1. What inspired you to write your first book?
This is an impossible question to answer because it really is the question: why create? I’m not sure any artist can explain what it is that drives them to create something from nothing. I know what it is not, however. We do not create for money or fame or accolades, although they are wonderful when or if they happen. I’ve just always been in love with story and characters and I wanted to write fiction. For me, it is simply that I cannot live fully without creating and writing is my medium. I think, really, there are certain people who cannot exist in any meaningful or content way without creating something from their hands and heart and intellect. Some write, some paint, some make music and so on, but it is the same yearning, the same need to be understood, to express, to emote, to examine, both for the creator and those around them. This is why I wrote my first book. This is why I write. This is who I am, without it I am adrift.
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2. Writing can be a difficult job, what inspires you to keep going?
It is difficult in that the business side of books is mysterious and ever changing. Especially now with so many publishing options, the market is flooded with books. How readers and writers find one another is complicated and tricky, and oftentimes frustrating for both of us. So yes, that part of writing is difficult. That said, when we find one another and I receive that note from a reader about something that moved them or they loved, it is the quintessential joy of every writer. To know I touched someone with something I created – there is almost no better feeling and it keeps me inspired on many dark days. Also, the creating of fiction, for me, is like breathing. The characters come to me and beg me to write their story. Sometimes I don’t have all the plot twists and turns figured out but they eventually come to me if I dedicate myself to a disciplined writing routine and allow myself to write, in the words of Anne Lamont, that shitty first draft. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s hard work but no harder than any other profession. There are days when it flows and days when it’s more of a struggle.
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3. What are you working on now? What’s next?
I’m currently writing the first of a new ‘collection’ set in a small town in Idaho, titled, “Blue Midnight”. It’s about a woman in her mid-forties, recently divorced, who sets out to find her long lost love. I’ve yet to name the fictional Idaho town, which will then name the collection. After I finish “Blue Midnight”, I’ve promised fans I will write the fourth book in the “River Valley Collection.” The main characters for “Riverlight” are the famous movie stars, Genevieve and Stefan, who we first meet in “Riverstar”. After that, I will write the follow up to Tea and Primroses, starring Sutton’s best friend Gigi. She’s in some trouble, as is hinted at in Tea and Primroses.
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4. What’s your writing process, schedule, or routine?
I write five to six days a week, usually from 10 until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. When I’m working on a first draft I write a minimum of 2500 words a day. Once the first draft is finished, I spend the time rewriting and editing, without worry over word count, simply focusing on remaining at my desk working diligently. On good days, I’m lost in the work and the hours slip by. On bad days when I’m either tired or distracted by life, I forge on, regardless. After seven books, I’m convinced that discipline means more than talent or luck. Regardless of where I am in the manuscript process, I call it, “Butt In Seat”. I’m trying to get it to trend on twitter. #ButtInSeat as a replacement to #amwriting.
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5. Who is your favorite book character of all time? Why?
Atticus Finch from “To Kill A Mockingbird”. He is so clearly depicted and is someone we can all aspire to be like – brave, compassionate, clear-minded and of his own free will instead of influenced by the culture or the crowd. And, he’s a great father. What could be better than that?
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6. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write every single day whether you want to or not, whether you have the plot completely figured out, whether you believe you have talent or not, and whether you think you have time. Just get your butt in the seat and write. Also, read writers that are better than you – reading as a writer, noticing craft, instead of just for pleasure. Notice what they do, how they do it, and then find your own voice and stories in which to do the same. Thirdly, invest time in either reading books about fiction writing or take workshops or classes. The fiction experts can help you learn craft. Whether you have talent or not won’t matter if you don’t take the time to study craft.
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7. What’s your favorite quote?
“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” ~ Buddha
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8. Who would you most like to have a cup of coffee with? (Dead or alive) Explain…
Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was the writer who first made me fall in love with fiction. I read her books dozens of times as a child and as an adult. I would just like to meet her and ask her a hundred questions. Hopefully it’s large cup of coffee.
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9. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Judgmental people who hide behind an ideology or dogma to decide something instead of looking at it with an open and compassionate heart and coming to their own conclusion. Oh, and political posts on Facebook.
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10. Tell us something quirky about you.
I can’t write if my desk is messy. The same goes for cooking. I cannot cook in a messy kitchen. Some call if OCD, some call it good housekeeping. You decide.
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11. Favorite comfort food?
Mashed potatoes!
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12. Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Trek, if I have to pick one. I’m not really interested in either. How about Downton Abbey or Star Trek? Downton Abbey!
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13. Sunrises or Sunsets?
This is a tough one but I’m going to go with Sunsets. The end of the day contains all that’s happened, including the memory of the sunrise.
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