D.R. Perry writes primarily in Revealed World. These are open UF YA Academy books with diverse characters and cute magical critters. She lives with her spouse, child, and dog in Rhode Island.
This is one geeky author who loves writing for the sense of adventure and wonder. In her books, you’ll find real characters, fantastic worlds, and a handful each of humor and hope.
D.R. hopes you have as much fun reading her books as she did writing them.
Her next book is the fourth installment of Messing Psychic Academy, titled Twisted Fate, releasing on March 15th.
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
I was inspired by the idea of magical schools. So many of the books I’ve read in this subgenre are secret, dystopian, or mean-spirited in some way. This led me to create Revealed World, a setting where magic coexists with the mundane. Since everyone’s aware, schools for magi, psychics, shifter, faeries, and other supernatural beings to learn control of their powers are required.
With that world built, I set out to write hopeful books where kindness matters, featuring protagonists who are somewhat (sometimes extremely) different from the usual main character. Each series has an ensemble cast, because Power of Friendship and Found Family are some of my favorite themes.
Describe your desk / writing space.
Variable. I face a number of physical challenges, so I can only sit at a desk about half the time. The other half, I need to recline, lie down, or be in the dark. So, my writing space could be at a desk but also on the sofa with a tablet on a lap desk, or murmuring drafts into a microphone with an ice pack on my head to be transcribed later.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
Neither. I write when I am able. My good days don’t run on a schedule, so writing time is catch as catch can. Inspiration is also unreliable, rarely coinciding with high function days. I take notes though, so I always know what book I am working on next.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
So many ways. Puns, song titles, idioms, famous quotes are all fair game. Sometimes, I stitch two or more of those together to make a title. Series names are simpler because they’re named after the magical academy.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
One of the hardest scenes for me to write was in Messing Academy: Being Around. My main character walks in on something he’s personally powerless to stop. Without that scene, I never could have gotten to one of my favorites, the big confrontation at the end of the next book, Everybody Hurts. It’s a huge payoff and totally worth all the effort.
What inspired your book/series?
Messing Academy was inspired by my own personal experience looking for disabled protagonists in speculative genres. Often, the character’s condition is negated or cured with magic or technology. When it wasn’t, they got relegated to support roles, or their story focused on the disability instead of the conflict or adventure.
Ben’s disability comes from an accident, not a chronic illness like mine, but magic won’t fix his legs. He’s still every bit as heroic as other YA protagonists, though. I thought it was important to write a story from that perspective, to create what I didn’t find in print.
What are you working on next?
I am finishing the last bit of Messing Academy, which is the final set of books set in Salem, MA. After that, the next series focuses on dragon shifters. They attend Weir Academy, a high school spanning the border between the USA and Canada at Niagara Falls.
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
One of my greatest influences is Jane Yolen. She is so prolific and writes beautiful works in multiple genres for several age groups. Truly an inspiration.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
I’m not sure I could leave this world; there’s so much I’d miss. However, if I had the chance to spend a few hours in Ben’s garden on the Sidhe Queen’s side of the Under, I’d take it in a heartbeat.
What is your favorite meal?
That’s a much trickier question than I’d expected. Let’s just say, it’s subject to change.
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?
Coffee. Alcohol isn’t a good idea with the medications I’m on, but if there’s a celebratory toast, wine is the way.
JC Brown is a Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy author who loves to whisk her readers away on larger-than-life adventures into fantastical worlds. As a passionate wordsmith since Middle School, she enjoys nothing more than writing page-turning novels that capture readers’ imaginations with werewolves, magic, feisty heroines, and the charming hunks they fall for. From high-octane action and edge-of-your-seat suspense to pulse-pounding reverse harems, you’ll always find something to love in her books.
JC or as her family knowns her as “Mistress of Minions” currently resides in the New England area with her four wonderful goblins, a hysterical husband, and her supportive parents. When not dreaming up her next story idea, you can find her cooking Cuban meals or watching scary movies
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
I am a mother of too many children and the wife to a giant toddler. Kidding. My husband is more like a preteen class clown. But he is supportive and makes me laugh. I have always been interested in reading and writing. I can remember the day I found my mom’s old typewriter in my grandmother’s attic, she let me keep it and that what I wrote my first story on. One that will never see the light of day of course, but it absolutely kickstarted my passion for storytelling. As I got older, I wrote fan fiction, and horror stories with my best friend. I write stories about crazy adventures and romance that couldn’t be possible in the real world. I wanted to write things that would help people escape like reading did for me.
Describe your desk / writing space.
My desk is a mess. It’s what I call organized chaos. But I rarely sit at my desk. I do most of my work on my laptop all over the house. My wonderful husband understands my need to move around and bought me a rolling desk. I wheel it all over the living room and kitchen, sometimes I even drag it out into the yard.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
I wish. I hope to one day when my children are all old enough to fend for themselves and can leave me the heck alone. Right now, I try to write during the day while they are in school, or very late at night while they are all sleeping. It’s basically whenever I have time to write, I will try.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
That’s a good question and I’d love to tell you, my process. When I figure it out for myself. Really it is just completely random and sometimes it is a struggle because nothing feels right. I still have a few stories I haven’t published because I don’t know what to call them.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
This one was a fairly easy question for me. Some of the hardest scenes I’ve written were in Asmodeus the Gift of Lust. You think from the title its just a nice, smutty, angel and demons’, enemies to lovers’ book but it is definitely much more. It touches on some heavy topics that even the scenes that allude to them are difficult.
Some of my favorites though would be all of the Meeting Scenes in the Sinful Seven Novels. The demons that represent the seven deadly sins all come together and have quarterly meetings to discuss their progress. Shenanigans often happen during these times.
What inspired your book/series? The Obsidian Crown Series that the Poisoned Princess is a part of just came from my desire to make a spicy fairytale retelling. It is a reverse harem and I wanted to keep the theme of snow white and the seven dwarves so here we are. We have snow white and her seven sexy werewolves. There is no way I could fit all their own character arcs, romance arc and retelling arc into one book so a series is born. The Sinful Seven Novels on the other hand was a product of my co-author’s mind. However, I will say that it is super interesting to have a series with overlapping time frames and characters, yet still be able to read them out of order if you so choose.
What are you working on next? I have ADHD so I am almost always working on more than one thing at a time. Currently I am working with my co-author Lena Lane on Leviathan the Gift of Envy, the third installment in our Sinful Seven Novels. I am also working on a prequel of sorts to the Poisoned Princess for the Sigils and Spells anthology that is currently up for preorder. My writing schedule is packed. When those are finished, I have another a short story in an exclusive anthology for a literary event I will be attending in July, and of course book two of the Obsidian Crown Series.
What authors or books have influenced your writing? Well, I love Laurel K Hamilton. She is one of my favorite authors and I would say she is one of the reasons that I write. Before I decided to make the leap into self-publishing my big dream was to be published under Penguin Putnam Inc., like her. Some craft books that have really helped me along on my writing journey is Save the Cat writes a novel by Jessica Brody. I used to be a pantser but my ADHD would often take me on what I like to call “side quests” that wouldn’t further the actual main plot and often left me directionless. It helped me to plan a structure, a skeleton outline that even if I take a “side quest” I will always come back to the main quest.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live? Silver City. I don’t even have to think about it. It’s crawling with werewolves and of course you know that I love all the shifters, especially the wolves. I’d be moving in hoping to find my fated mate. (That is of course, If I wasn’t already married to my very human fated mate already lol)
What is your favorite meal? I love Korean food. My favorite meal is Korean Barbeque. You get to eat so many delicious things and it’s a great experience. But if you don’t count that it’s definitely Rabokki.
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer? Why Choose. Coffee is my go too beverage in the morning. Afternoons I drink different forms of tea and water all day. Usually during my editing though ill have a glass of wine because edits are never any fun.
Describe yourself in three words. I am a self-described “Hot Mess Express”. Ha ha.
Gledé Browne Kabongo writes gripping, unputdownable psychological thrillers. She is the Eric Hoffer, Next Generation Indie, IPPY and National Indie Excellence Award-winning author of the Fearless Series, Our Wicked Lies, Fool Me Twice, and Conspiracy of Silence. Her novel Winds of Fear was voted one of 24 Books to Read During the Coronavirus by Rhode Island Monthly Magazine.
Gledé holds a master’s degree in communications and has spoken at multiple industry events including the Boston Book Festival, Sisters in Crime (SinC) New England Crime Bake and the Women in Publishing Summit. She lives outside Boston with her husband and two sons.
Her new book, Reign of Fear arrives May/June 2023.
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
I’ve always loved stories and reading. Growing up in the Caribbean, I devoured Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, as well as the Famous Five series by British author, Enid Blyton. Back then, I was around nine or ten years old and wanted to be a journalist, so I studied journalism in college and did some freelancing afterward. It wasn’t until 2005 that I was struck with the writing (fiction) bug.
Describe your desk / writing space.
My desk is L-shaped with lots of drawers. There’s also a ton of space for other stuff besides my laptop; a printer, piles of books, mugs, and a candle. I sometimes burn scented candles when I’m writing.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
I used to write when inspired but figured that’s not a recipe for commercial fiction success. Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to stick to a routine, even if I don’t reach the word count I set for the day. Every little bit adds up. I’m also trying to embrace writing out of sequence. I have a nasty little habit of abandoning the manuscript when I get stuck. Instead, I write scenes as standalones and determine where they best fit in the story later on.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
That’s a fun game I love to play. I write the blurb for the novel first. That helps me to think about the story holistically. The title also needs to align with the genre and give readers an idea of what the story is about.
Sometimes I will look up how many books already have the title I’m considering. The novel I released in 2021, Our Wicked Lies, was originally called House of Lies and I even had the cover done under that title. Then I remembered there was a series on Showtime starring Don Cheadle with the same name, as well as a few books on Amazon. I changed my book title to Wicked Lies but the competition was still stiff so I added “Our” to the title and that’s what stuck.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
The hardest scenes to write are the big ones that are crucial to the plot and will have a big emotional impact. I spend a lot of time figuring out how to approach those scenes because they’re multi-layered and have major repercussions for the characters and change the trajectory of the story in some instances.
My favorite scenes to write are the ones when opposing characters, i.e. antagonist and protagonist interact. What’s going on beneath the surface is just as important as what they say or do if not more so.
What inspired your book/series?
My Fearless series was inspired by my novel Fool Me Twice. My teenage character, Abbie Cooper, was also a POV character in that novel and I felt that she had so much more to say. Readers liked her so I thought it would be a great idea to build a series around her. Turns out that was a good decision. Some of the most gut-wrenching, emotionally brutal writing I’ve ever done is in that series. I won four book awards which was nice validation. Reign of Fear, the final book will be released in late spring of 2023.
What are you working on next?
I’m working on a standalone next, about three friends who are hiding bombshell secrets from their pasts. Someone is threatening to expose the truth unless they confess.
What authors or books have influenced your writing? I think there is a type of storytelling that has influenced my writing more so than particular books or authors. I like big epic stories with compelling characters and plot, multiple POVs, emotional depth and of course suspense. When I was in college, I read James Michener’s novel, Caribbean. That story stayed with me all these years because of the way it was skillfully told. Michener wove a fictional story using 700 years of Caribbean history— history I grew up studying— as a backdrop for a sweeping saga filled with compelling, larger-than-life characters, tumultuous history, romance, and intertwined destinies.
The paperback edition of the book is almost 900 pages in length and I devoured every page because the story was that powerful. TheCount of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is another one of my favorites because of similar characteristics. That book almost reads like a thriller but again, the storytelling, compelling characters, multiple POVs, themes such as revenge, which is common in thrillers, and the emotional heft all resonated with me.
What is your favorite meal? I don’t have one, but I do like seafood and a good steak.
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer? – Coffee, black or tea but it has to be fruit-flavored. I love tangerine, peach and mint, although mint isn’t technically a fruit.
Describe yourself in three words. – analytical, curious, compassionate.
James is a twenty-nine-year-old stuck in an older man’s body. He loves to paddle his canoe, shoot his handmade longbows in the woods, make knives, study martial arts, and generally enjoys challenging himself. When not teaching or writing about the real past, he is imagining worlds and histories that might have been, should have been, or may yet be.
James has two homes (though only one house)–the mountains of Idaho and the forests of New England–where he canoes, hikes, camps, rock climbs, and shoots the longbows he makes himself. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife.
His next book: Heirs of Anarwyn, Book III: Shattered comes out in a few months.
You can follow J. W. Elliot through his social channels:
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
I’m a professional historian of Latin American and World History with five academic books published. I also study martial arts, and I love the outdoors and outdoor activities including canoeing, archery, hiking, rockhounding, and rock climbing. I bring all of my hobbies and professional expertise into my fiction writing.
Some of my earliest memories are of my mother reading to me. We had a subscription to National Geographic, which I devoured, and the Reader’s Digest, as well as a bookshelf filled with encyclopedias. So I have always loved stories and knowledge. But I think the real catalyst in me becoming a writer occurred when I was ten years old, and my family moved from Idaho to Oklahoma. It was a very lonely time for me, and I found solace and friendship in the characters I met in the books and comics I read. That was where I discovered J.R.R Tolkien, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Katherine Kurtz. That experience inspired me to take a creative writing course in high school, and I have been writing fiction ever since.
I dabbled in fiction writing for many years while I went to graduate school and started building my academic career. I often worked on my stories to wind down and relax at the end of the day. Eventually, I started reading them to my kids at bedtime. Their enthusiasm kept me writing—I knew I had to have something new for them the next night. My new series, Heirs of Anarwyn, was created in that give-and-take as I read and my kids critiqued.
Describe your desk / writing space.
I tend to write upstairs in my office surrounded by books with music playing in the background. But I can and do write anywhere. I’ve written in car repair shops, in the car while my wife is driving, on the airplane, restaurants, at church, and under the trees while camping. Writing time is so precious, I take what I can get.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
I always have at least three books in process at any given time—one I’m editing, one I’m writing, and one I’m planning. I write every day, and I prefer to write in the morning when I can. But since I have a real-world job, I usually have to write in the afternoon or evenings.
My philosophy is that inspiration is not found—it’s created. By that, I mean there is no mystical muse upon which we have to wait for inspiration. I create work habits and processes that generate ideas and inspiration consistently. That’s what I do, and so far it is working pretty well.
How do you come up with the title for your books?
A title needs to catch the reader’s eye as much as the cover does, so I spend a lot of time trying different ideas for titles. I run them by my beta readers and try to find titles that are intriguing while also giving a sense of what the story is about.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
I guess romance scenes are a bigger challenge for me. My daughters constantly tell me I get things wrong, and I have to rewrite them. My favorite scenes are fight and battle scenes. As a martial artist and a historian who teaches a course entitled The Global History of War, I feel pretty comfortable writing those scenes.
What inspired your book/series?
The Archer of the Heathland series came about because I wanted to write a series in which archery was represented in an accurate way. I also wanted to explore the role of family and loss in the shaping of human identity.
The Ark Project arose from the question of what it means to be human in a world where science and technology have superseded biological evolution. It was challenging because, as a historian, I tend to live in the past. I had to do a lot of research to make sure I got the technology and science correct. Even though I made up a bunch of advanced technologies, I think the future I created for The Ark Project is possible. It could actually happen.
The Worlds of Light trilogy came about because I wanted to see if I could create a magic system that drew on the real history of worshipping light with a modern scientific understanding of light. I also wanted to explore the question of how power can corrupt and what choices have to be made to ensure that it doesn’t.
The Heirs of Anarwyn series came to me one day as I was driving through the Idaho countryside. I wondered what would happen if magic wasn’t just an inert power. What if it had both consciousness and will and actively intervened in human lives to pursue its own agenda. I wanted to explore the nature of evil and how it takes root in the human psyche. I started writing it when I was sixteen, and I still haven’t finished.
Walls of Glass struggles to understand nature of racism and what each of must do to confront it. I drew on my own life experiences and my studies of history for inspiration.
The Miserable Life of Bernie LeBaron examines loss, mental illness, and broken families in a heartwarming story of a young man who overcomes his challenges by developing intergenerational friendships. I drew much of my inspiration for the story from own life.
Somewhere in the Mist examines the challenge of facing tragedy and loss in the era of the Great Depression. I wanted to write a story that explored how the past remains with us despite our efforts to hide from it. I found the central idea for this story in the Marion library in a little room dedicated to a ship called the Mary Celeste, whose occupants disappeared at sea without a trace.
What are you working on next?
After I finish the Heirs of Anarwyn series, I plan on returning to Archer of the Heathland world for a spin-off series with two of my favorite characters.
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
I love all great stories. I really don’t care what the genre is. But my “go-to” fantasy books—the ones I return to over and over again—are, of course, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earth Sea Trilogy. I think these stories have a timeless quality to them that spoke to me as a child and still speaks to me as a more jaded adult. I devoured the Terry Brooks Shannara series. Somehow, I missed reading Frank Herbert’s Dune while growing up, but I just read the first book and loved it. So now, I’m getting into that entire series. I really enjoy Brandon Sanderson—especially the Mistborn trilogy and The Reckoners series. I find the Harry Potter series enjoyable, and I’m about halfway through Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
I think I would love to live in Lórien amid the golden Mallorn trees beside the River Ânduin. In the real world I would like to live in the White Mountains near the Franconia Gap.
What is your favorite meal?
Probably ratatouille. My wife makes a killer batch.
Patricia Mitchell’s lifelong love of writing and desire to capture the story of her mother’s life prompted her to embark on her first professional writing project—A Girl from the Hill. She holds degrees in mass media and communication, English literature, and creative writing. This work expresses her interest in Italian American culture as well as the relationship between mothers and daughters.
Patricia Mitchell lives in Smithfield, Rhode Island, with her husband Jeremy, daughter Julia and Beagle Trudy.
What inspires me – My intention when I write is to express myself in a way that others can relate to. As a kid I found fun in sarcastic essays, but as I got older, I decided I wanted to learn the craft of fiction. To me, fiction is much more challenging, and gave me the chance to create my own world that other people could understand and connect to. I studied creative writing and literature through college, but never felt confident enough to share my work beyond the classroom until 10 years ago. I kept the desire tucked in the back of my mind as I navigated through the corporate world. When a friend urged me to go to a writing workshop, I decided to take a chance. I initially worked with book coach Lisa Tener, who inspired me to actually write something and self-publish it. As an experiment, I thought it would be fun to bring some of the stories my mom talked about growing up on Federal Hill to life. The collection of essays in in what turned into my mom’s memoir, A Girl from the Hill was my first self-published book.
My desk/writing space – I have a desk that I use in one of our spare bedrooms. I use that sometimes, but more often than not, I’m sitting in a comfy chair with my laptop.
Writing routine – I am a big procrastinator, so I don’t have a set routine, but when I do write, I always play white noise on to help me focus. My favorite is vacuum cleaner noise. I listen to instrumental jazz sometimes as well. It’s hard for me to sit quietly and write because I get distracted way too easily.
Hardest scene to write – When writing A Girl from the Hill, I learned that my mother had a nervous breakdown when she was 31. She never revealed this to me, though the rest of my family knew (I’m the youngest of 5, and was often referred to as “the baby” well into my 30’s). She was sent to a hospital in 1955 and received electric shock therapy as part of her treatment. She really opened up to me about it, and it took me forever to capture her experience in a way that was real but allowed her to keep her dignity. To this day, I am so proud that my mom allowed her story to be shared, but the actual writing broke me down to tears numerous times.
Favorite scene to write – In Goodbye Pound Cake, the scene where the protagonist Michelle and her friend Mandy are found exercising to a video by Michelle’s rude brother. He laughs at them sending Michelle after him and throwing Mandy into recoil mode. Finally, Michelle’s dad puts and end to the ensuing argument, and decides that they should all go out to eat. In addition to the three kids, Michelle’s crush interest, and her brother’s best friend, comes along for the ride. It was fun capturing that experience. It felt very realistic to me.
What inspired the book – I mentioned the inspiration for A Girl from the Hill above. For Goodbye Pound Cake, I was at a place in my life where I worked hard to get fit and feel good about myself for the first time in a long time. I wanted to write a story about a girl who faces the challenges of being overweight during the very sensitive middle school years, getting ready to transition into high school and a whole new set of challenges. It’s important for girls, and boys, to love themselves for who they are, no matter what anyone thinks. But being skinny is not what it’s all about- it’s about being healthy in body and mind. It can be difficult to accomplish and attain, as I myself have learned going up and down the scale and having my own set of physical limitations. So, I know how it feels on both sides. I hope readers will see the importance of having hope and not giving up on their dreams, even if that dream is to not be bullied for how they look.
What are you working on next – I’m not sure! I have some ideas for a short story for the 2023 ARIA Anthology that are milling around in my head. It will also be the 10th anniversary for the publication of AGFTH, and I’d like to do a new edition to commemorate. My mom passed in September of this year, and I thought it might be interesting and cathartic to document some of life’s struggles as we age. I would also like to do a follow up book to Pound Cake, but I’m not sure if I can do anything more with those characters. I’ll gauge it on the response I get now that it’s published.
What authors influenced your writing – David Sedaris is my favorite modern essayist. He can make me laugh and cry in the same breath, which is such a remarkable talent. I love historical fiction, especially during the Renaissance and Middle Ages. Philippa Gregory tells beautiful stories from those periods. I appreciate the painstaking research she does for each book. And Alice Hoffman is an old favorite that keeps popping up anytime I’m in the mood for character driven stories.
If you could live anywhere – I would probably want to live in London in the 1960’s so that I’d at least have a chance to meet a young Paul McCartney!
What is your favorite Meal – I love Indian food, and samosas are my favorite.
Coffee or Tea – both! Wine or Beer – Beer when I was younger, wine now that I’m starting to age.
Describe yourself in 3 words – Compassionate, Silly, Expressive
M. Z. thoroughly enjoys adventuring, if there are lands to be discovered, stories to be told, or fun to be had—you can count on her to be there. M .Z. resides in Rhode Island with the love of her life, their two hilarious boys, a pair of energetic pups, and one cat to rule them all.
You can follow M. Z. Medenciy through her social channels:
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
As a child writing was my escape. My family immigrated from Ecuador, and I am first generation American. My siblings and I were born into poverty, and endured hardships. I will spare you and your readers the details. To protect ourselves we use to create worlds from our imagination and use them as refuge. When I was in third grade my mother was on her own and things, while still financially difficult, were getting better. I didn’t need my world of imagination. Therefore, instead of running away into it, I began to write about it. My dreams manifested into wild stories that yielded curious looks during poetry and story time. I brushed off the side eyes and continued to write, but I kept it to myself. Other than a murder mystery play I wrote for a RIC student group fundraiser, Island Eight is the first story I’ve been brave enough to share with the world.
Describe your desk / writing space.
My writing space has varied from the Ocean Community YMCA pool viewing area while my son was in practice, to my car when my other son was at soccer practice. My preferred writing space is somewhere outside of my home like a park, library, or café. A place where I am forced to be a writer because there is no one who requires me to be a mother, no clients to make requests, no errands I can run, and no house to clean. Where I can put my headphones on, summon that world my siblings and I created, and begin to write. But let’s be honest, the second my cellphone chimes with my husbands, kids, or home number it’s back to reality.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
In order for me to write, I have to detach myself from this reality. Sounds weird I know, but it’s the truth. My routine starts with ensuring all the housework and errands are completed, meals are prepped and all the busy work from my job has been delegated out. Once that’s done, I am able to sit quietly with my laptop and notes and concentrate on my breathing. Eventually I’ll find myself far from here, and in whatever world I’ve created. Alternatively, if I feel inspired, I’ll grab a pen, and scribble away on the first thing I can write on. There are piles of junk mail and amazon boxes with my chicken scratch on it ^_^.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
When I write I use a work in progress title. As the story evolves during the initial writing process, I’ll sometimes find one that is more fitting. More often than not, the title will come to me during those painful rewrites.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
The hardest scene for me to write was the breakfast celebration at Cytrines’. Getting into her head was difficult for some time, but after several rewrites I felt like I could understand her better. My favorite scene to write was the dance in the town square.
What inspired your book/series?
I have wild dreams. Those wild dreams inspire my writing. Island Eight was inspired by several of those dreams which featured the first incarnation of the character Gabriel.
What are you working on next?
I have two WIP. One is the continuation of the Island Eight series, I’m itching to dive deeper into several characters. The second is a modern-day urban fantasy which will also be a series.
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
I love the way Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett wrote. Their writing exuded freedom, and at the same time was meticulously controlled within that freedom. I admire, how they conveyed such organized chaos.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
Zeal, from the game Chrono Trigger
What is your favorite meal?
While my favorite mealtime is breakfast (and second breakfast), my favorite meal is Peruvian or Ecuadorian ceviche
