Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing ever since I was a little girl. I remember asking my parents for a horse, thinking that this was a normal pet to have like having a dog or a cat. When my parents told me I couldn’t have a horse I ended up writing stories with girls who had horses. My main character in The Runner has a horse she rides and they’re a pretty awesome team.
The Runner has been out since December and I’m getting ready to release my second novel Rubicon. Both books are series, but it is easier for me to switch back and forth between books. I’ve written numerous screenplays, short stories, and television sitcoms, none of which have ever been turned into anything, but I love doing it.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Rubicon is inspired by the winter I worked in an ice cream shop and strange things happened.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing too unusual. I like to buy spiral notebooks with cute pictures and cool designs. I’m constantly taking notes as I write because I learned that the best way for me to finish something is to plow on through. If I realize I need to change something I’ve already written, I make a note to do it later. If I didn’t do this I could easily see myself rewriting the same opening scene and never get past it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am constantly reading. I read anything and everything from classic literature to teen paranormal romance. Because I write in the YA genre I’d have to say that my favorite YA books growing up were R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books and L.J. Smith’s Secret Circle series and her Vampire Diaries series. I think it is amazing that these authors and their works are still being loved twenty years later. It seems like so much has changed in the world of technology, but something in these author’s works continues to be loved by teens (and grown-ups) today.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the second book in the Avi Bloom series.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure this out. Awesomegang.com has some great services and most are free.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read the blogs and advice of other authors. I am still very new at this, but I learned so much just from publishing my first novel. There are writers who have been doing this for years and they are very helpful.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just keep writing. This seems to be the only advice every single writer agrees on.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison. She’s been able to sustain this series for roughly 19 books and the series is still going strong. She’s amazing.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to close up both of my series by the end of the year. I already have so many other book ideas, but first I have to finish what I start.
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 Sorcerer’s Stone, Pride and Prejudice, and The Amazing Adventures Kavalier & Clay. I could reread these books for as long as it took to get rescued.
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