Author Interview
What books/authors have influenced you and why? I’ve always been drawn in by slight fantasy and science fiction. Not over the top alien sci-fi, that’s great for some but subtle fantasy within a character driven storyline really piques my interest! As a child I loved reading books like Matilda by Roald Dahl and The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks. As an adult I fell in love with The Time Travelers Wife. I read it at such a challenging time in my own life and felt like it almost carried me through that time. I hope my books are able to do the same for someone out there too.
Tell me about your protagonist. What's your favorite trait and/or weakness? Olivia thinks she has dealt with some trials in life but in reality she’s been very sheltered. She hasn’t been around many truly dishonest people and she is used to taking things in at face value. She’s definitely too trusting and naive at times. I love that she doesn’t take no for an answer though. She thrives on knowledge and she will only stick her head in the sand for so long. She also enjoys some good sarcasm. We share that trait.
What are your current/future projects? I’m excited to get The Window into the hands of readers. I have a new story stewing right now. It’s roughly outlined and started. It’s a story of a couple that is going through some trials. However, when one of them realizes she has the ability to shape her future, she has to choose between the easy road and what’s right.
Do you have a routine you follow when writing? I usually get an idea and write it down in my phone or on actual paper and sit on it for a while. I let the characters be my daydreams and the scenarios stew inside my head. Then I work on an outline. Sometimes the ending is includes in the outline and sometimes I wait for that to develop on it’s own at a later time. Then I get writing. I find listening to music that I imagine my characters
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be? Slow down. Enjoy this moment.
What does literary success look like to you? I think literary success is when an author creates a work that motivates and inspires others. When you can step into a story, and imagine how the characters would act outside of the plot line then your work has become dynamic and real. Like The Velveteen Rabbit, when a reader loves you, the story becomes real. That’s success. When people can imagine fiction as reality you’ve really found the magic.
