Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written seven books so far. Five are available in digital and print, one is in the editing stage, and the other is in the rough, first draft stage.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I recently had two books come out at the same time. STUTTER CREEK is my first romantic suspense for 5 Prince Publishing, and it was inspired by an actual even that occurred on the interstate near my hometown.
The other book is the third one in my Phantom Series: Stevie-girl and the Phantom of Crybaby Bridge. This is my series for tweens and up. All three of the books in this series have gotten great reviews. They are set in the late 1960s and early 1970s and have been compared to Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy mysteries.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I write best when wearing large red clown shoes and a horsie mask . . .
Nah, I’m just fibbing. I’m not nearly that interesting. The only thing I have to have for my writing is a diet Coke, or a cup of coffee, and my iMac. Oh, and the tiny silver box that lives in the top drawer of my desk, but we won’t go there. Not until the novel comes out, that is!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Edgar Allan Poe always comes to mind first. Then there’s John Steinbeck, Alfred Hitchcock (yes, there were many Hitchcock tales in print anthologies when I was growing up), Mary Stewart (love, love, love her Merlin books), JRR Tolkien, and last but not least, Stehpen King. I was and will always be a Constant Reader.
What are you working on now?
TAKERS, a horror novel. It’s the one that is currently in the editing phase. I love horror stories. Always have…I think reading Poe, and then Jaws, and The Exorcist when I was a teen just really hooked me on that genre. Of course I also love women’s fiction, romantic suspense, and biographies . . .
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m so hit or miss! I try to join blog tours and I am on Goodreads as well as numerous FB author groups and promo pages. Then there’s Twitter, of course . . . I’m afraid I’m not very good at marketing. I just really like to write!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, read, read, read, then write, write, write. And don’t think you can remember that wonderful detail, quote, or character trait that struck you while you were standing in line at the grocery store. It doesn’t work. If you don’t write it down immediately, by the time you get home, it’s gone. Or is that just me?
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get a good, no make that GREAT, editor. Oh, and when you finish the first draft of a manuscript, short or otherwise, put it away for several weeks and let it ferment. You will be surprised at the things–both good and bad–that leap out at you when you go back to it.
What are you reading now?
Fiction: Mind Over Matter — a novel draft from a member of my critique group, also House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Nonfiction: The Oatman Massacre
What’s next for you as a writer?
As soon as my horror novel is completely edited, I will finish up the romance I’m working on. Then, I have notes for two or three other novels … oh, and my critique group will be putting out an anthology of short stories toward the end of the year. I’m excited!
What is your favorite book of all time?
Oh, my goodness, that’s a toughie. The Crystal Cave? or The Stand? No, The Hobbit, or The Dead Zone . . . hmmm, let me give it some thought. Wait, I know . . . Red Sky at Morning . . . aww, heck. I can’t choose!
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