What were you like as a child? Who was your role model growing up?
I'm told as I child I was energetic and active, almost to the point of being annoying. And I liked to create lots of little stories to act out with my friends. I remember being dreamy and distracted, sometimes absent-minded. My role model growing up was definitely Belle, from the animated Beauty and the Beast movie. I, too, wanted to sweep down a staircase in a beautiful yellow ball gown and have a castle-worthy library.
How were you first introduced to writing?
In a writing-as-an-author capacity? I introduced myself to writing techniques and rules through Google. There are a lot of stellar resources out there for free on the Internet and I kind of gave myself a crash course in creative writing that way. I guess I'll find out if I taught myself well, or not.
How did your friends and family react to your first book? Do they give you ideas for your new characters or new stories?
They were SUPER supportive and excited for me. Especially my little sister, she's my first beta reader and always has constructive feedback. And yes, they do sometimes throw ideas at me. Usually as they're beta reading for me, they'll say "I love this part, and it would be so cool if they did this . . . " I always appreciate it, because it kicks my imagination into gear, and then I come up with something even more fun. Sometimes just to mess with them I do the exact opposite of what they suggested, of course.
Why did you choose the romance genre? Have you ever considered writing in any other genre?
I've always been drawn to romance. I love it when a movie/show/book in another genre has a romantic subplot. It automatically guarantees I'll be WAY more interested. Romance fulfills my need to give people a happy ending, even though they're fictional people I made up. I've never considered writing in another genre because romance has everything I need. If I want to write a SciFi romance, I can do that. Same with fantasy, contemporary, historical. The genre is endlessly adaptable.
As an author now, what does your daily schedule look like? How do you maintain the discipline and keeping up with deadlines when working at home?
The once piece of writing advice I've taken and used continuously is to write when you are the freshest. So I wake up, get my daughter fed and off to school, set the toddler up with his toys and a snack, and then get to work in the morning before anything else (SORRY SOCIAL MEDIA YOU ARE A WONDERFULLY TERRIBLE DISTRACTION). I'll write for three or four hours, until I start feeling stale and the words come slower. Afternoons are for everything else, including my online job which runs about ten hours a week. Then my daughter gets home from school and we have homework, dinner, baths, and bedtime. I maintain the discipline by not varying the routine much! It’s always really difficult to return to the work after I take a long break, like during the holidays.
Who was your inspiration for Colton Johnson in "Step Into Love?" Where do you often find the inspiration for your male and female leads?
Partly my younger sister was the inspiration for Colton. She’s dealt with very similar issues to him in her daily life, although she’s never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My inspiration usually comes from a mix of people I know and love, with little bits of my own personality and complete imagination. And then the character grows as their own person with their own unique reactions to the situations I put them in.
As a romance novelist, what are some ways you think are the best ways to show love to somebody?
As a romance novelist I’d say it’s best to make sure your loved one knows they are wanted by you, special to you, and always the one you choose over anyone else in the world. The ways you do this will be different for every couple, because we’re all unique. But taking the time to learn how to express those sentiments for your beloved is one really great way to show them you adore them.
What started the Taboo Love series and what sort of message are you trying to send with this series?
What started the Taboo Love series was my own fondness for similar taboo stories. I really love the tension inherent when the world already disapproves of the relationship and the characters have to fight through that along with everything else. I guess the message I’m trying to send with the series is that true love conquers just about any obstacle. And, that some of us bookworms just like taboo plotlines, lol.
Tell us a little about your book covers and how you go about creating them. Do you place a little or a lot of importance on your book covers?
I don’t actually create the covers for my books. I'm contracted with a small publishing house called eXtasy Books and their in-house graphic artists create my covers. Angela Waters created the gorgeous cover of "Big Mistake". Latricia Waters brought Colton and Asher to life for "Step Into Love". And I place a lot of importance on my book covers. We’ve all heard ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ but we all also know that an interesting, attractive visual is something we love when we’re looking at books. That saying is very true when it comes to people, but less true when it comes to actual books.
What did you enjoy most about creating the characters Jenny Carter and Mr. Smith? Who has been your favourite character to create so far?
I love how take-charge and confident Jenny is. That was my favourite part about her. And I absolutely loved smacking Mr. Smith over the head with completely inappropriate feelings. Poor guy. It was much too fun to torture him in the plot. This will sound cliché, but every character I create is my favourite. At the time I’m writing them I’m absolutely rooting for each one of them. I really want them to get their happily ever after.
How do you decide when a story is over and how to end it? What's the most times you've changed the ending of a book because you weren't satisfied?
The stories are over when every loose string has been tied up into a nice, tidy, shiny bow. I’m not really a cliffhanger kind of author. Obstacles are overcome, the sub-plots have been finished up, and everyone is happy. I think the most times I changed the ending of a book was in "Big Mistake". It took a lot of wrestling to get to a point where I thought both characters were grown up enough, had an equal balance of power in the relationship, and were coming from a healthy place when they came to each other.
Are any instances from "Big Mistake" taken from real life? Do you incorporate stories from your personal life in any of your books?
What exactly are you implying here? Lol. No. Absolutely zero instances in “Big Mistake” were taken from real life. DON’T REALLY SEDUCE A TEACHER. It’s the kind of thing which only works in books. I don’t generally incorporate stories from my personal life into my books. Mainly because my personal life is boring, and fiction is much more interesting.
Share with us the best advice you've ever received. When it comes to writing, what are some of your hopes and ambitions?
You don’t have to write every single day without fail. You do have to put in the effort to finish your writing. Only you know what dedication looks like to you.
My biggest ambition is to write the kind of story that someone can’t put down. I want to know I got a reader totally engrossed in the story. That will be an amazing day.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about? Do you have any new series planned?
I am definitely working on a new story and very much in love with it. It’s a sidekick falling for a supervillain in a world where superheroes exist. Many shenanigans are going on. My sidekick has always been pushed to the back of the line and considered weak by everyone around her. With the help of her villain she’s finding out that she’s pretty much a superhero. But for love, she might have to consider being a supervillain instead. It’s a lot of fun.
What do you think of AllAuthor and its services? Do you have any feedback?
I think AllAuthor services are well worth the price. It’s a very fair deal, and a good tool to have on your side as a small press or indie author. To anyone hanging back, waiting to see if AllAuthor is another promotional services scam, I would say ‘Jump in!’. It’s no scam, and it’s not really a promotion service. It’s a tool you use as an author to promote yourself. The weekly graphics, alone, are wonderful and that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what’s offered.
