Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m happily married, Mom to three, Grandma to five, a follower of Christ, and a wanderer of the planet. I grew up a military brat, and can’t seem to stay in one place for too long. I started (and abandoned) my first novel while living in north Idaho, where I also published a few magazine articles and online bits. I wandered to Hawaii and then to Saipan before publishing a novel, and at the end of March I’ll have published the second.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Montana Rising: Scrabble Weather. This and the first book in the series (Montana Rising: Wordplay) were inspired by an intriguing set of words on the board after a Scrabble game. My husband and I play often, and a few years ago I had the idea to write a story that included all the words played on the board in one game.
As it’s turning out, my main character, Montana, writes the ‘Scrabble story’ in each book. Readers get to read about Montana’s challenging life, and in each book they get to read a new story she’s writing. And although Monti (as Montana’s friends call her) lives in the here and now, she writes stories with a fantastical twist.
In the first book, Bo and Anisette fight the terrible consequences of a hex. In this second book, Nora receives supernatural help as she’s enduring struggles in the deep woods.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know that my habits are that unusual, but my background music may be. I write each day to the crowing and clucking of wild jungle fowl (read: feral chickens), and the barking of a plethora of Booney dogs (wild, half-tame and domesticated). Feral chickens and Booney dogs are abundant on our island of Saipan in the Pacific.
The view out my window is gorgeous and includes palm trees and hibiscus. But it’s the sounds, especially the peeping of baby chicks following a wild hen wandering through our yard that’s the most distracting!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
C. S. Lewis is my all-time favorite author, and his broad range of work inspires me to entertain, encourage, and illuminate all at once if I possibly can. I love good books in all genres, from a bit of classic romance (Jane Eyre) to a tiny bit of scary stuff by Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Lots of sci fi, spec fic, and character driven stories in between.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on launching Montana Rising: Scrabble Weather, and starting in on book 3 of the series.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning the marketing aspects of being an author, but I do believe a strong email list of fans is a powerful thing.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write great stories! Learn marketing. Write some more great stories.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. –Jim Elliot
What are you reading now?
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. Halsey Street by Naima Coster. The Case for Easter by Lee Strobel.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to take it to the next level, finish the next story sooner and smooth out the process of sharing it with the world. I have lots of stories hammering around in my head, waiting for their turn!
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?
Well, I do live on an island, but thank God I have my Kindle with me! But if I was limited, I’d take: my Bible, a one volume edition of the Chronicles of Narnia, Jane Eyre, and a big blank book to write in, to keep me sane.
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