Connections DEC 2014 | Page 9

What genre do you enjoy writing the most and why? I like the historical fiction, but I always put twist in my writing. I write a lot of mystery or murder, betrayal. I was a history major in college, and people can imagine things they already know about. When someone hears about Nazi Germany, they know what it was like on the surface, and so it is easy to connect with the reader when I want to go deeper into the terror and intimidation. From where do you draw your inspiration? I take a lot of drama from my own family, then mix it with historical background, and even incorporate sibling banter and rivalries. Growing up with 5 kids in the family has given me much to write about. Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life? Does it help your characters come alive? Yes! I think I can visualize characters that have similar qualities as the people in my life. My mother is a very strong person who raised 5 kids after my father died. I think the strong woman factor gets added into my work because of her. I could totally see my mom killing a man who threatened my family (not that she ever did murder someone, but it is a motherly instinct). So it is easy for me to write about a woman who is like that, who defends to the end. Which of your books was the most fun to write and why? My favorite part about writing Tower of Tears is that I gave half the book to someone who then said, “I know who the killer is!” I had not decided who the killer was at that point, I just had five people hating the dead guy. So I made the killer someone other than who the reader named. It gave it a great twist! Which of your characters is your favorite and why? Patricia in The Creek. She was a widow who lost her wealthy husband in the Spanish Flu Pandemic. She came from the Victorian Era, and was thrust into a world of business and had to not only save her family but the thousands of workers of her factories. She discovered her own passion and ability to conquer the odds. What is the most difficult thing about being an author? The promoting! There are literally millions and millions of books, and each one is lost in a sea. There are so many people out there who try to scam new authors, and there are some really great people out there who try to help them. I work with a great group of authors who are listed on my website, and I recommend all of them.