1. How did you get started writing?
I grew up in house full of really loud people and would always sneak away into a corner with a book. My mother was the same way, so she’d often sneak away with me. Occasionally, if I didn’t like the way a book ended or wanted more of the story or characters, I’d make up our own versions. I guess that’s when the writer in me was hatched.
2. Out of all your books, which one is your favourite and why?
I’ve loved them all, but my favorite is Sinister Cinnamon Buns from my Red Herring Inn Culinary Cozy Mystery series because it was my first book so it will always be special to me.
3. If your friends were asked to describe you in one word, what would it be?
Funny – I never take life, or myself, too seriously.
4. What is your favorite thing to do outside of writing?
Cooking
5. What do you love most about the genre you write?
I write in Urban Fantasy and Cozy Mystery and while they don’t seem similar on the surface, the thing I love most is that readers of both genres seem to really like quirky characters. I enjoy writing characters that aren’t what you’d expect them to be and it works well in both genres.
6. What do you want readers to take from your books?
I want readers to sit down with my books, be able to forget about everything going on in the world, and have fun for a few hours.
7. Describe yourself in 3 words.
Funny, friendly, optimistic.
8. What made you decide to write in your current genre?
I chose both the genres I write in because they’re what I love to read and I wanted to write stories that I’d want to read.
9. What does your writing space look like?
Technically, I have an office/library/craft room in my house, but I seldom actually write in there. One of the plusses of growing up in that noisy house is the ability to drown out background noise and write anywhere. I tend to be fluid and will write anywhere, any time I get a few minutes to do so.
10. What’s the one piece of technology you can’t live without?
My SurfacePro. It’s light and fast so it’s easy to fire up and write anywhere.
11. Do you find it hard to kill off your characters?
I haven’t killed too many UF characters … yet, so I’m not sure how I’ll feel about it when the time comes, but in Cozy Mysteries there’s always bodies popping up so it’s not hard to kill them. What’s harder for me in Cozy Mysteries is finding the right killer and the right motive.
12. How much of your characters are based on your traits or someone you know personally?
I haven’t intentionally written anyone I know into my characters yet, but I’m a compulsive people watcher and often borrow traits from the people I encounter.
13. What are you working on now? Can you share a teaser of it with our readers?
I’m working on UF series in two separate shared worlds. One for Muonic Press and the other for Keep Evolving Studios. The project with Keep Evolving Studies has been in the works for a while now and it’s been so fun to work on because the MC is so unlike myself that I find it really stretches all my writing muscles to get her voice just right.
Four months ago these loathsome creatures murdered my family. Four months of them breathing, eating … laughing, feeling.
Being.
Today that changes.
I move silently, a ghost in the shadows, until I’m close enough I can hear their conversation, see their pointy ears, smell their lilac perfume.
Tucked into the nearest corner, I try to wait patiently, but it’s intolerably frustrating to me that they should get another minute of life. I’ve spent countless hours stalking these cowards, which has been no small feat. As a high-ranking member of the UnSeelie Court, Lord Neighlor has the kind of wealth that most others only dream about. He holds property all over the UnSeelie Court as well as the human world, and unlike many of the fae, he can traverse the two planes easily. He also has a highly skilled house guard and possesses the ability to wield deadly magic when he needs to.
Usually, I’m a step behind them, but today I’ve finally caught up with them at Neighlor’s villa in the hills of Glasgow. I’ve played this exact moment over and over in my head hundreds of times. My rational, logical side says they should be dragged before the UnSeelie Court to face trial, but my shattered soul says justice be damned. These vile scum took my family from me and for that they deserve to die.
14. Is there one genre that you have not written in yet, but would love to try writing?
YES!!! I’ve been slowly working on creating my own multi-series universe in the Space Opera genre.
15. What do you do when a flash of inspiration hits you at an inopportune moment?
I’m convinced I have squirrel DNA running through my veins and it causes me to suffer from shiny object syndrome so I make sure to type up or write down any kind of flash so I don’t forget about it later. I’ve been known to call myself and leave myself rambling voice messages if I’m driving and can’t stop to type or write.
16. What keeps you going while writing?
I’m food motivated so I usually end up setting a specific goal and telling myself I can have something drool worthy once I hit that goal. I also do a lot of partner or group sprints which really help.
17. What’s next for you?
I signed a 6 book contract in June with Muonic Press for a new series in their Makeshift Wizard world. I’ve just finished book 1 and I’m churning away at book 2.
18. Where can we find you on the internet?