My writing process is long and slow. I will think of an idea, then sit on the idea for a while (like two-three years), during that time I start formulating characters, sub-plots, messages I want to share, setting, and more in my head. After that, I start outlining the plot, finding "models" for my characters and taking pictures of locations for settings. If there is research to be done, I do that during this time, until finally, I sit down and start writing the story.

I draw my inspiration from many different places: books I’ve read, television shows I’ve watched, movies from my past, playing with my grandsons, taking my dog on walks, and going to plays, I can be just about anywhere or doing anything and an idea will pop into my head. Most of my characters have elements of myself, people I know, or characters I have read about or watched. For example, my character, Julie, is a combination of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jennifer Garner’s character on Alias, and Harry Potter. Both of my grandsons inspired the characters Jake and Jamie Porter in my not yet published MG fantasy, “The Witches of Wickerville,” which I came up with while watching them when they were younger watching an outdoor performance of “Macbeth.”

I don't believe in writer's block. Maybe it's because I have so many ideas going on in my head, that I can freely move to something else if I get stuck on a story line. I always have two or three books going on at the same time, and I have a folder of over twenty ideas.

The most difficult process for me is time. I am a high school history teacher, and coach track and field and cross country. So I work 10-12 hours a day and up to 16 hours on meet days. Besides that, I really dislike the editing process. I know it’s necessary, but it is tough to stay focused!

Always an avid reader and daydreamer. I began playing with the idea of writing in 4th grade. I wrote my first story, a superhero story in class. Next, I began taking writing more seriously, creating poetry and a cowboy adventure inspired by Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns, during my junior and senior years in high school. While in my twenties, I wrote two comedic screenplays: "A Twist of Fate," and "The Boys in the Mailroom." A Twist of Fate was being looked at by a local company before it went under. Both stories have since been lost. Fast forward to 2005, I was a freshman in college (I was also 41 years old at the time), and I began formulating this idea. It became the backbone of my "The Heart of Seras" series, which includes "Journey to Seras," "The Elders," "Revelation," and "The Dark Warrior." Journey to Seras and The Elders are both available as audiobooks.

The advice I give most often is, don’t throw anything away. I wish someone would have told me that a long time ago. I wrote a bunch of stories in my late teens and early twenties and thirties I wish I still had. Other than that, don't give up! It's a long and sometimes painful experience, but so worth it in the end.

I have written seven books. One self-published poetry book, "Love, Pain, and Other Things;" four out of my scheduled six YA fantasy series have been published, "The Heart of Seras;" an unpublished MG fantasy, "The Witches of Wickerville;" and an unpublished adult fiction book. I am currently writing book five of my YA fantasy series. This title is "Into the Abyss." I am also writing a murder/thriller novel, "The Lies We Tell." Picking a favorite is difficult, like picking a favorite child. But, my first book, "Journey to Seras" is the one that opened everything up for me.

That is another difficult question...living, I would say Dan Brown. I really enjoyed listening to his Masterclass. If we're talking about any other living or dead, either JRR Tolkien or Vladimir Nabokov. I respect both as writers in different genres and their styles and processes fascinate me.