Q. We’re so
glad to have you as a member of MCRW. Are you a native of
Nashville or somewhere else? If somewhere else, where, and how did
you end up here?
A.
I was born and grew up in
San Diego, CA. I’ve also lived in West Los Angeles and Hollywood.
Since I’ve been married I’ve added San Antonio, TX, Birmingham, AL,
and Nashville, TN to the list. I moved out of San Diego because my
husband lived in Austin, TX. We ended up in Nashville because of his
job.
Q. What made
you decide to try your hand at writing romance novels (or at joining
RWA/MCRW)?
A.
I had all these stories
keeping me up at night. They would play through my head before I
went to sleep. I decided it was time to get them down on paper. Once
I wrote one novel, I realized it was possible to write more.
Q. Tell us
about your "WIP" or work-in-progress? What in specific do you
write?
A. I am currently
working on an urban fantasy, paranormal romance, mystery, and
thriller thingy. Did I cover everything? I always like a little of
the speculative in my writing. My stories contain somebody you might
have known or know, in very ordinary settings, leading seemingly
normal lives, but then being put in a position to do something
extraordinary.
Q: How do you
balance your writing with your other responsibilities? (Yes, as
always, I'm looking for tips...)
A.
I don’t balance. I’m
either spending too much time writing or having no time to write. I
try to spend at least a little time with my current work everyday.
Sometimes I am just editing. Sometimes it is just free flow writing
without any concern for grammar or spelling.
Q. What do you
do when you're not writing? Do you have a "day" job, hobbies,
obsessions?
A.
I’m a stay at home mom. I
play tennis and volunteer too much at my kid’s school. I enjoy
gardening and running. I love music, cooking, and reading.
Q. Do you have
children, pets, plants, a spouse, dust bunnies, a thimble collection
or anything like that?
A. I’ve been married to
Tim for over twelve years now. He was very nice at the beginning of
my writing adventure and discussed with me and read all my stuff. He
is so happy I have found others to help with that now. I have two
children, Amanda, who is almost twelve, and Ethan who is eight. I
also have a Golden Retriever named Bailey.
Q. What are
some of your favorite books, romance and other?
A. I used to read
romance all the time when I was younger. As I got older I tended to
be drawn more to authors like Anne Rice with darker themes. I also
like fantasy in small doses, in particular Robert Salvatore and
Tolkien. I don’t know if I could pick one favorite book. There are
books that were very important to me during different times in my
life. I start a lot of books but don’t always finish them. I have a
huge stack waiting for me on my bedside table including “The Host”
by Stephanie Meyers, “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey
Niffenegger, “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls, and “The Ten
Year Nap” by Meg Wolitzer.
Q. If you could
go on a dream vacation anywhere in the world on someone else's
perfectly legitimate dime, where would you go, who would you take,
and what would you do?
A.
I would like to charter a
wooden sailboat with a full crew to sail around the Caribbean for a
couple weeks. Stopping at secluded coves and beaches and making
little day trips to different places on different islands. Kind of
like the Barefoot Cruises, except with a very small group of people,
including my husband and another couple or two whose company we
enjoy.
Q: Tell us a
secret!
A.
I have pondered this
question the longest. Actually the one question that has held this
interview up. You guys all know I write, which is a secret to most
everyone else. My everyday life is pretty ordinary, so maybe I need
to go to the past. Not much there either. Oh I know. I volunteer for
two different local organic farms. It always surprises people who
didn’t know that about me when they see me in that setting. I help
West Wind Farms at a booth at the Franklin Farmers Market and I
distribute the CSA shares of vegetables for Doe Run Farm. Or did you
want something like I was once a bikini dancer in Hollywood in the
late 80s.
