When did
you realize you wanted to write novels?
I began my first novel about twenty years ago on a
dare from my daughters. They didn’t really believe I could write a book, and
honestly, neither did I. Writing when the mood struck, it
took years to complete, and it was AWFUL! No one will ever see my first
attempt. However, I had told a complete story from beginning to end, and I was hooked.
I wanted to do it again but knew I needed to reeducate myself on the craft of
writing. I found writing organizations. Took classes, and practiced. A lot. I’m
still practicing and learning, as every author should.
How long
did it take you to realize your dream of publication?
It took me nearly ten years from the time I started
my first novel to the time I sold one to a publisher.
Are you
traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?
I still have a series with a small press, but I’m
publishing my own work these days.
Where do
you write?
It took a long time to finally get my own space, but
now I have a dedicated workspace in our walk-out basement that consists of a
rug (to define the space), a desk and some small tables piled high with the
stuff I plan to put in a credenza—if I ever find that one special piece of
furniture I’m looking for!
Is silence
golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?
I must have music. 70’s music. It could be the same
song playing over and over and I probably wouldn’t notice, but I do need the
background noise.
How much of
your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in
particular?
I think all writing comes from real life in some way
or another. We read things, hear things, witness things, meet people, and it
all sticks with us, and eventually makes its way into our writing.
For my new thriller, Status: MISSING, the plot came to me straight out of the headlines.
What did happen to Malaysia Airlines Flight #MH370? Watching the news coverage
as multiple nations joined in the search, I came up with my own theory about
what happened. It took years of research to add teeth to my theory, and nearly
two more years to actually write the book.
Describe
your process for naming your character?
I don’t have a specific process, though I’ve been
known to pick a name off a headstone or from the family tree. I’ve searched
databases and phone books and asked friends if I could borrow their name. Once,
a name popped into my head while I was driving. It took me months to figure out
who the character was and what his story was. I still don’t know how that
happened!
Real
settings or fictional towns?
Fictional towns for my romance, for the most part. In
my thriller, all the places exist.
What’s the
quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
That would have to be Hank Travis in Lost Melody. He’s a rock star/ cotton farmer!
What’s your
quirkiest quirk?
Do I have to pick just one? Okay, how about this? I
still like newspapers. The printed ones. I’ve never gotten the hang of reading
news on my computer and don’t think I want to.
If you
could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which
one would it be? Why?
The Little
Engine that Could by Watty Piper.
I’ve always loved the message of this children’s book—that it doesn’t matter
who you are, if you work hard, you can achieve your dreams.
Everyone at
some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?
I could have taken a few different routes along the
way, but then I wouldn’t be where I am today, and I like where I’m at. I
suppose I could have looked a little closer at my first publisher. I might have
made a different decision if I had, but again, the experience shaped who I am
now, and my present path, so I’m sort of glad everything happened as it did.
What’s your
biggest pet peeve?
Probably this phrase – If he/she thinks blah, blah, blah, they have another thing coming. Thing??? There’s no logic in that. They need to
rethink, as in they have another think coming. Drives me right up the wall.
You’re
stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
Sat phone
Boat
Flint
What was the
worst job you’ve ever held?
Appliance repairperson. (Don’t ask.)
What’s the
best book you’ve ever read?
Atlas
Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I’ve probably
read it two dozen times.
Ocean or
mountains?
Mountains. I lived near the beach for about a decade
and hated it.
City
girl/guy or country girl/guy?
Country girl though I love to visit the big city now
and then.
What’s on
the horizon for you?
I’m researching the next thriller, Status: PRESUMED DEAD, and working on a
new romance series.
Anything
else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?
I’m really excited about writing in the thriller
genre. It’s a huge departure from writing romance—about as opposite as one can
get. It’s a challenge, and like the Little Engine that Could, I keep telling
myself, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can! I hope you think I can,
too!
No one believed it was possible to commandeer an
airliner in flight from a land-based location, then Malaysia Airlines Flight
MH370 disappeared over the Indian Ocean, giving rise to The Drone Theory among
U.S. intelligence agencies. Since that fateful flight, dozens of other
airliners have gone missing without a trace. Is it coincidence? Or is there
something sinister at work?
The Drone Theory Taskforce has
one directive: Determine whether U.S. Top Secret technology—lost when a CIA
drone went down in Iran—is being used to hijack airliners in flight, and if so,
recover the technology.
Air Force Intelligence Officer Major Megan Sloan doesn’t
believe in coincidences. She’s determined to get her hands on the technology
and the person(s) responsible for this current reign of terror.
When a U.S. Government jet
carrying top-level officials to Guam is rerouted mid-flight to Pyongyang, The
Drone Theory shifts from supposition to cold, hard reality. The stakes have
never been higher. Will they locate the source of the signals controlling the
aircraft? Will Major Sloan be in time to recover the technology and return control of the plane to the
flight crew before the incident escalates into World War III?
Fasten your seatbelt, return
your seat back to its full, upright
position, and prepare for turbulence!
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2 comments:
Great interview! And I loved the book!!
Just bought it, can't wait to read it. See u when your town.
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