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When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms ? What genre is it ? I remember riding my bike when I was ten years old dreaming up stories in my head . One day , I ’ ll write them down , I thought . But I never did . I graduated from college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre , then ditched theatre . I loved telling a story , but not from a stage . To pay the bills , I got a job as a communications writer and began writing in the corporate world . All the while , I fought a deep , inner urge to write romance , where the characters are larger than life and there ’ s always a happy ending . One day while gathering beach glass on the shores of Lake Erie , I wondered if someone were watching me . Then I wondered , what if they could read your mind … and they fell in love with you … what would happen next ? That evening , I went home and began writing Mind Waves , the first book in the awardwinning Mind Hackers series . Tell us about your latest book . What motivated the story ? Where did the idea come from ? Where do your story ideas usually come from ? Dark Waves is a 100-page novella set in the Mind Hackers world . I wanted to have something new for a conference I was attending and challenged myself to write a novella . I thought about the different characters in the first two books , and decided to tell Kevin ’ s story , one of the cousins of the hero featured in the first book in the series . He had been injured
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and somehow recovered . I wondered , what if he hadn ’ t really recovered ? What if
INTERVIEW
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AU : he was suffering from hallucinations from his work and had to leave the force ? What if there was a secret buried in his mind that he didn ’ t even know was there and a psychiatrist heroine had to unearth it ? I plotted the story with my son , who invents characters for D & D . He had some great suggestions , and the story took shape from there . What is your writing routine once you start a book ? I write every day , even if it is only a few words . I work full-time , and with a husband , three kids and extended family , I have a busy home life . I squeeze in writing time wherever and whenever I can find it . I generally get about 500 words a day but always try for more . What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries ? I have two favorite forms of relaxation ( after sleep ). One , is to gather beach glass on the Lake Erie shoreline . Being by the water , searching the shore for sparkling gems , is therapeutic . I find it relaxing , and my thoughts roam , often producing interesting story ideas . My second favorite way to relax is to ride my bike in the Cleveland Metroparks . There are some fantastic trails through wooded areas . A biography has been written about you . What do you think the title would be in six words or less ? My husband says I should write a biography and call it , “ Fourteen and Me .” I have fourteen siblings , which he thinks readers would find fascinating . I ’ m not so sure my siblings would be happy to know they ’ ve become the subject of a book !
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