a movie deal in their hands, guess I’m just gonna keep doing it on my onesie.

 

  1. Which of your books took you the most time to write?

Aside from the one I’m working on right now? I suffered a bit of a slump a couple years ago. Oddly enough, it timed with the lockdown. Just like most others, the lack of interaction with people took a toll on my muse. I did hammer away on some short stories, but finishing a full-length novel just didn’t seem to be in the cards.

Spirt Out of Balance, which will be the fifth book in the Guardians series, will be releasing in fall 2025 and it took me nearly two years to get it done. But with three series and three different worlds swirling around in my head, it’s tough to decide whose story is next.

I do plan on returning to my sci-fi series as well as the latest installment in my urban fantasy. All I need is to find a way to add more hours into a day.

 

  1. Have you ever marketed your own books yourself?

Absolutely. In fact, I am in the process of creating an online store that will carry signed books, ebooks, swag, and all sorts of items. I’m hoping to have things up and running by summer, but that means I have to carve time away from writing to get all the products ready.

 

  1. Do you need to be in a specific place or room to write, or you can just sit in the middle of a café full of people and write?

Oh, I am an “I can write anywhere” sort of gal. My “office” is the corner of the couch in our living room, but I can squeeze in words everywhere. I even worked on a pesky scene while waiting for my name to be called during jury duty. The words will have their way.

 

  1. Do you often project your own habits onto your characters?

A little. I think of it more as taking aspects of my personality, and the personalities of people I know, and expand upon them. All my heroines tend to have an edge to them, just as I do. I’m not good being a girl. Sounds strange for a romance writer to say this, but it’s true. I don’t wear makeup unless absolutely necessary. 99% of my wardrobe is black, or some shade thereof. I live in jeans and T-shirts. I own four pairs of combat boots and about fourteen pairs of Converse.

But I do like the challenge of creating “girlie” characters. But my non-fighters aren’t weak.  They’re all strong, sassy, and independent. Oh, and I don’t think I’ve written a character that doesn’t drink coffee. I even found a way for coffee to exist in outer space. Have to give love to my vice.