Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
DAEIOS: 140 FEET DOWN is my debut novel. I’ve always wanted to write a book, and when my husband proposed to me in 2013, he told me that I could follow my dreams, whether that be to hang a shingle of my own out as an accountant or write that book I’d always wanted to write, with his complete support. I didn’t have to think twice about what I would do, and I started writing the book in my head soon after we returned home from what would be our engagement trip.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called DAEIOS: 140 FEET DOWN. My inspiration was mostly current world issues. We see it in the news every day: climate change, racial tensions, abortion rights, drug addiction, men assaulting women and the MeToo movement. Although this isn’t a political book, I took these issues and imagined what they might look like in 2034.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think the only unusual thing I do is to free-write my book ideas on a giant artist’s pad in large letters in pencil. It makes me feel like a carefree child creating my art. Then I can go in later and circle ideas I like and make smaller notes next to them, or I can erase small sections and edit them. I can also cross larger ideas I don’t like off easily with a Sharpie so I don’t waste my time looking at them. And I can draw large maps, which helps me organize my setting.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ll tell you a secret: there’s a question below that asks what books I’d bring with me if I were stranded on a desert island, and all of those books have influenced me. I’d also have to include THE HANDMAID’S TALE since DAEIOS has some overtones of it.
What are you working on now?
Right now? I’m working on my book launch for my ebook and paperback, which is November 9th, plus my audiobook and a hardcover with a dustjacket. My days are mostly made up of researching and booking promotions, reviewing my audiobook narrator’s work and sending her notes, and impatiently waiting to find out if my dustjacket has been approved by IngramSpark. My brain is consumed with those tasks right now, so I’m not writing.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not exactly sure yet since my book hasn’t launched, but so far I’ve found Facebook has given me the best response when I post book news. I think my own website is giving me some traction too.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stay with it, it’s tough sometimes. Take breaks to just think without sitting at your keyboard or holding a pen. Riding on the back of a motorcycle is perfect for this. Write yourself out of those corners and kill the darlings that need to be killed. Look for plot holes and find ingenious ways to fill them. Most importantly, hire a good, professional editor, because that person will be able to see things you’re no longer capable of seeing because you’re too close to your work. Some authors say they can’t afford to hire a professional editor, but I believe I can’t afford not to, and I’m a good self-editor.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best writing advice I’ve heard was from Craig Johnson, the author of the Longmire series that was made into a television series. A person at a writing conference asked him how long to expect it to take to write a novel, and he said, “It takes as long as it takes.”
What are you reading now?
I’m reading BEACH MUSIC by Pat Conroy at the recommendation of a Twitter friend. It’s beautifully written and reminds me that I need to increase my vocabulary. I don’t stick with a genre but go from book to book as I hear recommendations by others and think I might enjoy them. I’ve discovered some wonderful books that way that I wouldn’t have otherwise picked up. Next, I want to pick up something in the murder mystery or crime thriller genres, which are what I fall back on when I need a quick read.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m either going to write a sequel to DAEIOS, which I have some ideas for, or one of those murder mystery/crime thriller books, depending on how well DAEIOS does. I also have ideas for a play, a comedy, that I’ve been thinking about writing for a while, about dating in middle age. I’ve acted in eight community theater plays, four times as the lead, and would love to write a play and see it performed at my local theater. And then Broadway, of course.
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?
Planning ahead for being stranded, that’s so me! The book I don’t even have to think about is GONE WITH THE WIND, which I’ve read every year since my mother passed the book down to me when I was 13. I love the setting of the old South, the vivid characters, the brutal descriptions of the war, and of course, the tempestuous romance between Scarlett and Rhett. I insist that one of my books be a series, THE HUNGER GAMES, which I’ve reread a few times and haven’t grown tired of. I loved the writing and the story in THE BOOK THIEF, so I’d bring that along. Finally, I’d bring along a Tana French novel because I love her writing style, but I don’t know which one I’d choose, they’re all good.
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