What is your writing process like?
I immerse myself in the world I create. I live in two realities when writing: the world around me and the one I'm creating. I enjoy putting myself in these worlds to see how it develops. Once I get a good draft (usually after a few rounds of rewrites and feedback from beta readers), I pull back to do revisions. It typically takes me 18-24 months to write a book from the initial rough draft to publication. I don't rush, because I'm dedicated to research, development, and creating the best story and world possible.
How do you come up with ideas for stories and characters?
Everywhere! Real life is the inspiration, and anything can feed it, from my personal experiences to things I hear from friends and family, and that I overhear randomly. Even what I read and watch on TV can feed the muse. As for characters, they're typically a combination of traits from people I know or interact with on a day-to-day basis.
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
It means that I've drained the well, and it's time to take a break. Writer's block doesn't worry me too much, because I've been writing long enough to know that the muse will return when it's had a chance to rest and find new inspiration. I see it as an opportunity to take a new look around me, and check out some new things, like reading or watching TV shows in different genres than I usually do.
How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?
The important thing I had to learn about negative reviews is how to discern what kind of review it is. Is it a matter of actual deficiencies, in which case I can use it as an opportunity to learn and improve my work in the future? Or is it that the reader wasn't an ideal match for my work, or perhaps didn't see what was intended in it? That's also an opportunity to clarify my writing. But I have had some cases where people were just being mean, and my sales increased. I guess other readers either didn't agree or wanted to see what that was all about! Negative reviews are tough and definitely give you a gut punch, but you can learn from them - and sometimes benefit from them!
What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
Writing the rough draft. It's the most intense part of the creative process. Another tough part is doing rewrites after I get back my beta reads, because I often find more things to fix once I start addressing the issues the beta readers identify, which means massive rewrites to my creation.
How long have you been writing, or when did you start?
I've been writing my entire life. I would draw pictures in my books before I could read and write to create stories. I thought everybody did that until Mom started teaching preschool, and was shocked when she got out some of my old books for her class plans and they were full of drawings and "extras" to the stories! I "officially" started writing for publication when I got my first personal computer in 2001.
What inspired the idea for your book?
Broken Time was inspired by my struggles with anxiety disorder post-pandemic. I lost my Dad to complications with lung cancer in August 2020 and had a tough time coping with grief and the topsy-turvy post-COVID world in 2021. Broken Time helped me process the big question "what if you could move through time and change things?" That was the toughest novel to write. It required a lot of research in theoretical physics, many rewrites, and a lot of struggle to balance the characters with a big story. But I loved it, and am proud of what I created in it. I hope others can relate to it.