What is your favorite childhood memory?
Reading. I remember reading Charlotte's Web during the summer between second and third grade. Some of my other favorite kids' books were almost anything by Roald Dahl, Alice in Wonderland, and a big hardcover collection of Disney stories taken from the movies.
What does writing mean to you?
The best description of writing I've heard is having an amazing daydream, then trying to describe that daydream in a way to entertain other people.
When did you realize being a writer is something you'd like to pursue?
My high-school English teacher had once written, 'You have a beautiful way with words! You should be a writer!' while grading a poem I had written. I think the poem was about nature and the four seasons, and I wish I'd saved that poem. But her encouraging words had always stuck with me.
What are your thoughts on traditional vs. self-publishing?
Traditional is very hard to accomplish these days with so many people querying, and I admire the writers who get agents. I queried The Reborn Prince to about 50 agents in 2021 with no bites, before deciding to self-publish that book and its two sequels. I still dream of landing an agent. Maybe with my next book? (One agent actually wrote a nice personalized rejection letter that sounded at least promising!) With indie, it's like having a little mini-business of your own. Marketing, advertising, networking. Not my favorite thing to do, but at least I've made writer friends this way.
What were some of the thoughts swimming in your head while (querying)?
"NO! I can't believe my letter sent in all italics! I didn't format it in italics!" "Did I misspell the agent's last name?" "She likes fairytale retellings and Harry Potter magic. This might be the one!"
What inspired your second novel, The Ice Mage?
In truth, The Reborn Prince and The Ice Mage were originally going to all be lumped together as one larger novel. My original title for the big manuscript was A Redeeming Enchantment. I sent the manuscript to a beta reader named Inghild, from Norway. (She is the author of a wonderful fairytale series called Balance). She gave me the best advice; she noticed there were two main romance arcs—the first between Luc and Emilie, and the second between Marcel and Adelaide. She felt that there needed to be a split, so that each book focuses on a different couple's love story. So I split it at the beginning of the 'carriage journey' scene and expanded the first half with more rich details that were needed. Also, I shamelessly admit that Marcel was inspired by Frozen's Elsa. I LOVED the idea of a person with ice magic intensified by their emotions, and the fact it could be harmful or deadly though the person was naturally kind and good.
When writing, do you prefer an outlined plot or take an idea and see where it gets you?
Definitely the second! I'm naturally a pants-er, but I did create an outlined plot for The Frosted Roses. The plan went off the rails, but it at least it helped with structure.
