About

Why did you start a career as an author?

This is technically my fourth career, believe it or not. When I was in my second career I had the idea that I wanted to be a published author. Of what, I had no clue. I even went as far as creating my Amazon KDP account, which sat there, empty, for several years. Imagine where I would be now if I had started writing then? But, my career at the time was extremely time and energy intensive, so much so that I needed to leave that "dream job" far sooner than I had anticipated. Which, brings me to writing. Ultimately, being an indie author allows me to control my day, my time, my ideas, my stories. As someone who deals with chronic health issues, that time and control is invaluable. 

Also--as a highly creative and imaginative person, there were some ideas I had that would just not leave me alone! They haunted my dreams and finally I thought--fuck it! I'm writing this story down so it will leave me alone! And that's how Rescued by the Monster was born, and subsequently the little, magical town of Coldwater Springs!

What genre of book do you secretly love that might surprise your readers?

Hands down historical romance, specifically books that happen during World War I and World War II. I inhaled the Jacqueline Windspear "Maisie Dobbs" series. Technically it's not really a romance, more of a historical fiction mystery with romance subplots and undertones. Those books had me in a choke hold for yearsss! My other go to is police or detective procedurals. Harry Bosch, anyone? Lincoln Lawyer? You know I binge watched all those movies and TV shows as well! (Titus Welliver I 💜 you!)

What does your typical writing day look like?

 I really try to keep it organized, but sometimes that doesn't happen. Can you keep a secret? I have a second pen name in a very different genre that I balance too, so what I attempt to do is keep the pen name work to dedicated days. I have writing days and non-writing days. On writing days I will write from the moment I wake until the screen starts to go blurry. Usually five or six hours. This includes outlining as well. In between, I walk the dogs, take a break, grab a snack, zone out. Zoning out is very important. I will sit on my couch and stare at a wall. Usually if I'm stuck an idea will strike me during the zone-out process! 

On non-writing days, I break them into different tasks like: social media creation and scheduling, website updates, Beta/ARC management, updating Patreon, cover creation, etc. I don't work on Saturdays or Sundays. And by "work" I mean I don't write or do any other admin tasks, but I might work on illustrations on my phone or tablet while watching TV with the hubs.

What's a piece of non-writing media (movie, game, song, or TV show) that consistently inspires your imagination?

I'm a serial re-watcher, and I have several shows and movies that I watch on repeat when I want to get back into the "vibe" of my writing. True Blood is my ultimate writing inspiration. It somehow manages to balance the high-heat with campy with all the paranormal craziness. I enjoyed the books as well, but the show was peak for me. Schitts Creek is next, I watch it for the cozy, calming vibes and the fact that it never fails to make me laugh. Also, I'm a hardcore Buffy fan, she is everything! Lastly would be Hunger Games, I'm obsessed! Probably the best books-to-movies adaptation I've ever experienced as a fan. 

What is the single most challenging aspect of the writing process for you?

World-building and lore. I suck at it. Admittedly, I get frustrated. I just want the world to be there fully formed, and having to stop and take notes and remember things I came up with on a whim that might not work in the future is...irritating. I could never write epic fantasy. I admire those authors so much because it takes an immense amount of skill to keep track of it all and have it make sense! Even with Coldwater Springs, which I tried to smooth that out and not get into the weeds with it so much and focus on the couples as much as possible, it got me so frustrated later into the series when certain things would pop up, and I'd go, "Crap!! Why did I do that?" Then I'd have to think of a way to make it make sense, which was often a domino effect. That's a by-product of starting off as a pantster and evolving into a plotter. I know better now, and work really hard to flesh out the world and its rules as much as possible before I even start outlining any books to ensure that the books make absolute sense and there will be no surprises when I'm drafting the climax of book 3, for example!