Which city or town did you grow up in?
Woodmere, L.I., N.Y.
Were you an avid reader as a child? Do you still read books?
I was always an avid reader and I still am. It is my greatest pleasure.
What hobby do you miss most from your childhood? Why?
I loved sports – tennis and skiing. I don’t do them anymore, but I do trekkng and sailing, which are fun substitutes.
Since how long have you been as an adjunct instructor at New York University in Film?
3 years
Who is the most supportive person in your life when it comes to your writing?
My husband, who is a doctor but loves literature and history.
How did you come up with the idea of your first fiction series, The Transylvania Trilogy?
My husband is Romanian and we went back to visit. While there, we got caught up in a political demonstration and decided to leave Bucharest and go into the countryside. We went to Transylvania where I was captured by the exotic beauty and different culture. I wanted to share this with American readers, as a way to invite them to travel with me.
What challenges did you face while writing the second book, Love Odyssey in the trilogy?
I wanted to evoke a picture of Romania to readers so they would be able to see Transylvania before their eyes as they read. I was trying to achieve a new voice with a hybrid literary style of mixing poetry with film, fact with fiction.
What is your writing process like?
I do automatic writing. I sit down and tell a story.
Who inspired the character of seventeen-year-old Mica in
"Gift of Diamonds"? All 4 friends and protagonists in the Transylvanian Trilogy represent a part of me. And I develop each part of myself for each character.
Writing and finishing a book can take an immense amount of discipline. How do you keep yourself motivated and keep the dreaded writer's block from attacking?
I love what I do – I feel passion when I write. Excitement keeps me going!
As an author of a book, what type of questions would you like to be asked?
If you like what I write, and why, and what?
How do you keep in touch with your readers and fans?
They can contact me on Facebook, Goodreads and AllAuthor.
Which one do you prefer: writing a series or a standalone novel? Why?
In Transylvanian Trilogy I wrote three novels, but they fit well in a series because the chronology continues, the 4 characters link the narrative, and Transylvania is the background to link the 3 books together.
How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?
I am thinking of how to turn the stories in Transylvanian Trilogy on to the screen or stage and still maintain the storylines.
When did you join AllAuthor? What do you think of the experience so far? Do you have any feedback?
I heard about AllAuthor from a colleague of mine. She loved it! And I love it! also I am very grateful for the tweets and buzz you have created about my series of Transylvanian Trilogy. Thank you so much!!!