FAQ

Here’s a quick, quirky little Q & A about me and my books.

What is your favorite food? Funny enough, I always say it’s Corn Chex with sliced banana. My dad ate it that way and I have never looked back.

Who/what is your biggest inspiration? Such a hard question. I get inspired by little things, like being in the mountains away from everything where I just get to feel the wind and sunshine. I really like laughing and I’m inspired by funny situations.

What childhood book made you realize you wanted to be an author? The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin was the first book from a female author with a strong female lead. I have to point to The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien that my mother read to us when we were kids that helped spark my imagination. And it was also the world of Harry Potter that helped me realize that my imagination was not a waste and my dream of being an author was obtainable.

Music while writing? Yay or nay? Oh, yay, for sure! I love writing to music, but it has to be music that I can’t engage in. If it’s something with good lyrics and in my range, I may start singing or writing the lyrics in my script. That’ probably a bad idea.
Recommendations: Tron Legacy soundtrack, music from Baldur’s Gate and Assassins’ Creed, anything from Sigur Ros, and Elbow (to get me in the writing mood).

Is it easier to write drama or comedy? I tend to lean more toward comedy on everything I write. I do need to write the hard stuff too, but I enjoy writing situational comedy the most.

How is it balancing work and family and writing? Not easy. I have learned the art of spinning plates, meaning, I do a lot of different things at the same time. I know I need to be with my family at the important things. I never want to miss anything that my kids are doing, but if I have a bit between competitions, I use it for research and whatever. I also try to minimize social media because I am easily distracted. Does that make me boring? Maybe… but it’s a sacrifice I can make.