1. What inspired you to write your first book?
Four Rubbings is the end result of a series of dreams/nightmares I had after purchasing a tombstone rubbing kit for my niece, the art student. I shared my dream with my sister-in-law, Stacy Hotes, and she encouraged me to write it down. I bought a blank notebook and began to document the dreams as they occurred, then wandered through cemeteries to find the graves the teens would rub.
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2. Writing can be a difficult job, what inspires you to keep going?
My oldest daughter, Ellie, was fourteen-years-old when I commited to writing Four Rubbings. My relationship with her had gone from extremely close to strained, and revealing my fears and excitement about writing a book brought us closer. She was my teen editor. We’d walk the streets of Kirkland and talk about storylines, the ways the friends communicated, the things the boys would be oblivious to, all that and more. Sharing the process with Ellie healed our relationship. I knew that if I actually sold a copy of the book, it’d only be icing on the cake compared to having my daughter back.
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3. What are you working on now?
I’ve spent the last five months focusing on the marketing of Four Rubbings and helping to support other indie authors. In the coming weeks, I will return to a regular schedule of writing again. My initial thought is to write book two of the stone witch series, the one that comes after Four Rubbings. But, I’m open to writing a gritty crime novel that sits waiting in one of my many notebooks.
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4. What’s your writing process, schedule, or routine?
I write from Monday-Thursday, from eight until noon, and edit from one to three. Fridays, I focus on marketing. If I have a blog post or piece of art in me, I blog or paint on Saturdays and in the evening hours.
Because my writing is dream-driven, I only write when I have new inspiration. If the inspiration isn’t there, than I know the idea isn’t ready to be put down in print – so I work on other, unrelated projects.
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5. Who is your favorite book character of all time?
Kaye Gibbons’ character Ellen Foster speaks to me on all levels. She’s a girl that had the bad luck to be born into a terrible family and when tragedy strikes, and strikes again, Ellen Foster stays positive, focused on the future and creates her own happy ending. I think all of us have an inner-Ellen Foster. Each one of us has a story of sadness and, God-willing, overcoming an obstacle. Ellen Foster reminds me to quiet myself and listen to the stories of others, learn from their hardships and help them to succeed.
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6. What advice would give to aspiring writers?
Your voice is unique – in spite of what your internal governor says, embrace it. My example is this. Imagine staring out into a crowd of people from a podium. Each person out there has a slightly different view of you, each viewpoint is unique to them. So, get over the hurdle of thinking that your voice isn’t worthy of sharing. It is. You are the only one that can tell a story your way. So, get out that pen and write it your way.
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7. What’s your favorite quote?
Well, because I’ve had such fun watching my Seattle Seahawks work toward a Super Bowl appearance this year, I’ll choose their team motto: “We all we got.”
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8. Who would you most like to have a cup of coffee with?
Forget coffee, I’d clink glasses with Oprah. Make mine a gin and tonic. Oprah’s the ultimate life-long-learner. She’s done more for books and bookselling than anyone else in my lifetime. Her book of the month club shines a light on novels that might’ve otherwise died of obscurity. I’m grateful Oprah’s here to remind all of us to read daily, discuss it with others and then read some more.
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9. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Tall white vans. I don’t know if I was abducted in one in another lifetime, but they scare the crap out of me. I’ve done some wild maneuvering on the roads to avoid having them in front of me.
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10. Tell us something quirky about you.
I love clean white socks. I have maybe thirty pairs in my top drawer right now. I will sometimes change my socks twice in the same day. They make me happy. Fricking weird, I know.
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11. Favorite comfort food?
My stepdad, Michael Prudhomme, makes a mean gumbo. He’s a second cousin or something of Chef Paul Prudhomme, and I grew up with some amazing food.
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12. Star Wars or Star Trek?
Ohh, I’ll take Star Trek, modern Captain Kirk (licking lips).
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13. Sunrises or Sunsets?
I’ve never lived in a place where I can see sunrises easily, so sunsets.
This is my art loft where I do all my writing. That’s Opal Storm on the chair next to me. He’s a rescue cat that we all still call the kitten, even though he’s as big as a medicine ball.
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