What was your life like growing up? What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?
I have an incredible mom who always encouraged creativity and imagination. For every holiday, we made decorations that ended up being better than anything we could have bought. We were always doing some sort of project together.
Each night, my mom would read us several books that she did voices for and would read them in a way that made us need to know what happened next. She would also tell us stories that she created about the adventures of the three little girls. Magic carpet rides, pirate ships and incredible sights filled her stories. I always looked forward to them.
What inspired you to start writing? How long have you been writing?
I have always been a writer. I started off with some bad poetry that I will probably never share (yes I still have my teenage scribblings). I also have several notebooks with story ideas, chapters, outlines and character descriptions. Some of those are pretty good, while others just make me laugh.
I became a published author in late 2015. That summer, I was feeling a little blue, a little sorry for myself and lacking inspiration for my life. I was whining to my mother, who is a proponent for doing something about it and not just complaining, and she told me that I was a good writer and that I should write her something. It was late afternoon and she told me that she wanted some pages by the morning.
I have no idea why I actually listened, but I ended up writing the prologue for Discovery and I emailed it to her. She claimed to have loved it and asked for more pages. I sent more and we followed that pattern for a week. The next week, I went out with a bunch of friends and didn’t send her pages. The next morning, I received a very upset email from my mom explaining to me that she needed to know what happened next and that I left her hanging.
That was when I realized that she was not just humoring me, but actually liked my story. To this day, I still send her pages of whatever book I’m working on.
What elements do you use to make the paranormal world fit perfectly into real life?
In the Gifted Series, my characters have special powers, but they are hiding in plain sight. They all live in society, have jobs, go to school and have relationships with normal humans.
Why did you choose the romance genre? What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good romance writing?
My books are first Fantasy/Paranormal and second romance. I have always loved romantic comedies and love stories so I wanted to add a little of that to my books. I love having characters do nice things for each other and make each other feel special. I want the reader to feel what my characters are feeling.
After years of writing for others, what motivated you to start writing something for herself?
Answered above – my mom got me writing for myself.
How do you think your daytime career in public relations and marketing has helped you shape into an author?
I write about so many different topics on a daily basis and have to learn about so many really cool things in order to write about them. It helped me be able to write concisely and to catch peoples interest early on. Media releases need to get the attention of a reporter or editor in order for it to be published in the paper.
How did you begin writing "The Gifted Series?" Do you find it more challenging to write the first book in a series or to write the subsequent novels?
I had the idea for the Gifted Series for a long time before I actually started writing it. It had been swimming around in my head just waiting to be written. I usually have a grand idea for a series and then break it down into books. My biggest challenge is to not make the stories too complex.
Why did you decide to write A Gifted Series Prequel, Experiments?
Good question. The prequel shows the backstory for a few things that happen later in the series. It shows how a chance encounter with someone can affect something years later.
What sparked the idea for Transformation? Which is your favorite character in the book?
In Transformation, the power shift is the main focus and will cause a ripple effect for other things to come. I wanted to show that their powers are growing along with the danger.
My favorite character in the Gifted Series is Robert. He actually was supposed to be a bad guy, but as I was writing him, he wouldn’t let me make him evil.
What advice do you have for any budding writers out there? What are some ways you try to keep growing as a writer?
Reading often helps become a better writer, but more importantly, keep writing. The more you write, the better it gets. It is amazing how much I have grown as an author. I look back at my first books and can instantly see how much I have improved.
You have this interesting way of promoting your books on Instagram by celebrating days like Coffee Day, Taco Day, Sticky Bun Day etc. How did you come up with this idea? How do you think giveaways help in reaching a wider audience?
Hahaha. I love to have fun and celebrate even the silly little things like National Stucky Bun Day. I usually pick a few different days and bring in something for my day job to honor that day. I have a wall calendar outside of my office and each day has a graphic that lists whatever national or international day it happens to be. The people I work with stop by and look each day. They loved finding out what day it was and some others have joined in to bring things in to the office. I figured that if it was fun at my day job, others might like it too.
Out of all the books you've written, which scene/phrase/character are you most proud of? Have you ever written a scene you loved but had to cut out because it didn't fit the flow of the story?
That’s really hard. I have a few favorite scenes for different reasons. I love the beginning of the first chapter of Transformation. Robert finds a woman sneaking into his window. I also love the first page of Forgotten Magic where Ethan finds Lili hanging from his roof.
I have not had to cut any scenes yet. If something doesn’t flow, I will rearrange the story or add the scene in a different way.
Who inspired the character of Nick? What are some emotions that you felt when you finished writing the final chapter of "Exploration?"
I named Nick after my grandfather who was the only male role model I had growing up. My grandfather was an amazing man. Nick also has a few traits based on a friend of mine from college. (Dark hair, blue eyes, not lacking in confidence)
There was a lot of action at the end of Exploration and I needed to bring things to a conditional close for the book, but also leave things open for the next one. I like having mini cliffhangers where the reader would want to read the next book to find out more, but not have to wait for the fate of a character.
What are some of your future projects that you've started on? May we know when we can expect a new book?
I am super excited about my new Mystic Universe. It will center around immortal magic users and shapeshifters, but it will have a lot of other supernaturals. I just released Forgotten Magic in February. Ethan finds Lili hanging from his roof and vows to help her discover who she really is and help her find her friend.
On May 7th, Stolen Magic, will be released in the Cursed Lands Box Set. It takes place years before Forgotten Magic, but there will be cross over characters. Aria and Damian have to team up to capture a killer who could destroy the whole supernatural world.
On May 28th, Hidden From Darkness is releasing in the Shadows and Sorcery Box Set. That book is set before Stolen Magic in the Mystic Universe. Ali and Noah, Lili’s parents are the stars of this series. All three series will be standalone series, but they will have crossover characters. Lucinda, a very powerful badass mystic, will be in all three.
On June 7th, Changing Fate, part of Havenwood Falls Legends, will release. Vila warrior Jerina travels across the world to save her sister from the evil clutches of the mage Perun.
The last book in the Gifted Series will be out this summer as well.
What has your experience with AllAuthor been like so far? Is there anything that you believe could be done to better benefit the authors in this community?
I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up, but I love AllAuthor and would recommend it to others. I love the personalized tweets and attention. The social media posts are not generic and show a little more detail about the story line.
