Where were you born and where do you live now? Which place do you like better and why?
I was born in Ohio, but now live in Maryland. It's hard to say which one I like better since all of my family still lives in my hometown. I'm one of the very few in seven generations to actually leave the area, so it's a little bittersweet. That said, I love where I live now. I'm in a smaller town that allows me to easily drive to DC or Baltimore, there's never a lack of anything to do and I've built my own little community here.
What is the earliest experience you had with books/writing that you remember?
I've been writing for as long as I can remember. First it was making picture books and then I distinctly remember writing fanfiction when I was about 10 or 11, (it was Gundam Wing fanfics).
Your books often feature diverse characters. How important is representation in your storytelling, and what steps do you take to ensure inclusivity in your works?
Inclusivity is so important in my work. Not just having characters of color, but also characters across the sexuality spectrum. In particular, I like to write characters who, like me, have mental illness, and show how they can have normal lives without that mental illness defining them. As a white woman, though, I have to be sensitive with the stories I tell. There's no way for me to know first hand the life of say a woman of color, so I keep that in mind and reach out to my writing community to make sure I'm portraying characters accurately and avoid falling into harmful stereotypes.
Do you have any specific rituals or routines that help you get into the writing mindset? How do you overcome writer's block, if you ever face it?
I'm a total pantser, but I have to have my set up just so. That means sitting down at my computer, putting my coffee and water in their correct places, setting up my phone on the stand next to me, and then stare out the window for like five minutes while blasting The Plagues from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. It's my hype song, and I don't really know when that started. I get horrible writer's block, and I will walk around my yard to try to get my mind going again when that happens. When that doesn't work, I complain to my spouse about it and he always tells me to either blow something up or kill a character. While that doesn't always work, it has helped me every now and then.
Can you share a brief overview of your paranormal romance series, "Magic, Love, and Mischief," and what inspired you to write in this genre?
Magic, Love, and Mischief centers around an antique shop that caters exclusively to the magical community living in tandem with the human world. There, creatures of folklore and mythology shop for the things they need. Each book features a different couple but the same cast of characters, and they all find their way back to the shop, Spirit Antiques, and it kind of serves as a homebase. Each story has its own perils, and subgenres. I got into romance books at the beginning of my 30s and became obsessed. I started writing Star Wars fanfiction and the responses I had on my stories encouraged me to write my own romance stories. And of course, I need magic in a story.
How do you balance being a full-time parent with your writing career? What does a typical writing day look like for you?
Being a full time parent and a writer is really a balancing act. When I wrote my first book, Antique Magic, I had a newborn and I was pregnant with my second. It was a lot of late night writing since I was up every fews hours feeding my son. For the first couple of years it was writing when I had the time, usually in the late evening after the kids went to bed. Now that they are both in preschool most of the week, I have long blocks to write, which makes it a little easier. My kids are aware that I write books, so my daughter likes to get out her toy laptop and "write" while telling me she wants to be like me.
The integration of magic into the real world is a unique aspect of your books. How do you approach blending the supernatural with everyday life in your stories?
I think life needs a little magic. With how my world works, the magical community just wants to live normally. Yes, they are supernatural creatures, but they still have jobs, families, and lives to lead. They want to be involved with their community and not have to worry that the villagers will come out with pitchforks. What's most fun for me when writing the magical things that happen at Spirit Antiques is taking historical objects and giving them a magical persona. Like in my first book I had Hemingway's typewriter that was enchanted to type out only profanities. That was a lot of fun.
Your readers often praise the relatable characters in your books. How do you go about developing your characters, and are there any real-life inspirations behind them?
I let my characters talk to me. They start to develop personalities as I go along and I go with that. I might add characteristics of people I know, but none of my characters are based on anybody. I think I unconsciously add a piece of myself to each main character. For instance, in my upcoming book Heart Magic, my main character Wes is bipolar. I wrote a scene where he forgets to take his medication in the morning and is just completely out of it later in the day. I wrote that scene right after I did the same thing, where I forgot for the first time in a long time to take my mood stabilizer and I just laid in bed unable to summon the energy to move. I might take something funny one of my friends says to me and add it in just because I liked it so much.
The promise of a "happily ever after" is a hallmark of romance. What does this concept mean to you, and how do you ensure your readers experience a satisfying conclusion in each book?
It's not a romance if there's no happily ever after or happily for now. Love conquers all in my story, as cliche as that sounds, because I want my characters to be happy. But it's not just about being in love with someone else, it's also about self love, because in my opinion, you can't really love someone else if you don't love yourself first. I want to leave my readers satisfied that the characters are confident in their romance, but also leaves them wanting more, wanting to see what the next chapter in their lives hold.
Being a full-time parent is demanding. How do you manage the juggle between parenting responsibilities and your writing career, and do these roles ever intersect in unexpected ways?
Sometimes I have to accept that I am a parent first and a writer second. My kids' needs will always come before my writing. If that means I have to push deadlines, my publisher is understanding. That also means that sometimes when I have a spark of inspiration and want to write, I might not get to because my kids need something or want to play, or as is usually the case, they don't want me working and demand I close my computer. But sometimes they will do something funny that just gets my creative brain flowing, so in a way, they can be a bit of an inspiration.
As the social media coordinator for a local woman-owned bookstore, how does this role complement or influence your writing career? Are there any crossovers between your two roles?
Working in social media does help me in creating my own marketing pieces for my books. It's giving me the chance to really up my game on my content creation and I'm starting to see that reflected in my social media analytics. The biggest crossover I've seen is exposure to my books. I don't use their accounts to like promote myself, but the owner loves to promote local writers, so she encourages me to post when I have a new release. Because of that I have a small town following, people know me and my books now and sometimes will stop me on the street to tell me they've read my book. It's so weird!
How do you use social media to engage with your readers and the local community? Are there any memorable interactions or events that stand out to you?
I use social media all the time. You have to really, because that's how word travels about your book. Love it or hate it, social media is necessary and you have to promote yourself even if you have a publisher. I love creating videos and images, seeing what works and what doesn't as I grow my following. Some of the most memorable interactions have come from conventions. I went to two GalaxyCons in 2023. At my first one someone got a copy of my book and then asked for a picture that she then put on her Instagram! The last con I went to someone ran up to the booth, picked up my second book, and was like 'I saw this on Instagram on a post about books you have to read'! I damn near cried my eyes out.
Are there specific authors or works that have inspired your writing in the paranormal romance genre? How have these influences shaped your own storytelling style?
I think what turned me on the most to paranormal romance was originally Anne Rice as a teenager, but it was Deborah Harness' All Souls series that really got me obsessed with the genre. I love how she writes these capable women who are incredibly smart, take charge, but are also vulnerable and so real. I like the way she brings her skills as a professor of history and uses that not just as story points, but lets history become the setting as well. I definitely used the inspiration in Antique Magic especially, especially since it also gave me an opportunity to put my degree in history to use.
How do you leverage your role at the bookstore to promote your own work? Are there any collaborative projects or events that you've found particularly successful?
Whenever I come out with a new book, the owner makes me put it up on social media. All the employees have a shelf at the front of the store with their recommendations, and at least half of them have my books. I am so lucky to be surrounded by women who champion me. I've seriously had people come up to me and say they saw my book on the store's social pages, (which isn't super weird in a smaller town, but is still pretty wild). Actually, promoting me as a local author has gotten more local authors to come in and have their books sold at the store so now we have a growing collection of local authors to showcase and people can get signed copies.
Can you share any hints or details about upcoming projects or additions to the "Magic, Love, and Mischief" series? What can readers look forward to?
Well it's not a secret that book 3, Heart Magic is coming soon, in February 2024. And let me tell you folks, these books are just getting progressively more queer. Heart Magic is Wes' book, and how he deals with a toxic relationship, ending said relationship, and finding new love not just with someone else, but also learning to love himself. I'm in the process of writing book 4 now, which is Catherine's book, and it's a little bit of a twist in the genre. It's still a paranormal romance, but at the heart is a heist and this time it's a polyarmous throuple. There's a lot of moving parts, (pun intended!), and it's been a challenge trying something new. Readers can look forward to more magic items, steamy romance, and more Star Wars references!
How has your experience of being associated with AllAuthor been?
I love AllAuthors! There are so many resources to use to up my game in promotion! When I signed up to get social posts, I really thought it would be like once a month or more sporadic, but like posts are coming out constantly promoting not just Antique Magic, but also Blood Magic and they are always different. The site is so easy to use and to get things noticed. Y'all are such wonderful champions of authors and signing up on AllAuthors was one of the best decisions I made for my writing career.
