1. What inspired you to write your first book?
There were times when I was a child that I would stand in the doorway daydreaming – creating my own story and characters in my head- sometimes I was so involved in the internal story, I would lose my balance. My parents thought I was a very clumsy child.
All I know is that there are stories we love read or hear that entertain us and make us smile, but then there are stories that must be told. These stories live and breathe from our own consciousness. They write themselves from embedded memories, lost in a dark closet hoping someone opens the door.
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2. Writing can be a difficult job, what inspires you to keep going?
Writing doesn’t seem like a job to me. It is a gathering of friends. I love the characters. And even though I feel like I know them so well, they do surprise me at times. In this last book, Cinn shocked me with much of what she did and said. And Isaac, he is so admirable. I had tears in my eyes when he kissed Skye goodbye. But Ray was the most complicated. I hated him one minute and I felt sorry for him the next. He is the one that told me his bags were packed, they each had a story to tell, and I had to turn lose.
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3. What are you working on now? What’s next?
I am presently working on a historical fiction novel and so far I can say the main characters are very intriguing. John seems so business-like but he keeps his childhood toys hidden in the shed. There is much more to him than I first realized. And Elizabeth isn’t talking except to say don’t judge her too harshly when the blood flows.
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4. What’s your writing process, schedule, or routine?
Since I have to arrange my schedule around work, presently I am writing in the mornings before work and on the week-ends. But I only like to write in my office surrounded by my stuff which includes a troll doll, a clown, a dream-catcher, a doll I talk to at times, blood-red walls, a dvd player I use to watch art films, and lots of books.
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5. Who is your favorite book character of all time? Why?
I can’t say I have one favorite. I have many, but to keep from boring you, I’ll only name a few.
Vivian Bearing – Wit
Tom – Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Robert Neville – I am Legend
Hester – The Scarlett Letter
Annie Wilkes – Misery
All of these characters are victims whether that be from internal madness, racism, hatred, death, etc, but they rise to the occasion, not becoming a placeholder of being a victim, but instead they persevere. They are heroes. Even Annie Wilkes, as evil as she seems, does what she believes is right knowing she is opposing the norm – the sane. The characters have strength. They carry belief against all odds, and they have faith in the heart of humanity even as they grasp the hand of fate.
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6. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Read and read and read and then write and write and write. Everyday if you can. And study. And consider a good MFA program where you would learn about point of view, and character development, and plot, and etc. Overall, you would learn about yourself as a writer. Obtaining an MFA is not a prerequisite to be a writer but such a program would save you time and give you the confidence you need as a beginning writer.
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7. What’s your favorite quote?
Half my life is an act of revision.
– John Irving
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8. Who would you most like to have a cup of coffee with? (Dead or alive) 
Gertrude Stein – her abstract experimental avant garde work is a creative Mecca to draw from whether that be style, voice, or structure. What I wouldn’t give to have just sat in the corner during a Stein saloon with such incredible artists who attended at the time.
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9. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Narcissism
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10. Tell us something quirky about you?
I hate shoes. I love old black and white movies. Sometimes I think I love writing because I can delete the sentence and start over.
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11. Favorite comfort food?
Peppermint anything.
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12. Star Wars or Star Trek?
I love those light-saber swords, but Spock is my hero. Any guy with pointed ears and such a dry sense of humor deserves a fan base.
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13. Sunrise or Sunsets?
It would have to be sunsets. All the crazy shit in my life that populates my stories always happened after dark.
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