Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written and published six books so far and am working on the seventh. I write a combination of sci-fi, suspense, action and I have one horror series. I’ve been writing since I was a teenager and started with short stories. Some of them have been published on a site called readwave.com.
Aside from writing, I’m also a critical care nurse and work full time. I also spend time hiking in the local area where I live and do a little horse back riding as well. This gives me a lot of inspiration to my stories (mainly the sci-fi).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The series I just completed is called Rise of the Zyfoids and it is a futuristic sci-fi involving life-like robots that are integrated into society after a plague wipes out a third of the world. The program installed in them gives them the ability to learn new things and, eventually, they learn to feel emotion and become more and more human-like.
As the story unnfolds, the humans face war and terrorism. The Zyfoids have a choice to make; help the humans fight the war or allow them to battle it until the end, which could ultimately destroy the Earth.
I was inspried to write this story when I saw a new technology being developed in Japan called Humanoids (you can look them up on youtube). I took this technology and imagined how it would be with three hundred years of advancement.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The only thing I can say about writing habits that stand out would be that I like to write in the middle of the night. I work night-shift as a nurse so I’m used to being up all night. It’s the best time to write because the house is quiet and I can disappear into my own story world.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am influenced by so many; anything from the Hunger Games to Pierce Anthony’s Xanth series. But I have to say that my biggest hero in the world as far as writing goes is Rod Serling, writer of the Twilight Zone. I know, he’s not an author of books but he still is a writer and an awesome one at that.
What are you working on now?
Currently, I am writing the last book in the Dark Deception series. It called The Exorcism and is the final piece to the story of a Demon. It follows this Demon from one life to the next and each one is intertwined in some way. Each story has a new set of characters and references the connection they have with the previous books characters.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I spend a lot of time on Goodreads and, of course, Facebook but, I would say that the best method of advertisement is word of mouth. If a writer writes a book that someone loves, that person will recommend it to their friends.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Hire an editor and be sure that what you’re writing something that would be of interest to people. I see a lot of clique type of books coming out with no unique qualities. Make sure that you’re story stands out and is something that no one else thought of. Even if it’s in a genre that has a ton of books that are similar, add something different to your story-line.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Learn to take life as it comes; it is what it is.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading an awesome book called Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon. I can’t put it down even though the story is so simple. I think that’s what I like about it so much. It’s just about a boy living through a summer in the South and how he sees the world.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a crime story that I’d like to start writing next year along with another sci-fi idea that is currently brewing. Once I get Dark Deception completed, I’ll spend more of my energy on those two stories.
What is your favorite book of all time?
There are so many different books that I loved, it would be impossible to pick just one. I loved the Hunger Games, The Help, Piercing this Present Darkness, Pillars of the Earth, etc. The list is long.