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- About Me
How did you get started writing?
I started writing when I was about 10. I have to credit the Disney Adventures magazine because it was there that I saw an entry
for the annual Halloween writing contest and decided to enter. I didn’t win or anything but it did open up my love for telling
stories. From then on I started writing short stories, screenplays, plays and anything that would help me tell my story. I didn’t
write novels because I thought it was just too many pages to fill up lol. So that was on the back end while I worked on other
things. I still have some of the query letters and correspondences I received from editors that I wrote on my typewriter. It sounds
weird but it was before the time of email submissions and spell check.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’m not quite sure if it was a defining moment, much less something I sort of felt drawn into. I always loved reading ever since I
could walk. My mom used to read to me in the womb and I learned to read at three or so. So I always loved the written word.
There was just something powerful about the narrative that stayed with you and I wanted to share the love with other readers by
telling my own stories. It first started out where I was writing to entertain my classmates and to see what they thought, but from
then on I found it was something that gave me a chance to express myself and some ideas that I had.
What book from your childhood made the strongest lasting impression on you as a young reader?
There was a book of scary stories written as a collection that I can't for the life of me remember. I gobbled up scary stories when
I was younger and I just kept grabbing them whenever I came across them. This book has a particular story about a shadow that
had come to life and it freaked me out so much I threw the book away and stopped reading scary stories for a looooong time. At
that moment, I realized the power of story and how it can affect the reader's imagination with mere words. Later on, I appreciated
the impact it had on me and I kind of wish I knew the name of that collection because I'd love to re-read it from a grown-up point
of view.
When you finish writing one of your own books, done to your utmost satisfaction, is the feeling as good as reading a
book by your all-time favorite author?
I'd say it's up there! There's a sense of accomplishment when you finish a book and then polish it to it's best point that matches
reading a favorite author. When you surprise yourself it's really wonderful because of the time writing it, you beat yourself up so
much over every detail and plot point that you wonder if anyone will ever read and enjoy something from you again! My favorite
part of writing is probably the rewriting because I love molding the early drafts into something (hopefully) wonderful that readers
will enjoy.
Who is your all-time favorite author?
Ooh that's a tough one because I love so many. Hmm. I love Anne Rice's paranormals, Suzanne Brockmann's Romantic
Suspenses, Anne Stuart's Dark Romances, Ray Bradbury's versatile storytelling. If my arm was twisted and I HAD to choose, ti
would probably be Rod Serling. Although he wrote in television mainly, he had a way of writing that had a punch to it. The
Twilight Zone is one of my favorite all time series simply because of the storytelling being so sharp. Serling had an eye for using
speculative to say what you couldn't say about the state of humanity and they are classics which are even relevant in today's
world.
How do you go about planning a book? Do you plan it, just start writing or do you plot out the whole book as the
thoughts come?
I do a little bit of planning in my mind but not too much that I know the entire story. I usually get an idea for who the characters
are, their dilemma and what the main problem is so I can start the story at a good point to introduce everything. The characters
sometimes surprise me as I'm writing and I love that organic storytelling where I'm discovering the story as I write it. Sometimes I
have no idea how it's going to end! Although once I get that first draft down, I usually know how to refine the story and scenes so
that the story is told in a consistent and entertaining manner.
I have always wondered if writing is a seasonal occupation. For example is it better or easier to settle in on a cold day &
write or embrace the sunshine and heat? Or, it simply a matter of write when you can?
It's tough because the writing business itself doesn't take time off so you always have to be working on something. However,
since writing is such a creative endeavour, the brain doesn't always cooperate! So it's mainly based on the writer and how they
work best. For me, I'm a huge night owl so I work best when it's late at night/early morning no matter the season. My desk is right
next to a window so I get to admire the sunshine or the rainy day while working which can add to the writing atmosphere
depending on the scene. Sometimes I get a little fatigued so I take some time off writing and the business to collect my thoughts
and then get right back in the groove. My mind is always swimming with ideas so thankfully I don't run out of those! The kicker is
letting those ideas flow onto the page in a coherent narrative.
How can I find your books to buy?
Most of my books are available at Amazon in e-format (with a few select titles in print) or Smashwords in strictly digital format.You
can check out my Smashwords page at this link and my Amazon listings at this link. At the moment, A Kiss of Ashen Twilight is in
print along with my anthologies and Before Dawn Breaks is coming very soon to print from Freya's Bower. Let me know if you're
looking for a specific work of mine in a special format and I'll work on getting it there for ya. :-)
- About the Ashen Twilight Series
How did you come up with the idea for the series?
I hadn’t come across a story between a fairy and a vampire as romantic interests before. I can name a few now but at the time I
started writing I thought it would be interesting to combine the two. I was curious to see if there were any fairies in African myths
and I came upon the Aziza which is apart of the Dahomey people’s mythology. They were a benign group of fairies believed to
exist in order to assist hunters. I thought that was perfect and offered so many possibilities in the lifestyle of a female Aziza. Plus
vampires are known to be hunters. What if my Aziza heroine fell for a hunter who was completely against her beliefs? How would
they both cope? What would it be like to combine the high fantasy of these fairies with the dark fantasy of vampires? And thus
the first in the series was born. It offered so much conflict and tension at the same time which gave me a lot to work with.
Who is your favorite character in the series?
Hmm, that's a good question. It's probably a toss up between Jace and Ariya. I loved Jace's confidence and his vulnerablity
toward Ariya. With Ariya, I like the fact that she has a quiet strength about her. She's not over the top and in your face but she
can be intimidating when need be.
Will Inheritance of Ashes be the last of the series?
For this particular story arc, it’s a good chance Inheritance of Ashes will be the finish for the series (and hopefully answer all the
questions raised). As of now, I don’t have plans to extend the main arc beyond the third book. If the characters are still strong
and have more to say after everything finishes, it’ll most likely be a spin-off book or a tie-in short novella.
- Other works
Rio Sunrise is such a beautiful cover. How do covers come about? Does the artist base them on your input? Do you
get to pick? Or is it just luck of the draw?
Thank you so much! I've been fortunate to work with some really great publishers who seek input for author ideas for what can
go on their covers. So based on that, they've been pretty spot on. They've also been open to allow me to use my artistic side to
create my own covers for the most part and I've been able to bring the story within the pages onto my covers which I really enjoy.
Hopefully it's a great story within itself and aesthetically pleasing to readers at the same time.