What is your writing process like?
I make a detailed outline of the storyline before I begin. As I write, the story tends to evolve, so the outline undergoes many revisions.
How do you come up with ideas for stories and characters?
The characters tend to be composites of people that I know or have known in the past. The stories are often drawn from real-life events. But they have presented themselves in my dreams.
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
There is no such thing as "writer's block" if you refuse to accept the term. If I reach a point where the writing becomes difficult, I write anyway. On rare occasions, what I write is pure gold. Usually what I write during my "blocked" stage is pure garbage--but that can be edited later. Either way, I get past the difficult part and continue writing.
How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?
A review is a review. Even negative reviews are hard to come by. Not everybody is going to like my writing style or the genres that I write. So there are going to be negative reviews. When I see negative comments, I consider whether I can use their feedback to improve my writing style.
What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
Resisting "reasons" to procrastinate. I have MANY varied interests and I can easily find something else to do when I should be writing.
How long have you been writing, or when did you start?
I started writing in primary school. I would write my stories in longhand and the pages would be passed around by my fellow students.
What advice would you give writers working on their first book?
Write. Make a commitment to finish what you have started. If you will commit to writing at least 500 words a day, you can have a completed novel in less than a year.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
I use a spreadsheet to list the plot (sometimes including dates and times to keep events in chronological order.) Also on that spreadsheet, I list my characters with their likes, dislikes, physical attributes, etc., etc. Not everything in the spreadsheet goes into the story, but it gives me better insight as to how the characters will react in each situation.
How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?
I have written six books (five of which are published.) My favorite is "Five Million Reasons" because I fell in love with the quirky main character.
What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing?
I always have the most difficult time when my characters are alone. When they are not interacting with other characters, the pace is slow--my writing is slow.
What inspired the idea for your book?
"Five Million Reasons" was inspired by a dream. The main storyline was there when I awoke. I only needed to fill in the details.
What was your hardest scene to write, and why?
I had a difficult time writing the scene where the silo crashed and nearly killed the main character. Because of past personal events, I found it too easy to understand her attitude when she just lay there, not caring if she lived or not.
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
All I need is a comfortable seat and my laptop. My computer goes everywhere with me and I write whenever I have the opportunity.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
I would love to spend the day with Robert A. Heinlein. His science fiction and fantasy books are classic literature.
When was the last time you Googled yourself and what did you find?
A Google search for me will usually return a reference to "Backup Magic" or "The Defeater." No, those aren't books. I gained some minor fame writing programs for an older eight-bit computer back in the mid-nineties.