1. When did you first develop a love for writing? What led you to this point?

My love for writing grew out of an early love for reading and learning. What led me to this point was that my mother started reading to me when I was in the womb, and my father told me wild, Paul Bunyan type tall tales from the moment I was born. I learned to read at the age of two and have been a voracious reader ever since. So, I get my love for the written word from my parents.

2. What was the first thing that you ever wrote? How did you feel while writing it? How did you feel after it was finished?

I can remember writing little stories and vignettes when I was a very young child. I also staged my first play (an adaptation of King of Kings) when I was eight years old. I conscripted my family into the production. My dad played about six parts and my mom the same. As for how I felt, well, I felt a little like Cecile B. DeMille after that—a very serious director. There is a video recording of the play floating around the house somewhere. It is one of my first memories of writing.

One turning point I can recall was when I was about eleven or twelve. I wrote a very short story along the lines of Jurassic Park. It was about a brother and sister being chased to the edge of a cliff by a T-Rex. The kids gave the Rex the old “one-two-jump!” fake out and the Rex tumbled over the cliff. End of story—happily ever after for everyone except the Rex.

When I was about fourteen, I started writing my first novel, but abandoned it for other projects. One day I hope to revisit that work, since it was a very adventurous tale set in a wild desert world. The novel also had a great plot, complete with mythical beasts, lost princes, hidden identities, and lots of battles. It was very exciting and is still in some ways my first love because it was my first novel, however fragmented it remains.

3. When did you decide that you wanted to be an author?

I had never considered turning writing into a career until I read Crime and Punishment when I was seventeen. There was just something about that book and the way Dostoevsky “painted with words” that inspired me and made me want to dedicate myself to being a storyteller.
Additionally, I also knew I wanted to be a writer and make it my life's passion after seeing The Fellowship of the Ring. There is a part in the movie where Gandalf tells Frodo “all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” That struck a chord with me, since my mother taught me from a very early age that God puts everyone on earth for a specific purpose. I feel the quote from the movie illustrates this sentiment perfectly.

4. What books/short stories have you written?

To date, I have completed two novels and about fifteen short stories.

5. What stands out to you most about writing?

What stands out to me most about writing, and what I think is the real reason I truly love it, is the freedom writing gives you to be able to get lost in a different world. I also cannot stress how much I love creating characters and their individual stories. I believe that everything that a person experiences in his or her life affects the person they become and how they react to situations, so I like to explore this with my characters—uncovering what motivates them, why they act the way they do, what makes them tick, etc. It is such a joy when characters develop so fully that they essentially start to write the story themselves.

6. What is your source of inspiration?

I get inspiration from practically everything around me. Music is definitely the most inspiring, though. Since the age of three, I have been playing the violin, singing, dancing, acting, and performing throughout my community. I also play the piano and have received numerous musical awards. I have been surrounded by music all my life; it is one of my greatest loves.

For “mood music” when I am writing, I am most drawn to movie soundtracks and instrumental compositions. When I am listening to certain pieces, I find that if they are wordless, it allows me to create my own mental pictures.

I also find a lot of inspiration in art, especially the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites. This is especially true when I write fantasy. I have based characters in my fantasy trilogy on several paintings by Sir Frank Dicksee and John William Waterhouse.

7. What draws you to a career as an author?

I love being able to create worlds and populate them with interesting characters. I also love to create complex and exciting plots, especially M. Night Shyamalan-like twists that will make readers go “No way! I never saw that coming!” I cannot even begin to describe how much I love plot twists.

I think the freedom of expression also plays a major role in my love of writing. With my most recently completed novel, Corcitura, I had an overall outline, but I was also very flexible with where the story wanted to go. In my writing experience, I have learned that it is great to have an outline, but it is important not to be beholden to that outline. As a result, Corcitura ended up being 818 pages and has not one but two “endings beyond the ending”—more of those twists that I love so much.

8. Which book/story had the most emotional impact to you while writing? Please describe.

I began serious work on my current novel after reading The Thirteenth Tale. It was not an inspiration in that I wanted to write a novel just like it, but more in the “impetus” inspiration department, meaning that it pushed me to get working. I think it was because the story was so well put together and suspenseful. I was encouraged that books of that genre and caliber still had a tremendous market and popular appeal. It is one of my favorite books to date.

Also, Crime and Punishment, David Copperfield, and The Chronicles of Narnia have always been major inspirations for me. When I look back, those are the main books that inspired me to become a writer.

9. How would you describe your writing process?

I try to get at least six or more hours of writing done a day. Sometimes this is not possible, but I strive to meet this goal on a daily basis.

Of course, you have to account for life interruptions, too. When those occur, I just take the situation as it comes, deal with the interruption, and if there is still time left that day, head to my computer and write. Sometimes life interruptions have a way of jogging the writing juices, too. I have often done my best writing on days where I only had a couple of hours left after a full day of work and activities.

10. What is the most important element of being a novelist in your opinion?

I think the most important element is creating believable characters. That is first and foremost to me. I generally start out with ideas for characters and then build the story around them. Plot would come next in importance, followed by setting and of course historical accuracy. Those are the main elements that I incorporate in all my works.

11. What writing experience stands out most in your writing career?

Although I would have to say that getting published at a young age was a big achievement, what has been most personally rewarding for me thus far has been writing an 800+ page novel. I never thought I would write something so vast. It gave me a lot of confidence to know that I could spin such a long story while still keeping it taut and interesting and suspenseful. So after accomplishing this, I feel like I can really achieve any writing task I set my mind to as long as I work hard enough and remain open to finding new ways to keep the story fresh, be it through rephrasing, restructuring, or whatever else is beneficial to the narrative and flow.

12. When did you first decide that you wanted to publish your works? How was it for a first time author to get published?

I wrote my first novel with the intent to get it published. About three and a half years later, this became a reality.

It was very difficult for this first time author to get published, especially with the subject matter and length of my first work. However, if you really want to achieve something, no barrier can stop you. It is important to explore all avenues to getting yourself published. You might not want to take a certain route, but very few first time authors start at the top. Do not get frustrated; just find creative ways to get your work out there. And never ever quit.

13. What work did you get published first? How did you feel?

My first published novel was an historical fiction/family saga set in Paris in 1894. The book was titled, City of Lights: The Trials and Triumphs of Ilyse Charpentier. It was wonderful to finally see my work in print, but this achievement also made me become more dedicated to my craft and to improving my writing. I was ready to see what the next challenge I could set for myself would be. Sort of an, “Ok, that book was published, on to the next,” never quit attitude, which I still have today. I am always looking forward to the next project.

14. Now, as a professional author, how do you feel about the writing process? Has your writing process changed?

I still try to write six or more hours a day, but the way I write has changed dramatically. I find that as I mature as a writer, I like order more and more, meaning that I now write my novels in chronological order. With my first novel, I jumped around a lot. If I wanted to write chapter nine, I wrote chapter nine then and there, no matter that I had yet to write chapters one through eight. Now I find that if I write in order, the novel progresses more naturally. I always know from the outset what my ending will be, but getting there is more of a journey of discovery for me as much as it is for my characters.

15. Are you currently writing another work?

Yes, I just completed my second novel, Corcitura. I like to think of it as an historical novel, coming of age mystery/supernatural thriller that just happens to deal with vampires. Well, it happens to deal with vampires a lot, but they are only one facet of the overall story. Intrigued yet? It took me two years to write this novel, although I have technically been researching and outlining this book since I got the idea for it back in 2003.

16. How do you envision your career as an author developing?

I have several ideas for novels and short stories that I would like to publish after Corcitura. My short story collection, entitled Absurd Tales, consists of twelve stories with the common theme being that they are all set in 19th century Eastern Europe, and they all have elements of comedy, fantasy, and horror. My intent with these stories has always been to turn them into a miniseries along the lines of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, which was a favorite of mine when I was a child. Hopefully, I will be able to produce those in the near future.

My next project after the stories will be the sequel to Corcitura, which is set in the present day. This will be an interesting and exciting challenge, since my work to date has always been historical. It is going to be strange writing about my characters using the internet and cell phones and all other technology that has been invented since 1896!

17. How has the internet influenced writing?

The internet has had a tremendous influence on writing. I confess that I have had nightmares about being an author in the 19th century, sitting in a dusty library leafing through tome upon tome to unearth the research I needed. Of course, you would not have to do much research if you lived in that time, unless you were writing historical novels as Dumas did. The Brontë sisters and Charles Dickens wrote from life. Still, I do not think I would have made it back then. I need my computer and internet and modern conveniences.

I use reference and history books as well, but I prefer the variety of research the internet provides. Plus, it is more convenient, and you can conduct research any time, day or night, without having to be constrained by the operating hours of your local library.

18. What advice would you give to up-coming authors?

Perseverance and hard work. If you believe you are meant to write your story, non-fiction work, novel, etc., then no one can stop you but yourself. Also, the more you read, the better writer you will become. Especially for historical novelists, reading works set in the same time period as the one in which your story takes place is tremendous in helping you get a good picture in your mind of the mores of the time, how characters were expected to behave, the mood of the country, the sights, sounds, and smells of the era, etc. Watching period movies helps, too. Sometimes, it is good to get a visual representation of the era to go along with the written word.

Do not confine yourself to one genre. I genre hop, although I do have certain themes (the bonds between parents and children; interactions/conflicts between siblings) that thread through all my work, and certain elements that are always present (comedy, fantasy, supernatural, etc.) in some form in each of my novels and stories. I think it is fun and challenging to experiment with different time periods, storylines, and settings.

Additionally, if you can visit the place your story is set in, great, but if you cannot, do not be discouraged. Bram Stoker never went to Transylvania, yet he described it perfectly in Dracula, so my advice would be, do not just “write what you know,” break out of the box! If you have an idea for a story that you want to set in a different country, time, or place, do your research and make that setting come alive. You do not have to visit that country to do this. If Bram could describe the wilds of Romania after just reading books about the country, think of how much more fortunate writers of today are in this age of the internet, where we literally have the world at our fingertips.