Tell us a few things about your early life or childhood. Who was your role model as a child?
I was raised with horses and dirt bikes in a small Western Washington town. I was the kind of kid who loved to build forts and get lost in the woods with my dog. I had an imaginary friend named Sam in elementary school, who had chrome hair and eyes the color of cold steel. He's managed to weasel his way into every story I've written. Billy Corgan was my idol growing up. Haha, I wanted to marry him.
What is it about the suspense genre that captured your interest?
Funny enough, I didn't write to market. I had no idea what category my book should be listed under until my beta readers informed me it should be considered psychological fiction. Since most suspense seem to be crime fiction and mine is not, I still struggle with the listing.
Where and when did you write the first chapter of your first book? Who was your first beta reader?
I wrote the first 25 chapters in an apartment in University Place, on a Gateway computer, haha. My first alpha reader was a girl named Latisha. I named a character in my book after her.
How did you begin your journey inside the Shattered Lives universe in 2001?
I just sat down and wrote. It was originally supposed to be fanfic, but that changed as the story evolved.
In what ways does the relationship between speaker and audience sustain you, and in what ways not?
I never planned to publish, so I wrote the entire series without the expectation of an audience. Going through the rewrites with the knowledge that I’m going to have an audience was a struggle at first. But when a reader told me he could relate on a personal level with Corbin (one of my main characters) because of his anger management issues, I was THRILLED. So far, almost everyone else relates primarily to Chase (other male MC) and Tylar (female MC).
How did writing the Shattered Lives Chronicles help you process various devastation you have faced?
This could get wordy, because it saved my life so many times. After I was assaulted by an ex, I worked through it by putting a similar experience in the book and making Tylar deal with it. It gave me a sense of control over something I was powerless to change. When I found out my mom wasn’t my birth mother through medical paperwork I wasn’t supposed to have, I gave all the feelings of betrayal and abandonment to one of my MC’s after they found out about an unknown relation. That doesn’t come to fruition until book 2 and 3, though. These are just 2 examples of many. The other examples will lead to unnecessary spoilers.
What would you say characterizes your writing? In what ways do you try and stand out from the ever growing community of suspense writers?
This may sound odd, but I don’t. I’m a pantser who wrote a story to keep myself sane and alive. I never intended on publishing, but a friend read it and said I HAD to publish. That it wasn’t fair to keep it to myself. She offered to help me through the process and act as my literary manager.
What does the term "Manning Bloodline" mean? What challenges did you face while creating the dark world of the Manning Bloodline?
The Manning Bloodline is all about eugenics and patriarchy. They have a brutal behavioral control program they implement on their heirs. One of the side-effects is environmentally caused mental illnesses. Most suffer from Antisocial Personality Disorder (ADP). Corbin’s behavioral control was ceased when he was 8 (after his grandfather died and uncle moved away), so he escaped with Adult Reactive Attachment Disorder, instead of ADP. Really, Chase is the key reason he still has his humanity (though it’s legit an ongoing struggle). I never state this in the books, I just show the symptoms in his behavior/internal dialog.
One of the challenges was writing their creed. I have a 14 page document outlining the behavioral control program they force on their heirs, starting at birth. When I started to get into the nitty-gritty of what Corbin’s childhood years were like, I had to have something to reference for what he went through while his grandfather was alive and his uncle lived with them.
What makes your characters real to you? Do you ever find yourself forgetting sometimes that they aren't real people?
The pieces of myself I planted them with. Whether it’s a chunk of who I am, who I was, or who I wish I could be, it’s there. And they are very real people to me. I often dream about them, as strange as that may sound. I once called my boyfriend Corbin in my sleep. Good thing he knows who Corbin is, haha.
How did you come up with the title, "On Fractured Ground"? What inspired the plot of the story?
The series was written as a single story, which I called Shattered Lives. When I realized I’d have to split it into volumes, I wanted to have the names related to the word “shattered”. On Fractured Ground seemed perfect, since the first book sets the groundwork for everything that will follow. The plot was inspired by all that I’ve been through, and a yearning for emotional and physical safety. It was the exorcism of my inner demons.
What is the best vacation you've ever taken? If you could travel anywhere, all expenses paid, where would you go?
In 2014, I went on a European vacation. I visited Ireland, England, Germany, Italy, and Austria. It was beautiful and amazing. My dream vacation is Australia. I’m a huge gamer, and would love to go to PAX in Melbourne.
Who inspired the character of Tylar Daislea? How do you come up with character names?
Her conception came from watching Zorro, strangely enough. I pictured her as a young Catherine Zeta-Jones, but with watercolor eyes. The movie Entrapment only solidified this image of her in my mind. Corbin was named after Sonny Corinthos from General Hospital, and Chase’s name came from Sonny’s sidekick, Jason. Names are the fun part of writing; I have stories behind several others.
How was your experience of working with your illustrator, Arin D'Avino?
Absolutely amazing! I was the first book cover she’s ever done, and she exceeded my wildest dreams with her painting of Cellar Institute. I’m hoping she will paint the rest of my covers, as well. You can find more of her work at www.paintedhealing.com.
Have you ever worked on multiple novels at once? What are you working on now?
I’ve worked on multiple stories at once, but I never considered them novels. Until last year, I never intended to publish. Right now, I’m working on rewriting the 22 chapters I separated into Book 2: Fragmented Past. Once that’s done, I’ll do content editing with my literary manager, and then we’ll get it out to beta readers. Then it will be professionally edited and published, and I’ll move on to rewriting the chapters for Book 3: Broken by Blood.
I do have a sequel series I started several years ago, but had to put it on hold last year to get these books ready for Amazon. It doesn’t have a name yet and as a pantser, I have no idea how long it will be or how it will end.
How did you first learn about the AllAuthor website and how do you think it measures up to other sites that you've tried?
I heard about AllAuthor while researching promotional sites. So far, it’s one of my favorites
