Q: In one sentence, tell me something that describes you as a person?
A: I thrive when helping others, doing things that inspire me, or eating French fries and chocolate (not necessarily together) J
Q: How many books have you written? How many of those are published?
A: 1 book – 1 published.
Q: Do you have an upcoming release? If yes, tell me the title and impending release date.
A: My book Fractured: My Journey Back from Death and the Lessons I’ve Learned Along the Way was just released on July 17, 2017.
Q: Tell me about how you come up with your titles for your stories. Do you create the title before or after you write the book, and does it ever change from the initial title?
A: I struggled for a while over the title. I had the entire book written before I had the title. My mom and I were on a walk and I was bouncing title ideas off of her. She said the word, “Fractured” and it stuck with me. I knew it was the right word for this book. I thought about all that I have gone through in my life and the different stories I tell in the book and “Fractured” so perfectly described the state of my body, mind, and spirit before I decided to heal myself. After I decided on that, I re-worked the subtitle quite a bit until I landed on the one that felt the most right to me.
Q: If you could “create” your own genre of what you write, what would you call your books?
A: My favorite genre is the one I wrote my book in – I am a huge self-development, inspirational, self-help, and memoir reader. I usually find and read books that really empower me to be my best self. I think it is so important to spend time trying to better oneself. I know I am constantly learning and discovering new things about myself and I love the journey.
Q: Without quoting your back cover synopsis, tell me about the last book you published.
A: This is the first and only book I’ve published.
Q: Tell me something about yourself that is separate from writing.
A: I always contemplated being an event planner. I love hosting parties and getting all my friends and family together for a good time. Having people over for dinner excites me because of all the planning that goes into it. I also love to cook.
Q: Who is your favorite Author?
A: Brené Brown and Elizabeth Gilbert – they have such a relatable way of writing and when I read their books, it feels like they are holding a mirror in front of me which allows me to really examine different parts of my life.
Q: What is the last book that you read? (Not counting anything you wrote)
A: Currently reading (again) BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert
Q: When writing, do you have a system or something you plan, or do you just write?
A: With Fractured, I worked off an outline. I wrote out the different bullet points that I knew I wanted to incorporate into the book and eventually those developed into chapters. I then fleshed out the bullet points. It was a lot easier for me to work this way vs trying to sit down and write out a whole chapter at a time.
Q: Why do you write?
A: I started writing Fractured as a form of therapy for me. A way to get my thoughts out of my body/mind after the accident. Then when I knew why I wanted to write my book and what it was going to be about – my why switched from me to others. I write to help others know they are not alone. To share my story and voice in hopes that others can relate and find solace in knowing they are not alone.
Q: Do you read your own work a lot? If so, what does it do for you?
A: Through the editing process I reread my work a lot. Each time I did I took something new away from it. I heard my own advice in a different way. I reminded myself of things that I still needed to work on or saw a piece of myself that needed more healing. It was really cathartic for me.
Q: What is your favorite type of music? Is there one genre (or song, band etc...) that brings out your creativeness more than others?
A: Yes! I never really understood why, but while I was writing, I could only listen to; Ray LaMontange, Jonny Lang, or Anderson East. They put me in the “writing zone” I also had to sit in a certain spot. It allowed all my creativeness and words to just flow right out of my brain and onto the page.
Q: As an author, I find that the hardest thing to write (for me) is the synopsis that will be on the back cover or book’s description. When you write, what is the hardest line to write, the first line, the last line or the synopsis for the book?
A: The hardest thing for me to write for this book was the title. Besides that there were a couple chapters dealing with some more intimate and personal topics and traumas that took me a lot longer to write because it put me back in that place.
Q: If you could sit down and have a coffee (or whatever beverage) with anyone, living or dead, from any era, any time, who would it be and why? (You can pick up to 3 persons).
A:
Elvis- he has been one of my all-time favorites since I was a little girl. Fun fact, my mom got a kiss and his scarf on her 21st birthday while at his concert which she has since given to me.
Justin Timberlake – my 12-year-old self would just melt. I have had a crush on him since I can remember. I think he is so talented and funny.
Al Capone – I am a huge fan of the mob era and love the history of that time. I would love to chat with him about his upbringing and what made him “Al Capone”.
Q: Any final thoughts that you want to give to your fans or even future authors?
A: Future writers and people who don’t think they could ever write a book – just remember you can do it. I never thought I was a writer… until I wrote a book. Remember – your voice is one that needs to be heard. You are enough. Your story is important. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Write for you. Write for others. Whatever you write for – just write.