Where are you from? What is your fondest memory from your childhood?
I’m from Indiana, where I was born and raised, and still reside today. My favorite childhood memories are too numerous to count. But I will tell you this, ironically, it never involved books or writing a book.
You were a surgeon before you became an author. What made you decide to switch professions?
My career in orthopedics came at a young age, as I followed in my father’s footsteps. Being that we lived in the Orthopedic capital of the world, it was the sensible thing to do. When I say young, I mean around fourteen/fifteen years of age. My father had his own orthopedic medical business with several surgeons who were breaking into the ground floor of trauma devices. I remember cleaning and sandblasting bone screws or bone plates as my summer job. Eventually, it turned into the knee and hip replacement surgery.
After thirty years of working in skeletal joint replacement system and having a great career with the number one orthopedic company in the world, Zimmer Biomet, I could retire early.
In my orthopedic years, I took pride in improving patients’ lives and removing their pain. But you are still under the thumb of the FDA. You’re trained to design and improve products without thinking out of the box. Regulations are a must for the safety of patients. When I started writing, I wanted to unleash and run far from the box.
When I’m writing, there are no rules; there are no guidelines. I can create what I want, and my followers are my new patients. It’s the unleashing I’m addicted to.
What is something you learned as a surgeon that has helped you as an author? Which profession do you like more?
Even though I quoted ‘thinking out of the box,’ my medical career taught me discipline. You can still think out of the box and be creative, but you still need to be plausible. A story can be so over the top, but is the plot believable? Could this happen?
I enjoyed my career in orthopedics. But, I’m loving life as an author.
Your first novel, Faces, was the result of a bet between you and your husband. Can you tell us more about that? Why did you decide not to release that story?
I can’t believe we’re still talking about this. LOL. Maybe it was a midlife crisis. My forties were ending, and fifty was upon me. Audiobooks were my release at work. After listening to Fifty Shades and The Crossfire series by Sylvia Day, of which I loved, I was also somewhat critical.
But I was not fair. If you’re going to be a critic, you should give the profession a try. Only then can you be honest.
I was writing every day after work; my husband hated it. He ridiculed my work and what I was doing. The bet was to send my manuscript for an honest review—he even paid for it. The Kirkus was where he sent my manuscript, and we waited for six weeks. If the manuscript reviewed poorly, my dream as a writer was over.
Six weeks later, we were sitting on the beach when I received an email. My review for FACES was ready. No longer was I able to enjoy a day on the beach with my husband. All I could think about was that review. Only on the way home, did we open it, and to my surprise, it was an outstanding review. I never published that novel because I was shortly picked up by an agent. The manuscript was then out on submission with Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Penguin Random House. After a long wait and joining RWA, I decided to self-publish. I do have plans to release that novel soon under a new title and two-part series.
In Her Secret, the character of Julia is an interesting one. She develops from a meek to a strong character as the story progresses. Was the character of Julia inspired by anyone in your life? Why did you design Julia’s character as such?
Julia’s character is based off my cousin and her upbringing. I felt it was a great development tool to use and to put two different spectrums together was a great way to build suspense and romance. Julia does grow from meek to strong from book #1 His Secret. Not because some readers hated that quality about her, but it was always my intent. I always knew the novel was going to be more epic than a standalone. So, with this, and the third book now releasing Aug. 4 th , Secret Enemy, we will see many developments from all characters.
How did you come up with the Secret series? Who is your favorite character in this series?
My blueprint for the Secret Series came from blending two of my favorite books, Jane Eyre and Jodi Ellen Malpas, This Man. My favorite character will always be Jonas. While writing the series, it was his head I was always in. I just had to keep it from the readers until his POV came out in book #3, Secret Enemy.
Did you know how the Secret series was going to end when you began writing it? Which book in the series was the most challenging to write and why?
I knew how I wanted it to end, but honestly, it changed as the characters became so real, they possessed me. Sometimes, I look back and don’t even remember writing parts of the book. Most Challenging: Book #3 Secret Enemy at the same time, was simple for what I wanted to write. It retells the first book through Jonas’s POV, only it’s written in past tense. Books 1 and 2 are in Julia’s POV. With this, I had to keep the first book, His Secret open at all times to make sure the dialect remained the same. Another challenge was, the current conflict is resolved in the present tense. Secret Enemy, releasing Aug. 4 th retells the first story in the past and solves the current conflict in the present. Writing one chapter in past tense and then the next in present, became a problem for me to keep the tenses in the right setting. So, I wrote all the past chapters first and then all the present chapters. Once they were complete, I had to place them in sequence. Another challenge.
As a relatively new author, what is something you have learned about the industry that you didn’t know before, or that you didn’t expect?
I will be completely candid here. It’s a publishing swamp. It’s not how good you are; it’s who you know. And I’m fine with that. I played by the rules for thirty years.
Do you avoid reading books of a specific genre when you’re working on a novel in the same genre? Where does one draw the line between inspiration and plagiarism?
I read several genres because I put many genres in my stories—psychological, suspense, mystery. I, myself become bored with just the romance in a book. After the sex, give me something more than spa dates with girlfriends talking about how hot their boyfriends are. Or the, ‘I had to sell my virginity to pay for my sister’s heart transplant.’ Or the, ‘Yes, you can abuse me and dominate me during sex, but how dare you buy me a new car! ‘Let’s talk about the over redundancy tilting off the edge of plagiarism. I feel your age will also show your difference in writing style, along with real-life experiences. I don’t want to be cookie-cutter. And if I don’t succeed like that, then I have succeeded.
What is the most ideal ambience for you to write in?
Honestly, my backyard. My home is built on all my inspirations.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? What are your hobbies?
All my hobbies are written into my stories. Read, and you will know me.
What is your motto in life?
Don’t die with potential.
What is your biggest aspiration in life?
I used to think to gain that title as a bestselling author, and maybe it will come. But my biggest aspiration has already come true. I wrote a book, and people I didn't know have friended because of it. Some have even said something in the book changed their perspective on something they were dealing with.
What book ideas are you currently working on?
Currently, I’m working on a biography for someone who became a friend after they read my book. I have wanted to slip into the psychological-thriller genre.
