Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The first thing I would like to share about myself is my mom status. I have four awesome kids who keep me fairly busy, but are always excited for me to work on my writing. Their ulterior motive for this is the hope that one day their father, the fun parent, will be able to quit his job. I must admit I would be happy with that also.
I’m an author of YA paranormal romance, but in all honesty I’m interested in being a multi-genre author. The Healer is the first book in my Healer series, and also happens to be the first full length novel I have ever written, but once I have completed the series I would love to finish a YA romance that I’m halfway through, and a religious comedy that is also about halfway written. I guess I tend to bounce around a bit when it comes to genres, but my first love is paranormal romance.
I’m also a singer and a songwriter. I’m most comfortable on a stage with a microphone in my hand and a huge Jazz band backing me up. I sang with a college jazz band in junior college and then I was accepted to the vocal jazz program at Sacramento State University. Singing jazz, and writing my own original music is something I’ve done for more than a decade now. Something I love about lyrics to a song is the ability to take one loaded theme and find the best way to express the feelings and emotions of that theme in a creative and original way. There are some books out there that are just begging to have a theme song written for them. I can hear the songs in my head when I read books like that. In the case of The Healer, I was able to write a love song that encompassed the whole love theme in The Healer Series between my two main characters. That’s been a fun project to work on.
I had the opportunity to live in Brazil for a little under two years and learned about an amazing culture, not to mention an amazing language. I was finally able to say that I was a world traveler after that, but I would love to end up in Italy or Greece someday. When I’m not writing, I’m reading, and when I’m not reading I’m chasing after children, kissing on my husband and having huge TV marathons of The Amazing Race, Vampire Diaries and Grimm.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Th Healer was inspired by one crazed nightmare. I had this wacky dream about spirits being trapped in Japanese Statues and when I woke up I was left feeling anxious and a bit distraught. I wanted to know how the spirit had been trapped and how to free it. The story was a mystery and I love a good mystery. I knew if I wanted some answers I would have to develop the story myself. It’s been an interesting journey of discovery with my characters calling the shots.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always outline everything, and then when I’m in the moment writing a specific scene, I will take the storyline somewhere completely different just because it feels right, and then other options open up for me. So while I’m a planner, I’m also a pantser. It’s the best of both worlds, I guess.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read Nancy Drew mysteries for years. They were the only books I would read when I was in elementary school. I loved a good mystery, and I was convinced Nancy Drew was the only way to go. However, I was getting awfully tired of her relationship never quite developing fully with any Hardy Boys or her boyfriend for that matter. I realized I was a fan of romance as well and started reading YA romances with a little mystery and suspense thrown in. I think what influenced me the most was the diversity I found in the different genres, and that I loved all of them. I enjoyed the way so many authors could take one basic theme and create interesting and original stories out of them. I studied how they did it, and always knew what was going to captivate me and what wasn’t. Those are the types of writing techniques I hope I have employed in my own writing.
What are you working on now?
I was recently invited to collaborate with nine other author for a YA, paranormal anthology entitled, Strange and Lovely: Ten Paranormal Tales of Thrills and Romance. We are all writing short stories with varying paranormal themes. My short story involves assassins of the Fae variety, but to find out what happens you’ll have to wait with baited breath until Oct. 4th when we release it. You can also meet the authors of the anthology, myself included, and converse with several other guest authors during our release party on Facebook. Just look up Strange and Lovely: Ten Paranormal Tales of Thrills and Romance Release Party. It’s open to everyone so come join the fun. Here is the link if you’re as lazy with your mouse and clicker finger as I am. LOL https://www.facebook.com/events/750157858383808/
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have found that Facebook and Goodreads work best for me simply because I know the most about them, and what I have been implementing so far in terms of marketing and networking has given me great results. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything else out there. It simply means that’s all I’ve become familiar with so far. I’m slowly building my knowledge base when it comes to marketing my books.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love, and write because you love to. If your only interest in writing is to make money then you’re in it for the wrong reasons and you’ll become frustrated. It’s not the easiest journey when you’re trying to create a storyline and characters who readers can connect and commit to, and your stories become like family sometimes. You have to develop a thick skin in terms of query rejections or critiques. All of this will give you experience that will better you in the end so long as you love what you do, work on what you can and accept suggestions that are helpful.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t edit as you go. Finish your entire rough draft and then go back and start your edits and rewrites, otherwise you’ll be stuck on chapter one editing forever and never moving on until you feel the first chapter is perfect. Too many things can change in the course of writing a full novel, including your first chapter so just push through the whole story, and work with what you have after that. Your rough draft becomes your skeletal outline and reference for what the final masterpiece will be.
What are you reading now?
I am reading Vampire Princess Rising, Book Two of The Winters Series, written by my dear friend Jami Brumfield.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Once the anthology is released I will be finishing up the second book in The Healer Series and moving on to the third, but I still have that YA romance and religious comedy to get to. I’ll have plenty to keep me busy once The Healer Series is finished.
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?
I would bring any books from The Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead that I hadn’t read yet. Brilliant, that woman. I love her. I would also need to bring a copy of Shackles of Honor by Marcia Lynn McClure. I’m telling you, if you love sweet romances this is the best one I have ever read thus far.
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