Work in progress
I just finished the edits to my September release, Find Me Love. I've taken a little detour off my normal contemporary romance genre and have written a romantasy. It hasn't been a huge detour, but it was enough of a challenge that not only did my editor basically suggest I rewrite a little bit...okay, more like 75% of it, but I had to extend my deadline twice. Ugh! It's finally back to Barbara, and I hope I don't see it again until page proofs.
The cool thing is that it's full of witches and witchy love. There's also generational curses, mommy issues, warring covens, a little issue of being responsible for all of existence, and, of course, a happy ending. Speaking of which, there's a little more spice in this one because these witches have a big problem with their out-of-control powers of love and desire, and they drive people into obsession without trying to ...or wanting to. It's a different story when they meet each other - thus, the extra spice.
Favorite Part
My favorite part of writing this was the deep dive into all things solstice and Wicca. I got so into it, I'm taking an intense course on clinical herbalism. Fascinating stuff. But Barbara made me cut all of that out. I'm not bitter in the least. Nope. On a positive note, I could write an entire book about it. That's not even a joke.
Next Project
Now, it's on to my next project, tentatively titled Chapter by Chapter. This one is a romance/murder mystery/horror story. I don't think there's a cute romantic-type word for it. Maybe romurdor? Did I make that up? Fetch might not have taken off, but I'm pretty sure romurdor will. I'm not sure I'm going to pitch this one. Barbara will probably suggest I take out all the Irish step dancing. We'll see.
Character Art - KCG
Frequently asked questions
These are some questions I get asked the most, whether it's during a panel, an interview, a speaking engagement, or a book signing. There's a reason they're asked so frequently. People really want to know. If you have a question you want answered, send me a comment through the comment form on the contact me page. I'd love to add it here.
What's your favorite book?
'The Hours' by Michael Cunningham. Multiple stories weave into one dynamic ending. (AKA entrecalment- I just learned that.) I love the weaving. However, the tandem/duel time narrative he used was based on Virginia Woolf's novel, 'Mrs. Dalloway,' and it blew me away. I'm not a fan of writing a book with a unique concept just to show how clever you are as a writer, but this was a masterpiece on how to do it brilliantly.
I meant which is your favorite of your own books?
'I Hate You, Now Kiss Me.' It has a lot of me in it. I grew up in Oceanside, California, so talk about nostalgia. But I'm a geek about meteorology and oceanography, which play big symbolic themes in it, as does The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. The locker room kiss was me at ten years old, when I kissed a girl for the first time. Well, she kissed me, and it wasn't as sensual...or long. But it was in the high school pool locker room, and I still think about it. None of the family dynamics were mine, but the whole no-reason friendship breakup was. I still don't know why she did it. There are a lot of parallels, and even more non-parallels. Some are even wishes. Like excellent coffee shops everywhere. All the toned abs, beautiful hair, cute dogs that never poop or pee in the house.
Why do you have pets in all of your books?
Well, I love animals, so there's that. I didn't even know I did it until someone pointed it out to me. But you can convey a lot about a character by the pets they have and the way they interact with them. I also use the pets in my books to reveal the psychology and other internal worlds of the characters that would be weird to put into the narrative. In 'I Hate You, Now Kiss Me,' Lena's mother's dog, Lourdes, reveals all kinds of emotional dynamics going on throughout the story.
So, whats--
Actually, I wanna change my last answer. I can't pick. It would be like choosing your favorite child. They're all precious.
O-kaay...
We learn that in author school, you know. It's a way to sell your back catalog. Or sound unpretentious. I'm pretty pretentious. So, if you're reading this, you should buy all of the books I've written. Oh, and tell all of your friends to buy them, too. Now, ask why I write. I learned a lot of things in author school.
I think I know the answer. But why do you write?
It started as a hyper-fixation about fifteen years ago. My AuDHD made a dramatic entrance, and a bunch of awful things happened in my life. I had cancer, lost my mom, and then my dad, and then my Aunt M., who'd become like a mom to me. Other things happened, too, but this isn't therapy. Anywho, when you've learned to deal with all of your racing thoughts and bizarre sensory issues, with humor and becoming a workaholic, and things shift dramatically, the racing thoughts become dark, and humor isn't as accessible. It makes work hard to bear. It turns out I'm no fun when I'm not making lewd jokes. So, I started writing. I lucked out and found a community almost right away, and I haven't stopped. Did I tell you I failed author school?
I guess asking if you're a cat or dog person would be insensitive now...so--
Both. I also like sloths, slow lorises, otters, seahorses, and jellyfish, too.
What's your favorite thing about being a writer?
Teaching it. Who knew? I love talking about it. I love seeing writers get that sparkly-eyed, inspired look. I love watching bookbox opening videos on social media. I love how my writing community gets larger with every class I teach. I love learning from students and guest-instructors, because, believe it or not, I don't know it all, despite what Mrs. Sparks said in third grade.
Do all of your books have so much about you in them?
Um. Duh. Every word. I wrote them all. Every one of my books is certified to be human-authored by the Authors Guild. I jest. But not about the certification. That's real. But, being a romance author, it's all about feelings. And it's usually the same feelings everyone else has. But the circumstances change, the learned experiences are different, and people grow and change. So, while a lot of the circumstances may be real, and I might have even felt a lot of the emotions, the characters are unique and never me at all. All I can do is try to describe what they're feeling or doing. The same goes for sex. Yeah. I know what you're thinking, cheeky cheeky..
What was the hardest scene you've written?
The scene in 'I Hate You, Now Kiss Me' when Lena comes into the house after lying by the pool outside and has to let her eyes adjust to the inside. When they do, her mother's just standing there. Lena knows it's a trap, but she's frozen in place. When her mother begins to cut into her, Lena disassociates; a coping skill that helped her as a kid. But now, she can hear it all and even responds in her head, but she still can't move, can't say anything. And it's almost worse because she's an adult and was sure she'd learned to cope. She knows it's never been about her, but she still becomes that little girl who thinks they're unlovable and the cause of everything bad in the world. It's that knowledge that our little kid is still in there. The scars never go away. All it takes is a little thing to bring it up like it was just yesterday...
Speed Round
What do you snack on or drink when you write?
I usually don't eat anything. Hyper focus makes me forget to eat. Or pee. Or pick up my kid from school. It's a problem.
Do you have a word count you try to meet when you write?
No. They either demoralize or over-motivate me. There is no in-between. I forget I have a word count most of the time anyway.
What's your favorite font to write in?
Calibri. No. Century Gothic. Um, no Calibri. Yeah Calibri.
What inspires the stories you write?
Mostly people. Sometimes news headlines.
What would you be doing if you didn't write?
I don't understand the question.