What pronouns do you use?
She/Her, thanks for asking!
How did you get started writing?
Like every author, I got my start writing by reading.
Getting lost in other times and places was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. You know the kids who trains themselves to read while walking without falling onto their faces or losing their places? Yeah, that was me. I always knew I wanted to be a writer, and throughout the years, I took various cracks at it. Those attempts were all pretty terrible. The trick to writing is to keep writing. It’s both that simple and that hard.
How long does it take you to write a book?
I can finish a romance in three to four months, depending on what’s going on in my life and in the world. A YA book can take up to a year or more because the plots are so much more complex and the books are so much longer. Then the book has to make a few rounds between my readers. It’s not unusual for me to be writing one book, doing revisions on a second book, proofreading a third and plotting the next one at the same time.
Did you sell the first book you wrote?
No. My first published book, a romance, was–wait, let me count–the tenth book I wrote. The first three books I wrote were how I learned to write. They were bad, but they got better with each book. No writing is a waste of time or lost cause. Even if a book fails, it’s still has value because of what you learned from writing it! I know that, if I hadn’t written those first terrible three books, I never would’ve figured out how to build a book. But that doesn’t mean anyone else should ever read them!
How many books have you written? When will the next one be out?
I think I’m close to fifty romances published now, either traditionally or self-published. Whew! I’m working on my YA books and I’m not sure when those will be out yet.
Where do you get your ideas? Are your characters based on real-life people?
I have what has been described as ‘an over-active imagination.’ While that wasn’t always a benefit in the classroom, now I appreciate it. I don’t base any of my characters on real people, but I do try to put my characters in real places–or places that could be real.
Can you introduce me to your agent and/or editor?
I wish I could, but it’s just not possible. If you’re just getting started with your writing journey, I recommend starting with Editors and Preditors, Query Tracker, and Writers Beware, as well as looking into a trade organization, such as Romance Writers of America. There’s a wealth of information out there. The best thing to do is write, write, write!
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