Interview with the Author

I was recently asked several questions for an interview to be placed on fellow anthologist, Angela Roquet's, blog. I thought I would include the interview on Goodreads as well.


Question: Vampires? Werewolves? Ghosts? What is your favorite flavor of supernatural and why?

Answer: I would have to say the zombie hordes are my favorite. Vampires get all of the PR, ghosts are too transparent, and werewolves are just plain schizophrenic. It shouldn’t be too difficult to pick a species, but werewolves have to try to be both humans and wolves. It’s no wonder they don’t really fit in with anyone. For my favorite undead, I have to go with the underdog, the oft maligned, zombies. They lurch, they moan, and eat the occasional brain. What’s not to love?

Question: Do you dabble in other genres besides paranormal?

Answer: I’m possibly the most eclectic author I know. My passion is fantasy, but I’m good with a quip or two. So I find it easy to write contemporary humor. Since all of my adult life has been spent in a high school classroom, I tend to gravitate toward school stories that bear a more than passing resemblance to events I have witnessed over the past twenty years. In a demonstration of my eclectic nature, my most recent manuscript was a romantic comedy. When asked about my favorite genre, my response is, “The one I haven’t explored yet.”

Question: Are you and outline or an organic writer?

Answer: I tend to start a story with both a beginning and an ending in mind. The steps in between are usually a hazy blur, with half-glimpsed scenes. It’s an adventure writing a novel, and several characters have assumed personalities that I had not predicted at the start of the project.

Question: Where do you do your writing?


Answer: If you remember the old Western TV show, “Have Gun - Will Travel,” then you have an idea of where I write. My theme is “Have Laptop – Will Travel.” With two active daughters, I can be seen sitting in bleachers watching gymnastic practice while slaughtering entire villages in a story. Waiting for the end of dance class on night, I mapped out the entire ending of a love story where boy meets girl only to loose her to the allure of the stage. At this point I can’t decide if her love for him is strong enough to pull her away from the limelight, or if zombies destroy the theater. All thoughts of travel aside, my favorite place to write is draped over our overstuffed chair in the living room with Pink Floyd playing in the background.

Question: What are you currently working on?
I am currently finishing a fictional account of a school year, which bears an overwhelming resemblance to the real world events I experienced in my own classroom last year. I am hoping to have it on the market by the end of the October. I am also polishing up a fantasy manuscript in what I call “High Fantasy” in the Tolkien style. After watching her dear, old, dad write, my youngest daughter wants to collaborate on a story she is developing. Aside from the benefits of spending time with my daughter, it’s a darn good story line. I’ve enjoyed my foray into the realm of the paranormal with Off the Beaten Path. When I finished the “The Reason Why Grandmother’s Should Never Be Allowed to Read About Vampires,” a small embryo of an idea took root in my mind of a way to merge the drama of high school with the fun of the paranormal, without anybody sparkling. When you think carefully upon the subject, high school and the paranormal really aren’t that different.