Which talent do you wish you had?
I wish I could dance! This is something that has bothered me since junior high. I. Can’t. Do. It. I have athletic grace, but I need a goal, a target, a glove, a hoop. When it’s just, “Go out there and be graceful,” I’m frozen and awkward and all kinds of bad. There is nothing good about watching me dance. If the devil really makes deals, he knows what to offer me.
When you were a teenager, what did you think you’d be when you grew up?
I always knew I wanted to be an author. I remember in 8th grade we took one of those assessments that measured your strengths and weakness and gave you some possible career choices that would be good fits. The proctor asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I answered “Writer” without even blinking. My results came back and said I should be a cop. Granted, I think I would’ve made a decent cop.
Share something that’s always guaranteed to make you laugh.
A really clever That’s What She Said joke. I don’t know why. It doesn’t get old for me.
Oh, also cats misjudging jumps. That’s just funny.
Have you ever tried writing in a different genre? How did that turnout?
Yes! I’m very lucky in that my readers have been willing to follow me as I experiment and hope around. My first two releases (NOT A DROP TO DRINK, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST) were post-apocalyptic, A MADNESS SO DISCREET is a Gothic historical thriller, and THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES is a contemporary. In April, I have the first in a fantasy series releasing; GIVEN TO THE SEA.
What three things would you want with you if stranded on a desert island?
A knife, rope, and water. Sorry, I’m practical.
Do you have a regular first reader? If so, who is it and why that person?
I do! RC Lewis (STITCHING SNOW, SPINNING STARLIGHT) is my go-to critique partner. We met on the site AgentQueryConnect as aspiring authors and found out that we worked well together. We’ve been reading and critiquing for each other six years now and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which is a wonderful thing to have. She catches all my accidental British spelling uses (towards, colour) and corrects all my comma splices.