1. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and our four children. I drink coffee until I’m manic and I love to be out in nature, though I don’t get to much these days.
By day, I’m a registered nurse working full time on a dialysis unit. By night, I’m a ninja. Just kidding. When I’m not at work my time is spent with my family. Then, at night, when everyone is asleep and the house is quiet, I write.
I started writing about four years ago when my husband and I had our fourth child. I left my job to be with the baby. During that time I began to have dreams that I knew would make good stories. The problem was that I’d never written anything more than college papers so I shoved the thought aside. Well, those dreams and thoughts were persistent so eventually I gave in and thought ‘what the heck, I’ll give it a try’. That’s how it all began.
Since then, I’ve written seven novels, published three with small presses, won three literary awards, and just this past summer I signed a four book contract with Pandamoon Publishing. It’s been a wild ride and I love it!
2. Describe your book ‘Rogue Alliance’ in 30 words or less.
Agent Shyla Ericson scored the case of a lifetime. When her path crosses Brennan’s, a man with a secret darker than hers, she must face the demons of her past.
3. What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Right before I began writing Rogue Alliance, I attended a writer’s conference in Seattle. One lecture in particular stayed with me. The general message that the lecturer conveyed was the concept of raising the stakes by maintaining conflict throughout the manuscript. I went home with the goal of embodying that concept. I decided that I wanted every chapter to push the boundaries of my characters, to increase their emotional and physical risk by increasing the conflict. It was tough to maintain that throughout the novel but I learned a lot. I found that I had to be consistent with writing in active voice and that dialogue was essential.
4. What books have had the greatest influence on you?
Being an active reader of multiple genres has been the biggest influence on my own writing. Reading books that impact me emotionally or just blow my mind simply because of the quality of writing is what I crave. A few that come to mind are; The Gargoyle, exquisitely written, The Road, a powerful read, The Thorn Birds, an epic tale, and My Sister’s Keeper, an emotional read that hits you in your gut.
5. Briefly share with us what you do to market your book?
I am constantly seeking new ways to improve the visibility of my book to readers. I’ve learned to absolutely love bloggers. They are essential to this business and they have a fabulous attitude towards writers. I also engage in social networking on a daily basis. This has been the best way to build relationships with other writers, publishers, editors, bloggers, and most importantly, readers. There are multiple other things I do such as radio appearances, and press releases, in fact, the list is endless. In today’s world of technology we have so much opportunity to be successful in this industry it just takes a lot of hard work and dedication. The book won’t sell itself.
6. How do you spend your time when you are not writing?
Well, I have a full time day job as a registered nurse and when I’m not doing that, I spend nearly every spare minute engaging with my children and my husband. They are my priority and my time with them seems to be passing faster and faster every year. I wish I could slow it down. My writing fits in somewhere between all of that. It’s a juggling act for sure.
7. What are you working on next?
Right now I’m working hard on the second book in The Rogue Saga. I’m about halfway through but that’s all I can tell you. Don’t want to give out my secrets you know. ;)
