I have always loved writing. I have journals full of stories and the laments of a little girl from the time I was old enough to write. I wrote horror for quite a while as a teen and then bad poetry in college. I took a break from writing after college so I could see the world and “gain life experience”. That was the biggest mistake I ever made. If you are going to write, always write. The experience will come and you will be a better writer for it.
What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?
I had a tree house as a little girl. I remember taking books up there to read when the weather was good. I remember loving Harriet the Spy and A Wrinkle in Time. I also remember running out of things to read and not being able to get a ride to the library one summer, so I took The Complete Works of Shakespeare up there. It’s funny what you’ll push yourself to read when you are hiding from your mother and her list of chores.
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
I love to read all genres. I struggle with fantasy (funny huh?) if the world is too complicated. I have to be able to jump right into a book and feel like I’m part of the story.
What is your favorite book?
This is a trick question. There are about five million books tied for first today. But if I randomly had to pick a book I love, today I’d say The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. I recently reread this book and loved it all over again. For something more contemporary, I also read All the Truth That’s in Me, by Julie Berry, and absolutely loved it. Both of those women are experts at writing tension and keeping their readers on the edge of their seats.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
As I said above, this has to be a trick question. When I think of collective works, I’d have to say my favorite authors are probably (because I’m not going to pick just one) Madaline L’Engle, Neil Gaiman, Tolkien, Lois Lowry, and Cate Tiernan. Why? World building. Every single one of these authors is an amazing world builder. I can get lost in their stories and characters and forget myself and my problems any time I want. And isn’t that the goal of any good writer?
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?
Some people might think this is crazy, but I would have loved to live through the 1800’s. Maybe even on the American frontier. I’ve always loved stories from that era, the birth of the industrial revolution, trains, horses, ships, the world waking up from a long dusty dream.
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?
Writing is difficult no matter who you are. If anyone tells you any different, they aren’t writing quality work. Unless you’re Hemingway: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
I have a ton of allergies, but I love animals, so I have to chose carefully. Otherwise we’d probably live on an ark overflowing with fur babies! Right now I have chickens, a fluffy inside dog, two outside cats— complete killers— and we just got a parakeet today. His name is Charlie the Unicorn.
What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
Thai food. Weird, huh? But I just don’t find it very often, especially not good Thai food. Fix me up with some green curry and coconut milk... yum!
Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?
Read and write every day. If you aren’t reading you can’t write. If you aren’t writing, you’ll never be an author.
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