Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for over twenty years and have written thirteen novels, a handful of novellas and novelettes, and several short stories. Six of my novels have been published under a different name, one of which was featured on the Home Shopping Network, and I have four other published novels. I’ve contributed to over a dozen anthologies. I currently live in the outskirts of Sin City with my husband and a very spoiled feline.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is the first novella in a series titled JANE THE HIPPIE VAMPIRE. The inspiration behind the series has been varied; the title popped into my head one day, and I knew right away I could have a lot of fun with the idea and take it in numerous directions. LOVE BEADS, the first installment, stems from the many energy vampires I’ve known throughout my life. I think it’s a fitting start to a dark but quirky series.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I prefer to have coffee within reach when I’m writing. Obviously, I can’t drink coffee all day, but I do drink my share.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My strongest influences are Kurt Vonnegut, H.G. Wells, George Orwell, Rod Serling, Olaf Stapledon, Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, Flannery O’Conner, Anne Rice, Stephen King, and Dean Koontz.
What are you working on now?
I’m editing and redrafting a couple of novels and the second JANE novella.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve got to be honest; I am thoroughly inept at promoting.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. If you’re doing this because you believe there’s money in fiction, you’re in this for the wrong reason. Write because you love to write, because you have a passion for the written word and want to share that passion with the rest of the world. Few people make a living through their fiction. You might someday be one of those few, but it’s not likely. I’m not saying this to discourage you, but simply to be realistic. Write what you love, send it out for the world to read, and leave it at that. The rest is up to the fates.
2. Be ready to develop a thick skin. No matter who you are or how great your work, bad reviews will come with the good, and they’ll sting every time. The sooner you accept that not everyone is going to love your work, the better off you’ll be.
3. Your first novel is most likely going to be pretty bad. It might not, but it probably will be. You’ll think it’s fantastic (I know I felt that way about my first) but you’ll look back on it in about five years or so and think, “Damn … I actually sent that to an agent/publisher/etc.? What was I thinking?!” You’ll cringe especially hard if you self-published that baby. Trust me on this one.
4. No matter how good of a writer you are or how great your grammar might be, you absolutely need an editor. While you’re at it, get a handful of beta readers to tear apart your first draft. You can’t do this alone.
5. Never give up. No matter what profession you hold, no matter who you are, you’ll always be a writer. Never let anyone take that away from you.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read often and read a wide variety of genres. You cannot write well if you are not also an avid reader.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading SURVIVAL INSTINCT by Kay Glass.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, I’ll have more installments of JANE available within the next few months. I plan on self-publishing AFTERMATH: BEYOND WORLD-MART, a sequel to my well-received dystopian thriller, WORLD-MART, as soon as it’s gone through a couple more editing passes. Beyond that, it’s hard to say; I leave it in the hands of the muses and the fates.
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 LAST REPORT ON THE MIRACLES AT LITTLE NO HORSE by Louise Erdrich
LAST AND FIRST MEN by Olaf Stapledon
THE SHINING by Stephen King
1984 by George Orwell
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