Please tell us a little bit
about yourself
I grew up in Southern Illinois
and was a bookworm as soon as
I could string letters together
into words. My favorite thing to
do was to escape into my books
and go on adventures each day.
When I ran out of books to read,
I started writing my own. I
remember when I was in high
school I wrote a ghost story that
won me a scholarship to Illinois
Summer School for the Arts.
Surrounded by Arts in every
form each day was a dream
come true for me.
I went on to attend and graduate
from Illinois State University
after falling in love with the
campus during the summer
camp. After a small career as an
Elementary Teacher, I followed
another dream, to become a
mother to two adorable little
girls who keep me on my toes
every day. Their laughter,
smiles, tears, and cries surround
me each day and fill me with so
much peace and love for the
world around me. Staying at
home allows me to nurture their
tiny beginnings, and lets me do
what I truly love on the side:
Write. Since the birth of my
first child, I have published
three books: In Flames, In
Rapture, and The Land of the
Shadows. I have two other
books scheduled to be released
this year too: In Chains and
Banished. I can’t wait for those
to come out!
What
were
your
inspirations for writing or
becoming an author?
Wow, How long do we have?
When I was tiny, I read Judy
Blume’s Super Fudge Series. I
loved Farley Drexel Hatcher
and all the escapades that he
took part in. I even tried to
submit my own short story to
Highlights Magazine entitled
Super Fudge Junior. At the
time, I had no idea what
copyright was, so it’s no
wonder why they never
responded.
I loved any book that took me
away from my life. I was a quiet
child, who wanted adventure,
but was too meek to seek it in
my own world. Living in a tree,
I wanted to do it. Running with
the wolves, yes please. Solving
mysteries from a Box Car, sign
me up! Well, a girl’s got to
dream right? And all of these
tales happened well before
Harry Potter ever entered the
mix. Talk about inspiration
right there! I love that J.K.
Rowling never “dumbed” down
her writing for kids. She refused
to use smaller words just to
make it easier to read. Her
writing
increased
the
vocabulary of our children and I
appreciated that, especially
when I was teaching.
So if I loved children’s stories
so much, why do I write adult
romance? That’s because after I
couldn’t find any more kid
friendly books to read, I picked
up my first romance novel. I
was barely a teenager, if that.
When I was growing up we
didn’t have Young Adult books.
It was like you went from good
wholesome chapter books right
to adult content with no other
materials in between. So it’s
only natural that I read
romance, since most of the
historical ones I chose had a
vast amount of adventure and
escape.
Tell
us
about
Book(s)/Series(s).
your
The newest book I have out is
The Land of the Shadows. It’s a
new adult urban fantasy that
introduces you to a young witch
named Lyssa. From the moment
you meet her, she’s attempting
to dispel the shadows that
swarm around her college
campus. After dispatching a
shadow, she finds that not only
has she endangered herself, but
the people she holds dear. Not
to worry, a mysterious man
enters the mix and transports
them all to safety. He informs
her that she is a missing
guardian to the Watch Tower
and that she was meant to join
forces with them to rid the
world of such evil entities.
This book is so personal to me.
It’s based on my own college
campus and some of the people
who have touched my life the
most. Friends near and dear, as
well as those who have departed
have shown their character
through my world in The Land
of the Shadows.
Why did you write it?