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Tell us a bit about yourself

Umm, I don’t now. I’m just a normal person. haha. I’ll try and make it more interesting than my bio. I was eighteen years old the first time I ever saw the beach. I love the feel of clean hardwood floor on my bare feet. I love trees and greenery and the beach. I’m afraid of the deep ocean *shiver* I lived in Hawaii for a time and learned that fact about myself. I could never force myself to go snorkeling because I have a stupid irrational fear of the ocean. My inspiration is Eric Thomas, I’m totally addicted to his kool-aid. My best friend died about 6 years ago and I still haven’t gotten over it. I’m very into positive self talk – I can force myself to do certain things because I talk myself into it. I am a total crossfit junkie. Like seriously, I’m one of those people. haha.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

Not at all. I actually wrote poems and stuff when I was a kid but only as a form of expression, not really wanting to publish any of them. But one day I wrote out a paragraph of an idea that popped in my head. I didn’t really do anything with it, just put it aside. One day my hubby read it and encouraged me to keep going. So it’s all because of him that I’m a writer today.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’ve actually got 3 projects in the works. I have a co-author, Raven Steele, and we’re writing a very gritty urban fantasy series. I love writing it because I get to explore the darker side of myself. It delves deep into the underbelly of the supernatural world, where there’s violence and hatred and lots of fighting. But our characters always manage to find hope and love through it, not only with their love interests but also in their friendships with each other. That’s one thing I really love about this series. It’s not just about magical beings and romance, but about 3 friends who find each other. They all come from a very lonely existence, and through each other they find happiness.

I’m also writing a bully reverse harem, which is really stretching me as a writer! It’s a difficult path to travel – how to write someone who is so unbearably terrible to others and still make the readers fall in love with them. It’s also stretched me because I’ve never written something so character driven. But I’m really enjoying it a lot! I’ve learned how much I love to write such terrible people. I’ve always loved writing grey characters, especially the villains. Making the readers see their motivations and hopefully understanding them. Maybe even liking them a little bit. And this is an extension of that.

The other project I’m working on is super secret but I’ll be announcing it soon! And this one is more just something super fun and easy. It gives me a little bit of a break from all the dark stuff I’m writing.

Do you have any quirks while writing?

I go through tons and tons of Mentos gum. Like I buy the bottles in packs and just chew and chew and chew. I also am addicted to cherry Coke Zero and Le Croix sparkling water, haha. I also listen to lots of music while I write, and usually end up with a playlist that speaks to me while I’m writing each book, then I move on to something else when I’m writing a different one. Bose headphones are my jam.

What are your hopes for the future?

A lot of my hopes have to do with my family. I want my kids to grow up and be happy. I can almost say I’ve accomplished my life goals, which is to have a great, loving family. Of course, there are other things I want. I’d love to be able to travel a lot and be financially set. But my main thing is that I hope to always keep my husband happy and my kids close.

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

Ahh, this is a really hard question because there are a zillion things I could say. I’m trying really hard to think of something inspiring or helpful but really what it comes down is what all the other authors have ever said. You have to sit down and write. There is nothing more important than that.

I guess if I could give 3 pieces of advice that have helped me become more successful, I would say to first, if you want to write something that would sell, then read all the successful books in the genre you want to write. Read all of them, all the time. If you do that, then things will come a lot more naturally.

Second, learn about story structure. It does matter. A lot. I don’t even care if you’re a pantster. The structure of the story is the undercurrent of a good book. I cannot stress that enough. There are ways to structure a book that can still allow for a lot of pant-sing.

Third – and I have to admit that I copied this from Michael Anderle, but I think it’s the most important piece of advice I could ever give (besides to sit down and write) and that is to create characters that readers care about. You can mess up everything else but if your readers don’t care about your character, it won’t matter if you’ve done everything else perfectly.

Do you have anything to say to your readers?

Readers, what can I say? haha. Readers drive me. There is nothing like the feeling of getting a message from someone who is affected by your books. I had a reader tell me that she was so inspired that she went back to school to learn how to be a writer. Other people wrote to me about how my books helped with their struggles, or help them forget the constant pain that they’re in. I love that kind of thing. Maybe it’s selfish or egotistical, but that kind of thing is like pure gold to me

Buy link

Fated Alpha

Fated Mates

Rouen Chronicles (not rh)

Pre-order Blood Court (not rh)