What is your writing process like?
I'm not a disciplined writer at all, so my process is messy. I generally begin with an idea or a character knocking at my skull demanding a story. Then I start writing. I write in fits and starts, so after a break, I'll review what I last wrote, correct any egregious errors, and continue. That goes on until the story ends, at which time I'll set it aside for a few days to let my mind rest. Then I go back to the manuscript and begin the self-editing process.
How do you come up with ideas for stories and characters?
Sometimes a story will arise from a "what if" question. Other times, it comes from a minor character in an earlier book demanding his or her own story. And sometimes something else will spark the idea that I need to develop. Again, I'm not terribly disciplined about the creative process.
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
I don't believe in writer's block. What I do believe in is a dry well. I think of creativity as a well. If it's drawn from too much or something disrupts the flow into the well, then the well runs dry and time is needed for it refill. I've had two major periods of "dry well" with regard to creativity. One lasted nearly 20 years. Life, work, and other concerns took priority. The other was caused by burnout compounded by grief due to a family tragedy.
How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?
Depending on how brutal the negative review is, I may simply absorb the sting and let it go, or I might fume for days about the clueless reader who just doesn't appreciate what I wrote. I have noticed that the longer I write and publish, the less impact those negative reviews have on me.
What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
The most challenging part of the writing process depends on what I'm writing. Sometimes it's figuring out how to keep a story going, especially when I write my protagonist into a corner. Other times it's the self-editing and proofreading parts. I'm terrible—absolutely terrible—at proofreading my own work.
How long have you been writing, or when did you start?
I started writing stories when I was a little girl in grade school. I continued to write, submitted short stories to magazines, received mostly rejections, and advanced to writing novels. In my early 20s, I was suckered by a vanity press which produced my first book which should never have seen the light of day. (No, I won't tell you the title.) That publisher went bankrupt owing me royalties, but I persevered and eventually self-published a book in 2014. Since then, I've produced around 30 books.
What advice would you give writers working on their first book?
Write the story you want to read. It's that simple and that difficult.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
I don't. Most characters spring into my mind fully formed, rather like Athena emerging fully formed from Zeus' mind. As I write the story, the characters reveal themselves to me and to the reader.
How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?
The number of books I have written exceeds the number of books I have published. (Trust me, those early manuscripts do not deserve to be read.) If you count the number of books I've published, there are 33 of them, including two short stories. As for my favorite, that's always the latest book, SINGLE STROKE.
What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing?
The hardest part of writing my latest book, SINGLE STROKE, was not making the heroine or the hero cookie cutter copies of past protagonists in the other books of the Triune Alliance Brides series.
What inspired the idea for your book?
This is one of those stories arising from secondary characters demanding their story be told.
What was your hardest scene to write, and why?
The hardest scene to write was the encounter on Kaan-shar with the Ahn'hudin emperor and his entourage.
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
I typically retreat to the living room with my laptop and listen to music while I write. Writing there instead of in my office makes it seem less like work.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
I have no idea.
When was the last time you Googled yourself and what did you find?
I don't Google myself.