What is your writing process like?
I would say that my writing process is more haphazard than most.
As a retired R.N. and professional counselor, where I wrote notes all day and needed to be concise, writing comes naturally.
Most authors have an office where all is quiet, and they plan and map out the story. I do not do this. As a Christian, I pray and allow God's guidance in what I will write. Often I dream of the beginning of a story, and I don't know where or how it will go. But God leads.
How do you come up with ideas for stories and characters?
I believe that all relates to my life experiences.
It's incredible, and I have no logical explanation except to say I am very spiritual and a dreamer.
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
When all goes vacant in my head, and the story stagnates.
To me, this means, leaving it, walking away, resting, and forgetting about it for a time until I feel refreshed to continue.
This may take a few hours or a couple of days.
I allow God's spirit to be my guide and give the go-ahead to continue.
How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?
There is no need to be upset with them; I take them as a learning process.
We are not robots (yet)... So as individuals, we all have our likes and dislikes.
I believe in taking all my reviews as constructive, and not as a putdown.
What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
To always remain positive, never negative.
How long have you been writing, or when did you start?
I have been writing since forced to retire due to a bad fall that affected me being able to run around a busy hospital emergency department.
Early into my second marriage, when my husband wasn't keen on me still working, I began writing a blog.
From there, somehow? My first book took shape.
What advice would you give writers working on their first book?
Don't be afraid.
Go to YouTube and learn as much as possible about being an author.
Then develop your own style and be original.
Don't be put off or think that it's beyond you.
Everything is hard to begin with, just like your first (car) driving lesson.
When you get the gist of what to do all will come naturally.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
As I have said, I often dream of the beginning and just know how it's to go..
It's a mystery to me.
The first book that I wrote began with me wondering what happened to the little girl of a friend of mine who was murdered.
It came to me to give this child a good life, so I wrote "Cherished Encounter".
This story goes into how and why the child's both parents were murdered in an Italian vendetta.
I give her two angels who guide and protect her through to adulthood.
How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?
I have written seventeen books so far.
As for my favorite, I think writing my husband's story as a Vietnam Veteran and his related P.T.S.D.
The story helped others to understand the sacrifices made by veterans.
Two wives have written to me about how it helped them with a better understanding.
What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing?
Much of it was hard to write.
He was killed in a road accident in 2022, and writing his story brought back all he suffered throughout his life.
What inspired the idea for your book?
As a retired medical professional, I realize that people without education do not understand how mental health affects the physical.
I made the story easy to read and understand from the layman's perception.
It is a story but also an education.
What was your hardest scene to write, and why?
Much of it was hard to write, and I cried a lot as I wrote.
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
I need quiet, so I switch my phone off not to be interrupted and diverted.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
Corrie Ten Boom, a World War Two victim of Hitler's concentration camps. She is now deceased.
This lady experienced much in her life. However, she comprehended all positively, becoming a wise vessel God used for good.
When was the last time you Googled yourself and what did you find?
It has been a while, and I have often been very surprised by what I have found.
Photos of myself at different ages gives me a smile.