Brief Interview with Not So Brief Answers
1. What is your favourite book that you have written?
The Skyline Series is my favorite. I can start reading it, and just get lost. You’d think I’d be tired of something I wrote, but not this one. I’ll lose a few days at a time because I want to keep reading about Jenna and Josh until it’s done, then I’ll think about it after that. It has everything I like in a romance—an alpha hero, a strong heroine, action, sex, and two people wrestling for control and losing themselves in each other in the process.
The two of them are dynamite and kerosene, and it tickles me when Josh tries to do that alpha bullying thing and Jenna digs in her heels, raises her chin, and gives it back just as hard as he tries to give it. I love it!
2. What is your favourite book by another author?
There’s that ‘u” in favorite again. I feel inclined to use it just to fit in…
I’m going to go way back and say the Rowan by Anne McCaffrey is my favourite. At least one of them. There are other books I love, and Ender’s Game (which is currently on the big screen) is one of them, but I still have that old, tattered McCaffrey book. It was my first saunter into fantasy with elements of romance and I totally dug it. It kind of opened the fantasy/SciFi door.
I also have to give a shout-out to John Saul because he dominated my youth. I was even a member of his fan club! So weird, but there you go. At one time I’d read all his books. They were a bit weird, but they moved fast, they had action, and he had a strong voice. Voila—young me is entertained.
I should pick up another of his books and see if I still dig him. Huh.
3-what do you like to do in your spare time when not writing?
Hang out with friends, go to lunch with my kid (because I’m not a huge fan of the park), and I like the results of exercising. Not actually exercising…just the feeling afterwards. I haven’t gotten it much lately. Probably should force myself to do that…
The problem is, I like the act of drinking wine with friends so much more. The next day usually sucks, but oh the fun two girls with a bottle of bubbles can have. When I have a choice between the two, guess which one I’ve been choosing lately.
I should make better choices…
4-Are there any authors that inspired you to write?
The whole romance genre inspired me to write. I’ve always been an avid reader, but more of a math and art girl. I’ve never been a writer outside of essays and reports in school/college. But then I got married.
What is it about “I do” that convinces a man he no longer has to pick up after himself? How can a guy go from helping with the dishes, laundry, and other household chores, to suddenly deciding he works, and therefore, does not need to worry about domestic shenanigans anymore?
Well listen here, bub, I work, too. Get your butt up and put your stuff away—I’m not going to do it for you!
And for the record, I hate nagging. Hate it. I usually end up doing things myself because I am tired of asking Sir Douche-A-Lot to help me out. Why don’t men realize that if they just do it, we won’t keep asking them to do it?
If a man mops the floor in the forest, does it make a sound?
Moving on…
Wait, nope—I got more. Round two.
I married a guy from Ireland. Irish guys (the ones actually from Ireland—not the Americans with a “kiss me I’m Irish” tee-shirt on) are as stubborn as they come. I am not kidding—you tell an Irish guy what to do, and he will do exactly the opposite just to spite you. My guy is sullen and silent when he gets mad, too. I have a fiery temper; I rant and rave…and immediately get over it. He holds a grudge.
Him ignoring me makes me absolutely crazy! We had fireworks in the early days. I sat on him once, just to get a response. He didn’t even speak to tell me to get off! When it comes to enacting the silent treatment, the man has a gift!
Okay, vent over. I feel better.
Anyway, back to why I started writing.
After I’d gotten married I settled into stability. Stable job, out of college and mostly stable social life, and stable house life—except for the aforementioned sitting on the husband, obviously. I hadn’t had kids, yet, so was still having fun, but I was also…bored.
Too much stability makes Jane a very jumpy gal.
So even though Fantasy is actually my favorite genre, I’d read a couple romance books and got that longing for the perfect man. You know the ones I mean; those guys that couldn’t possibly be real because they are a figment of our (women’s) imaginations, and women and men think oh-so-differently…
I didn’t care. I wanted one.
But how to get one?
Live it through the written word, that’s how. Which is why a lot of people read, sure, but this longing I had was different. I didn’t want someone else’s perfect man, I wanted my own. I wanted to create the world around him, too. I also wanted to dress myself up—make myself prettier with a nice set of boobies. I, personally, wanted to snag the unattainable. Me. Not through someone else’s leading lady.
Thus began my writing career. My desire to be someone else, just for a while, turned into the main character.
But remember—I’m not an avid romance reader. I didn’t know the rules. Plus, I am a math person—I have a healthy dose of logic. Too perfect is boring and too far from reality for me. I couldn’t get a good enough grip on the characters and the world without a little traction.
So Jessica (in Jessica Brodie diaries—the first thing I wrote) embodied my silly attitude and love of taking the piss (Euro slang for ‘make fun of in good humor’). William (the hero) is hot and nearly perfect, but still has his faults. He’s ideal, but just real enough that he’s believable. Kinda.
I don’t think the Jessica Brodie diaries are my best work writing-wise, but people love them because she’s a clown and the stuff she says is nuts.
Yes, I know what this says about me. Thanks for pointing it out.
5-Do you listen to music while writing if so who or what genre?
Sometimes. I tend to like to listen to Enya, Enigma or Mozart. I will listen to other things sometimes, but when a good song comes on it takes me out of the moment in the story. With the three listed above, I can come up for air and am happy to hear it, but it won’t actually suck me out of the book. And that’s all I have to say about that. <name that movie>
6-Have you any upcoming books you'd like to tell us about?
Oh lordie. Yes. Lots. Except the telling about part. I’m long-winded enough.
I keep trying to convince people that I am not a writer. I think a writer is a certain person with a dark, artistic soul. Since I am a jackass, I don’t qualify. What I am, though, is a reader that wanted to take control of the world I escaped to. For this reason, I can’t just throw something onto the page and send it to print. Not even close.
I will write a first draft, and then walk away. I might leave it for months. I’ll come back then, after I’ve written or worked on something else (or not), and read it. I’ll edit it, change it, rewrite, and get it to a place where I like it. Then I walk away again. And come back. And read/edit it again. If I make a ton of changes, I do it again. And again. Until I love reading it, I don’t show it to anybody.
Right now I have two fantasy books, two paranormal books, a contemporary romance, and a few more novellas in the Darkness series, waiting for one or more pass-through. One might think I am stockpiling for a nuclear fallout or something.
Please refer back to calling me nuts. It wasn’t very nice, but…well, here we are.
Next up for your reading consumption is a few more books in the Darkness series. I explore some new paranormal concepts, and in books to come we delve more firmly into the world Sasha has uncovered. Plus, there is the romance element, and some…physical stuff…to explore. So those will be next to hit the electronic shelves.
7- Tell us some interesting facts about yourself?
I don’t know about interesting facts, but I’ll give you some kookie ones.
It amazes me that anyone cares, but I’ll pretend like you do. For just this last question, though. I’m getting tired of myself…
I did say I was a jackass, so you were warned.
Many of the character quirks in my books are taken from life. Sometimes my life, sometimes things I see around me. For example, in Growing Pains, Krista talks to herself in a British accent. I do that. I have no idea why (I am American) but it seems so much less mundane when I throw an accent at my muttering.
I have a hybrid slang. My husband is from Ireland and I’m a Californian. I might say, “Dude, I don’t need any more, I have loads. No seriously, I’m good.” I might even throw a “y’all” at someone for spice. I like learning about various cultures and pick up the slang as I hear it. In the fantasy book coming out soon (maybe) the lead character is trying to fit into a culture that speaks English. Her personal quest is to learn the various dirty words. I so did that when I tried to learn French in school! She is then tickled with the many forms of the f-bomb.
What else… I love accounting work, but I stress and freak people out to no end. Many accountants are quiet, liking to stare at their spreadsheets and bend over their figures. I’m a bold, brash b*tch, so those shenanigans do not fly. I often sing and dance around the place, needing a little color in my day. It takes people a while to figure out that I’m rarely serious. It takes them a little longer to realize that nerdery can be fun, too. To some degree, anyway.
And yes, I am a huge nerd. Also a jock. Also a douche. Also a…<insert word of choice here>. I’m not sensitive, so if you want to poke a little fun, you’ve found the right girl J
The Skyline Series is my favorite. I can start reading it, and just get lost. You’d think I’d be tired of something I wrote, but not this one. I’ll lose a few days at a time because I want to keep reading about Jenna and Josh until it’s done, then I’ll think about it after that. It has everything I like in a romance—an alpha hero, a strong heroine, action, sex, and two people wrestling for control and losing themselves in each other in the process.
The two of them are dynamite and kerosene, and it tickles me when Josh tries to do that alpha bullying thing and Jenna digs in her heels, raises her chin, and gives it back just as hard as he tries to give it. I love it!
2. What is your favourite book by another author?
There’s that ‘u” in favorite again. I feel inclined to use it just to fit in…
I’m going to go way back and say the Rowan by Anne McCaffrey is my favourite. At least one of them. There are other books I love, and Ender’s Game (which is currently on the big screen) is one of them, but I still have that old, tattered McCaffrey book. It was my first saunter into fantasy with elements of romance and I totally dug it. It kind of opened the fantasy/SciFi door.
I also have to give a shout-out to John Saul because he dominated my youth. I was even a member of his fan club! So weird, but there you go. At one time I’d read all his books. They were a bit weird, but they moved fast, they had action, and he had a strong voice. Voila—young me is entertained.
I should pick up another of his books and see if I still dig him. Huh.
3-what do you like to do in your spare time when not writing?
Hang out with friends, go to lunch with my kid (because I’m not a huge fan of the park), and I like the results of exercising. Not actually exercising…just the feeling afterwards. I haven’t gotten it much lately. Probably should force myself to do that…
The problem is, I like the act of drinking wine with friends so much more. The next day usually sucks, but oh the fun two girls with a bottle of bubbles can have. When I have a choice between the two, guess which one I’ve been choosing lately.
I should make better choices…4-Are there any authors that inspired you to write?
The whole romance genre inspired me to write. I’ve always been an avid reader, but more of a math and art girl. I’ve never been a writer outside of essays and reports in school/college. But then I got married.
What is it about “I do” that convinces a man he no longer has to pick up after himself? How can a guy go from helping with the dishes, laundry, and other household chores, to suddenly deciding he works, and therefore, does not need to worry about domestic shenanigans anymore?
Well listen here, bub, I work, too. Get your butt up and put your stuff away—I’m not going to do it for you!
And for the record, I hate nagging. Hate it. I usually end up doing things myself because I am tired of asking Sir Douche-A-Lot to help me out. Why don’t men realize that if they just do it, we won’t keep asking them to do it?
If a man mops the floor in the forest, does it make a sound?
Moving on…
Wait, nope—I got more. Round two.
I married a guy from Ireland. Irish guys (the ones actually from Ireland—not the Americans with a “kiss me I’m Irish” tee-shirt on) are as stubborn as they come. I am not kidding—you tell an Irish guy what to do, and he will do exactly the opposite just to spite you. My guy is sullen and silent when he gets mad, too. I have a fiery temper; I rant and rave…and immediately get over it. He holds a grudge.
Him ignoring me makes me absolutely crazy! We had fireworks in the early days. I sat on him once, just to get a response. He didn’t even speak to tell me to get off! When it comes to enacting the silent treatment, the man has a gift!
Okay, vent over. I feel better.
Anyway, back to why I started writing.
After I’d gotten married I settled into stability. Stable job, out of college and mostly stable social life, and stable house life—except for the aforementioned sitting on the husband, obviously. I hadn’t had kids, yet, so was still having fun, but I was also…bored.
Too much stability makes Jane a very jumpy gal.
So even though Fantasy is actually my favorite genre, I’d read a couple romance books and got that longing for the perfect man. You know the ones I mean; those guys that couldn’t possibly be real because they are a figment of our (women’s) imaginations, and women and men think oh-so-differently…
I didn’t care. I wanted one.
But how to get one?
Live it through the written word, that’s how. Which is why a lot of people read, sure, but this longing I had was different. I didn’t want someone else’s perfect man, I wanted my own. I wanted to create the world around him, too. I also wanted to dress myself up—make myself prettier with a nice set of boobies. I, personally, wanted to snag the unattainable. Me. Not through someone else’s leading lady. Thus began my writing career. My desire to be someone else, just for a while, turned into the main character.
But remember—I’m not an avid romance reader. I didn’t know the rules. Plus, I am a math person—I have a healthy dose of logic. Too perfect is boring and too far from reality for me. I couldn’t get a good enough grip on the characters and the world without a little traction.
So Jessica (in Jessica Brodie diaries—the first thing I wrote) embodied my silly attitude and love of taking the piss (Euro slang for ‘make fun of in good humor’). William (the hero) is hot and nearly perfect, but still has his faults. He’s ideal, but just real enough that he’s believable. Kinda.
I don’t think the Jessica Brodie diaries are my best work writing-wise, but people love them because she’s a clown and the stuff she says is nuts.
Yes, I know what this says about me. Thanks for pointing it out.
5-Do you listen to music while writing if so who or what genre?
Sometimes. I tend to like to listen to Enya, Enigma or Mozart. I will listen to other things sometimes, but when a good song comes on it takes me out of the moment in the story. With the three listed above, I can come up for air and am happy to hear it, but it won’t actually suck me out of the book. And that’s all I have to say about that. <name that movie>
6-Have you any upcoming books you'd like to tell us about?
Oh lordie. Yes. Lots. Except the telling about part. I’m long-winded enough.
I keep trying to convince people that I am not a writer. I think a writer is a certain person with a dark, artistic soul. Since I am a jackass, I don’t qualify. What I am, though, is a reader that wanted to take control of the world I escaped to. For this reason, I can’t just throw something onto the page and send it to print. Not even close.
I will write a first draft, and then walk away. I might leave it for months. I’ll come back then, after I’ve written or worked on something else (or not), and read it. I’ll edit it, change it, rewrite, and get it to a place where I like it. Then I walk away again. And come back. And read/edit it again. If I make a ton of changes, I do it again. And again. Until I love reading it, I don’t show it to anybody.
Right now I have two fantasy books, two paranormal books, a contemporary romance, and a few more novellas in the Darkness series, waiting for one or more pass-through. One might think I am stockpiling for a nuclear fallout or something.
Please refer back to calling me nuts. It wasn’t very nice, but…well, here we are.
Next up for your reading consumption is a few more books in the Darkness series. I explore some new paranormal concepts, and in books to come we delve more firmly into the world Sasha has uncovered. Plus, there is the romance element, and some…physical stuff…to explore. So those will be next to hit the electronic shelves.
7- Tell us some interesting facts about yourself?
I don’t know about interesting facts, but I’ll give you some kookie ones.
It amazes me that anyone cares, but I’ll pretend like you do. For just this last question, though. I’m getting tired of myself…
I did say I was a jackass, so you were warned.
Many of the character quirks in my books are taken from life. Sometimes my life, sometimes things I see around me. For example, in Growing Pains, Krista talks to herself in a British accent. I do that. I have no idea why (I am American) but it seems so much less mundane when I throw an accent at my muttering.
I have a hybrid slang. My husband is from Ireland and I’m a Californian. I might say, “Dude, I don’t need any more, I have loads. No seriously, I’m good.” I might even throw a “y’all” at someone for spice. I like learning about various cultures and pick up the slang as I hear it. In the fantasy book coming out soon (maybe) the lead character is trying to fit into a culture that speaks English. Her personal quest is to learn the various dirty words. I so did that when I tried to learn French in school! She is then tickled with the many forms of the f-bomb.
What else… I love accounting work, but I stress and freak people out to no end. Many accountants are quiet, liking to stare at their spreadsheets and bend over their figures. I’m a bold, brash b*tch, so those shenanigans do not fly. I often sing and dance around the place, needing a little color in my day. It takes people a while to figure out that I’m rarely serious. It takes them a little longer to realize that nerdery can be fun, too. To some degree, anyway.
And yes, I am a huge nerd. Also a jock. Also a douche. Also a…<insert word of choice here>. I’m not sensitive, so if you want to poke a little fun, you’ve found the right girl J
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