What first inspired you to start writing your own stories?
I have been thinking up stories in my head ever since I was a kid. In the fourth grade I won an award for a story and promised myself that someday I would write more. Don’t ask how many years it took me to fulfill that promise to myself. Let’s just say, it takes some of us a while.
How has growing up in St. Louis and living in the Southwest influenced your storytelling?
Good question (and yes, I know that’s not a complete sentence). Growing up in St. Louis, I was lucky to have the sweetest, funniest, and most diligent German grandparents, who told me countless Grimms’ Fairy Tales at bedtime. As immigrants, they were full of stories about growing up in Europe, the families they left behind, and the fallout from the first world war that brought them to the United States.
My dad’s family were British and had an amazingly sarcastic sense of humor, something I’d like to think I continue. As far as living in the Southwest, not many novels have been centered in this area, except historical Westerns, so there are aspects regarding life here that are novel (not to make a pun), but still very recognizable as life in the United States.
You mention always being on the prowl for something to laugh about—does humor play a big role in your writing?
Another good question. Humor is the major reason I write. I try to find that sweet spot between love, and its emotional complexities, and laugh my fanny off over everything that happens to us as human beings. I should mention at this point that Mel Brooks is my hero. Don’t laugh (ha), I’m serious.
What’s your typical writing routine? Are you a strict planner or more of a spontaneous writer?
Oh, you would have to ask that. Every writer’s sensitive spot. That’s like asking someone how much weight they put on this month. Just joking. I am finally getting back to writing after living in Germany for four years. I am never moving again. My plan is to write at least three hours a day to begin with and then add a few hours more to that, Monday through Friday. As to whether I’m a plotter or a pantser, I’m truly a hybrid. If an idea comes to mind halfway through the novel that’s better than the original chapter I’d planned, I will jump ship and swim to the rescue helicopter.
Do you have any favorite books or authors that have shaped your writing style?
Fredrick Backman is one of my favorite authors, as well as Kate Quinn, who truly does her homework when it comes to researching the time about which she is writing. I admire that, as I admire Mr. Backman’s sense of humor. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of nonfiction. The one that really fascinated me was, “The Great Mortality” by John Kelly. It is about the plague in the fourteenth century and the fallout and realignment of society in the aftermath. It really hit home, after the Pandemic.
What themes do you find yourself returning to in your stories?
The overarching one is that it is far better to laugh about most things than it is to dwell on the unhappiness you may have experienced. When life throws you a mess, roll up your sleeves, clean it up, figure out what you’ve learned from it, and don’t let your pride get in the way.
How do you balance humor with deeper, more serious topics in your writing?
Carefully. I never inject humor into the loss of a human life. I will joke about the loss of material possessions, and most definitely the investment in social status and the false assumptions we make regarding other people, but not about human life.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself through writing?
That I’m picky about certain things, in this case my writing, and I will stick with it until I am satisfied that it’s right.
Ps. I can hear my husband and children in the background, laughing and saying, “Yeah, we never knew you were picky.”
Can you share a bit about your book, “The Cha-cha Affair”? What inspired the story?
My husband and I were taking ballroom dancing lessons, and many of the characters and incidents came out of those experiences. Dancing frees your spirit. Seriously. There wasn’t a time that I finished a dance class that I wasn’t a happier person walking back out the studio door. I placed the novel in Scottsdale, Arizona, well, because it’s Scottsdale. Use your imagination.
If you could see any of your books adapted into a film or TV show, which one would it be, and who would you cast?
Probably “The Cha-cha Affair, and “Third Time’s A Charm” would make great romantic comedies. As for the lead actors, for “The Cha-cha Affair, Drew Barrymore would be perfect, and for “Third Time’s A Charm,” Elizabeth Banks would be great.
What has been the biggest adventure in your life so far—writing-related or otherwise?
Moving to Germany for four years. It was a wonderful experience tromping all over Europe.
Having lived in Germany, how has that experience influenced your perspective as a writer?
Despite the pandemic, my husband and I were able to travel extensively. People are the same all over, only with distinct types of cultural habits and stress points. I don’t know how else to explain it, other than to say that regardless of race or culture, we are all far more alike than we are different. Of course, the Germans do have better bread….just joking, but not really.
“Third Time's A Charm: Romance Over 50” is a very special and beautifully written book. How did you come up with the idea for this book?
Nobody was writing anything funny about the Pandemic, number one, and number two, when I was in Germany, I was homesick for Phoenix and my family and friends in the states, so I wrote about them. Given the antics that went on in that novel, names will not be mentioned.
What’s next for you—any upcoming projects or big moves you’re excited about?
I’m writing a new novel called, “The Tale of the Tucson Almost Angel,” which will be more comedy than romance, but it does involve two characters who have fallen for each other and can’t admit it because they are the most stubborn people imaginable.
What has your AllAuthor experience been like so far? What are some highlights?
It’s been wonderful. Everything is in one place and organized for potential readers to check out. They can read samples of all three novels and click to purchase them on Amazon, if they are so inclined. Additionally, the custom weekly mockups are a godsend, as are the tools I can use to design my own. Spending my time doing the things this site does for me would truly consume my day and impede my writing time. Additionally, whenever I have experienced a problem, the AllAuthor staff has been on it immediately. Thanks for that.
