Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Southern California Native, who lives in San Diego with my husband, teenage son, and Toy Australian Shepherd. My eldest son is a US Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan. I began writing in my spare time for fun. It was a hobby that scratched a creative itch in an exciting and challenging way.
My muse (a feisty little thing) pushed, prodded, and pressured me to start writing. Not wanting to anger my muse, I wrote a few children’s books, a screenplay, a young adult novel (that was way too long) and made a few false starts on a few books, which I never completed. With a full-time job, kids, and a husband my time to write is limited. I find the early morning, 4:30 am to be the best time to listen to my muse and write with no interruptions. My love of Teen/YA books and my sons’ obsession with video gaming and comic book characters sparked the seed for Combat Boy, a Teen/YA sci-fi, fantasy series. (Two books so far), Combat Boy and the Monster Token and Combat Boy and the Lord of Monster Realm. The tone of the series is playful, and humorous with strong moral undertones, as it highlights a boy who strives to do well by others and whose downfall is his self-serving brother. Think: Night at the Museum meets Comic-Con with monsters and a cosmic twist.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is Combat Boy and the Lord of Monster Realm and it’s part of a series. There are a few things that inspired me to write this series. First, my love of Teen and Young Adult books. However, before I began writing it, I couldn’t help but notice that a lot of popular Teen and Young Adult books were very dark. Like The Hunger Games, where kids kill kids for sport, or Twilight, a hundred-year-old vampire hot for a teenage girl. You know what I mean. Well written books, but pretty dark stuff in my humble opinion. Not only that, but at the time, the world was in a very dark place too; two wars, natural disasters unlike anything we’d seen before, and a huge economic meltdown. All that negativity made me want to go in the opposite direction and write something lighthearted. For me, writing is like meditating, and I didn’t want to meditate on dark, negative stuff for hours, days, weeks, months, and years. It would have made me miserable. No. I wanted to escape into a fun, exciting and humorous world where I’d find some happiness.
Second, my inspiration grew out of my desire to help reluctant readers. Computers and smartphones bring a broad range of high-energy entertainment to children and young adults at breakneck speed. They love it; can’t get enough of it. Videos, movies, and video games are here to stay. The problem is, it’s not always easy to find books for children and young adults that keep their focus or interest as a video game can. Young and reluctant readers will put aside a book if it’s bogged down with lengthy, overly wordy, or boring descriptive paragraphs. They will keep reading if the writing is fast-paced, tight, and visual. I am a very visual thinker, so I decided to make it my mission to write for reluctant readers. If my writing pulls a reluctant reader in and holds their attention, it will do the same for all types of readers. Best of all, a reluctant reader is only reluctant until he or she finds that fun, fast-paced story that changes them into an eager reader. That’s my goal. I want to create that kind of transformative magic with my writing. And from what fans are saying about Combat Boy and the Monster Token, it’s got that fast-paced, attention holding mojo.
Right now, I have at least five or six books lightly outlined in my mind. Yes, I outline in my mind (A kid goes into Monster Realm and has to come out with his soul) that’s the extent of my outlining. What happens in-between is a mystery to me, until I write it. I love that. Why? I want to be surprised, just like you do. I don’t want to get locked into one idea, plot, or formula. To me, that would be totally boring. I like it when the plot heads in a new direction because a character says or does something unexpected. Sometimes it’s frustrating, but mostly, I just go with the writing flow and enjoy the ride.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The most unusual writing habit that I have is to put myself into a hypnotic trance. Self-hypnosis is something I’ve used ever since high school. In tenth grade, I got a book on self-hypnosis hoping it would help me do better on tests. And to my surprise and great relief, my test scores in Math, Science, and English drastically improved.
Self-hypnosis is like casting a magic spell on yourself. No, it’s better than that because you don’t need any strange potions or supernatural incantations. Anyone can do it. All you need is a brain, good intentions, positive thoughts and a fair amount of focus. It’s an excellent tool. And over the years, I have found it works especially well with writing. Once I’m in a hypnotic trance, I tell myself to listen to my muse and let go of all the other noise cluttering my mind. It can take me a few minutes to get centered, but once I’m grounded and in a deep, hypnotic state, I relax and let the images and words flow into me. Bam! That’s the sweet spot. That’s when I’m in the realm of creation where hours pass like minutes and ideas stem from a river of infinite goodness that’s beyond my comprehension. I feel like a kid in a candy store with a gift card that has no limit. It’s my happy place, a wonderful escape from the stress and the struggles of the real world.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a child the books that influenced me the most were Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl and Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. In my twenties, I couldn’t get enough of Dean Koontz’s suspense thrillers or Orson Scott Card’s work. In my thirties, I loved Robert R. Mc Cammon’s books and Pat Conry’s stories. In my forties, I was reading every Teen and Young Adult book; I came across. Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment by James Patterson and Runner by Carl Deuker, were very influential. As for nonfiction, my top pick would have to be M. Scott Peck’s The Road less traveled, and People of the Lie.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on promoting my books, Combat Boy and the Monster Token and Combat Boy and the Lord of Monster Realm. As soon as I get a handle on the marketing, I plan on finishing my third book, Combat Boy and the Scuttlers’ Portal. I want to step out of my comfort zone and push myself as a writer on this book. I want to do things I’ve never done before with the structure of the story and possibly its point of view. Er! Just thinking about it scares me. Seriously, my heart is pounding in my chest, and a lump is forming in my throat. Why write if it’s so scary? Well, I am a glutton for punishment who likes conquering fears. Also, it makes me have a deeper connection with my protagonists as they battle monsters and overcome their fears. Not only that, but I’d feel too guilty if I let my fears get the best of me and just stopped writing in the middle of the story, leaving my characters hanging in the balance, possibly facing down a terrible monster for all time and eternity.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly, I don’t know. Hey, I’m just getting started in the wonderful world of book promoting.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn the business side of writing. I put it off for far too long. Now I’m playing catch-up, and it’s giving me more anxiety attacks than I imagined was possible. Seriously, I’m having an anxiety attack right now, just thinking about it.
It’s a challenge to find the time to write a novel, compose a blog and keep up with social media. I recently got on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn and I feel like I leaped into the deep end of a pool without knowing how to swim. Panic. I’m trying to learn everything at once, and it’s confusing and frustrating. And now, I just learned that I should be making vlogs for Youtube! That’s just great! I’m not Wonder Women! I’m Overwhelmed Women. Do yourself a favor and learn the business side of writing before you finish that book. Don’t do what I did, and foolishly start after you finish your second book.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“You don’t need writing classes or seminars any more than you need this or any other book on writing. Faulkner learned his trade while working in the Oxford, Mississippi post office. Other writers have learned the basics while serving in the Navy, working in steel mills or doing time in America’s finer crossbar hotels. I learned the most valuable (and commercial) part of my life’s work while washing motel sheets and restaurant tablecloths at the New Franklin Laundry in Bangor. You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.” Steven King.
I learned the basics of writing while working as a hair stylist. Bottom line, you don’t have to be a genius to write a novel, you just need true grit and determination to get it done. Thanks, Steven King! Your book on writing is one of the best.
What are you reading now?
I am reading Beyond Style: Mastering the Finer Points of Writing by Gary Provost. It’s not the first time I’ve read it, nor will it be the last. I always read Provost’s book as well a Steven King’s book on writing before I start a new story. Why? For the simple reason that, they have this amazing ability to ease my mind and make it seem doable. Hey, I don’t know all there is to know about writing. I’m still learning. And starting a new book is scary! So, I need all the help that I can get to squash my fears before they get the best of me, and give me writer’s block. No, no, no, I don’t want that! A little bit of fear is healthy. A lot of fear is paralyzing.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Combat Boy and the Scuttlers’ Portal is the next project for me. I’m excited to dive into it because it’s going to be much different than the first two books in my Combat Boy series. How is it going to be different? Well, I can’t tell you. It’s a secret. You’ll just have to read it when it comes out, and find out.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The idea of being stranded on a desert island kind of freaks me out. Seriously, I can already feel my mouth getting parched just thinking about it. Nevertheless, I’ll play along. Okay, I am there in my mind, sand, sun and palm trees, but nothing else. My first thought? Where can I hide from the sun? It’s high noon, and I have the kind of skin that burns very fast. Help! The only thing I can think about is getting off this island. That being the case, the books I would take would be as follows. Book 1: A Knucklehead’s Guide to Making Sunscreen From Things You Might Find on a Desert Island. The author of this book lived a strict Paleo lifestyle on the island of Low-carb. And as you might guess, coconut is the main ingredient in his organic sunscreen. Luckily for me, there’re plenty of coconuts on this island. Book 2: An Optimist’s Guide to Surviving on a Desert Island. Cool, it’s a short book adapted from the movie Castaway. Unfortunately, there are a couple disturbing warnings. 1, The work you’ll have to do to survive might kill you. 2, The overwhelming feeling of loneliness will make you go insane and talk to a coconut you’ll more than likely name, Mr Coco. Okay, moving on. Book 3: Raft Building 101. Yep, it’s a do-it-yourself-craft handbook. Dang! I’m not a fan of making crafts. Even worse, the book is geared towards people who have taken advanced underwater basket weaving. God help me! Book 4: a journal that comes with a pen. Why a journal? I’ll want to document my treacherous trip back to civilization. You know, just in case some Hollywood bigwig want’s to turn my story into a movie. Or, God forbid, I don’t survive. Hey, things can get dicey on a makeshift raft in the middle of the ocean with the possibility of storms and sharks.
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