When did you first realize you wanted to be a
writer?
In 2002 a teacher friend of mine was challenging
his English students to write a novel during the school year. I decided to give
it a try myself on summer break. I was amazed at how much fun it was. The
characters took over the work and my first novel, a chapter book for middle
grade kids titled The Secret in the Hidden Cave, practically wrote
itself.
Did your childhood experiences influence your
writing?
Absolutely – how could they not? There are
always pieces of those experiences in my novels, though through the filters of
time and understanding some of those events get more exciting. In A Soul’s Kiss , The Guardian's Diary, and Sheltered there are vestiges of several teenage events that involved boys and
butterflies in my stomach.
Which writers have influenced you the most?
I wish I could name two or three, but
seriously every single author I’ve ever read has had some kind of impact on me.
My favorites are John Grisham, Clive Cussler, Michael Connelly, Janet
Evanovich, Stephenie Meyer, Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, and Brad Meltzer, to
name just a few – very eclectic mix, I know.
What can we look forward to from you in the
future?
I’m currently working on a young adult novel
set at the end of this century with some anachronistic twists and a love
triangle.