Answering some questions...

I'm putting myself in the hot seat. LOL. I thought since we're between holidays that it would be fun to answer some questions readers have sent me. These won't be in order but here goes.

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Did you always want to write? Actually I was a crazed reader. Seriously. I have always loved books to almost an obsession. For me books took me to other places, sometimes other worlds, and no matter what was going on in my reality... books offered me hours of pure enjoyment, taking me away on a mini vacation, and let me peer into other lives. Books are amazing to me like that. At 9 years old I was given an adult library card (thank you MOM) so I wasn't stuck in the children's section which I had pretty much read thru. I discovered wonderful authors like John Saul, Richard Laymon, Agatha Christie, V.C Andrews, and Stephen King. I had a real thing for horror novels and mystery/murder type of books and then I hit about 12 - I found romance. I was hooked! I started writing my first book after I read this horrible book with the plot from nowhere and the main guy lead was... well, the only passion he inspired in me was wanting to crush his boy parts. LOL. He was horrible, rude, a jerk, mean, and the female lead was sucking it up which made me want to give her a reality check in the worst way. LOL. So... I wrote my own book with people I liked and wanted to get to know and focused on a...plot. LOL.

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Is Ral's Woman the first book you ever wrote and if not what was? Is it available somewhere? I wrote my first book in the early 90's. I think it was 92' or 93'. It was kind of a horror novel with romance, I actually wrote 4 books in a series of it, and it needs massive work to ever see the light of day. LOL. The only place it's available is on my bookshelf bound in a notebook and on my back up files. I tried to get an agent after I wrote 3 of them, was promptly rejected with reason (did I mention they need massive work???). At that stage in my life things got really hectic the way life does and while I continued to write in my free time, writing many more books, I never tried to get published. I take that very seriously and I didn't have the time I knew it deserved. I always dreamed of one day getting my books out there, becoming an author, but I wanted to do it when I knew I had the resources to commit to it 100 percent. That happened this year. My youngest child was starting school, I knew I'd have the time and energy to throw myself into giving it my best, and that's when I wrote Ral's Woman. I wrote it to submit to Ellorascave. I am a HUGE fan of their books, their authors, and I think ebooks are the coolest thing ever. Think about it. You are sitting in a dentist's office or doctor's office, they are running late (like they are every time) and you're faced with a bunch of months out of date magazines you have no interest in to start with. We've all flipped those pages wishing we'd remembered to bring a book. With ebooks... you can just buy and download them where you're sitting, read them right there, and WOW isn't that cool? From your home you can buy, download the book in seconds to read right away, without ever having to leave your house or go book hunting at book stores that may or may not have the book you want in stock (man... it's happened to me a lot and I hate that... then they offer to order it for you... and it can take forever!!!) GO EBOOKS!!! I'm a cheerleader!!! LOL.

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What other kinds of books do you write? That is a tough one. LOL. I have a wild imagination, I was always a daydreamer, and I can think up a lot of scenarios. As you know I write about aliens. If you looked on my works in progress page (WIP) on my website you'll see a Cyborg story there, a werewolf story, and a contemporary western. I write whatever story pops into my head and won't let go. I don't ever want to limit myself to saying I only write... (insert here) because that wouldn't be accurate.

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Where do you get your ideas from? You might laugh but I have the weirdest dreams ever and I'm one of those people who can recall most of their dreams vividly. Sometimes it's a 'what if' kind of thing and there I go. My Cyborg story was all over a picture of fantasy art I saw on the Internet. I saw it, thought how beautiful the male was, how intense the passion was between him and the female standing against him, and BOOM! I was typing it out. One drawn picture was worth over 59,000 words to me. LOL. I've written a book over a song, over watching strangers and thinking... I wonder what their lives are like... and what if... and there I go. A book. LOL.

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What's are the good and bad things about getting a book out there? It is great and scary to have a book come out. On release day I was freaking out. It suddenly hits you that it's out there for anyone to read, and this isn't just your family and friends reading what you write to give you feedback. LOL. Be it that first boyfriend who it ended badly with that you NEVER wish to run into, your high school nemesis, or your Aunt Prude who will frown deeply at you and lecture you FOREVER about writing about sex. LOL. Book reviews, the idea of them, gives you the shakes. What if they hate it? What if they tear you apart? LOL. Praying starts at that point, at least for me, that they at least like it a little. As a writer... I put pieces of myself in the characters of my books. I couldn't step into their skin without taking bits of me in there too. I am exposing tiny parts of myself when I write and it's a terrifying aspect of writing. It's also exhilarating knowing that the people you created, your babies I guess you could say, are out there to meet other people. It's mind blowing in the best way when people take the time to write you to say things like they loved your book, loved a character, want you to write more, and ask you questions (LOL) because they are interested in knowing about a stranger who wrote a book they loved... it's humbling, wonderful, and touching. I'd do it again in a heartbeat and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to do it again!

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(Wiping my forehead) That wasn't so bad. LOL. It was fun. I hope everyone has a great weekend and December is just days away so time to prepare for Christmas!