Q: In one sentence, tell me something that describes you as a person?
A: I am a kid at heart with a passion for social justice who approaches every day with an upbeat, optimistic attitude – I love to smile and to laugh.
Q: How many books have you written? How many of those are published?
A: I have completed and published two books so far in a five book series.
Q: Do you have an upcoming release? If yes, tell me the title and impending release date.
A: I am working on the third in a five book series, called Young Marian Cast Upon the Current. I plan to release it in early 2017.
Q: If you could “create” your own genre of what you write, what would you call your books?
A: My book are aimed at upper-middle grade. They sort of straddle the line between middle-grade and young adult genre, so I guess they could be called ‘Young Young Adult.’
Q: Without quoting your back cover synopsis, tell me about the last book you published.
A: Whether it’s an abused animal, a starving peasant, or a wrongfully accused guard, Marian (of Robin Hood fame) leaps headfirst into trying to help those less fortunate. In the second book in the Young Marian series, her father, the Sheriff is accused of robbery and treason. Although only 14 years old, Marian takes it upon herself to get to the truth. At the same time, one impulsive act on her part lands her feeling responsible for both the safety of a abused horse and an imprisoned poacher, so she has a lot to deal with. Of course, her best friend, Robin is always willing to help out – and sometimes, to Marian’s chagrin – try and take charge, and their friend Midge gets dragged along whether he likes it or not.
Q: Tell me something about yourself that is separate from writing.
A: I love children’s movies and TV shows – I have forced my kids to watch Tangled more times that I can count. I work for a children’s game company – I think I never really grew up.
Q: Who is your favorite Author?
A: There are so many wonderful authors out there, and I really enjoy so many different genres that it’s hard to narrow it down. But I really, really love the Harry Potter series, and am now completely addicted to the Cormoran Strike novels, so it has to be J.K. Rowling.
Q: What is the last book that you read? (Not counting anything you wrote)
A: I read a lot while I was on vacation last week, and the last book I read was ‘Broken Grace’ by E. C. Diskin, a dark, mystery novel along the lines of ‘Gone Girl’ or ‘Girl on the Train’.
Q: When writing, do you have a system or something you plan, or do you just write?
A: I write a very loose chapter by chapter outline before I begin, but I don’t plan out each chapter in any detail so I find that it evolves as I go along. Sometimes I end up adding new chapters when details emerge that I hadn’t fully thought out when creating the outline.
Q: Why do you write?
A: Well, my books are a prequel to the Robin Hood tales so my characters have existed for hundreds of years. Basically, I am just telling stories that I would have liked to read about these people. I am so attached to these characters that I couldn’t help my imagination making up new scenarios for them, and eventually I decided I had to write them down.
Q: Any final thoughts that you want to give to your fans or even future authors?
A: For future authors, I would say that the most important thing when writing is to share your work with readers who will give you objective feedback. Family and friends are great, but what you really need is constructive criticism from people who feel they can be honest without worrying about hurting your feelings. Whether it’s an editor, or another writer or writers, you need to put it out there and get genuine feedback and be willing to take it on. It can hurt sometimes, and sometimes they may miss the point – you don’t have to incorporate every comment – but it is also incredibly helpful, and a real learning tool.
For fans, I hope people are willing to take a chance on a beloved story told with a new twist. My books put Marian front and center and let the boys take a back seat for a chance.