How did you get started?
Like so many other writers, I've been writing forever. A good share of English papers through High School and College were stories. But, even though my ex-husband was really supportive (pushy in fact) I really didn't start writing seriously until I got a divorce. Ah, what a way to work through churning emotions! Now, I find that I get really cranky if I haven't written anything for a day or two for putting words to paper is a part of me.
What type of writer are you? Do you plan ahead/plot or do you simply fly by the seat of your pants?
I fly pretty much by the seat of my pants and the sweat of my brow. And although I think I know the starting point, the ending point and some of the middle of a tale, there are always surprises. For me, plot is character plus situation. So, I know some of that, and then go with the flow--and what the characters tell me. I guess I would say that, for me, maps--or intense plotting--are cheating.
Do you write best at a certain time of the day?
I write best at any time I can carve out of my day. Honestly, I'm a morning person.
What type of writing schedule do you have?
Despite being a morning person, most of my writing is done in the mid-afternoon and early evening. I just can't convince my bosses that I need to be writing in the morning instead of cooking!
How do you handle life interruptions?
I bitch and moan.<g> But, unless the interruptions become lengthy and I get REALLY grouchy since I'm not writing, I can usually just pick up where I left off. And through it all, the tales are always simmering on the back burner anyway, so when I get back to writing there's usually something new there to get me going again.
Do you get blocked? Any hints how to stave it off?
Of course I do. However, I'm the kind of writer who naturally works on more than one tale at a time. So, if I get stuck in one, I can usually persevere in another. There are times when I get totally blocked and can't seem to write anything. Then I read. A lot. Sometimes I watch a favorite movie--there are a few movies that have always filled me with the desire to write. Watching Irish dancing seems to get me going again. And just stepping away from the computer for awhile and not feeling guilty about not writing will help occasionally.
What authors do you look to as a role model and inspiration?
In the past I'd say wonderful folks such as Anne McCaffrey, Tolkien, Jean Auel contributed to my desire to be a writer, and my struggles to make that dream come true. Now, while I am still influenced by them, and that "newcomer" J.K.Rowling, I find most of my role models and inspiration come from writers I've met, those I've been with on various loops, the ones I can talk to everyday. My inspiration now stems from community rather than idols.
What's the best advice you ever received?
Believe.
What sparks a story?
Oh, so many things. A line in a song, a mis-heard conversation, something on the news, a dream, a few words given as a writing challenge, just some strange thoughts running through my head. I've had "titles" running through my head for years, and just now I'm finding the tales to go with them. It's a great adventure!
What was it about your genre that interested you enough to choose to write in it and not in another genre?
In my younger years I read primarily fantasy and science fiction. Tolkien and McCaffrey were my heroes. My mom read romance. Yuck! I'd never read that stuff! Well, never say never. When working in nursing homes, there often wasn't much to do in the middle of the night, and not much in the library to read. So, I discovered those books that my mom devoured. Then--then I found futuristic romance. I was hooked. Totally and completely hooked. What could be better than to combine fantasy and romance? For me, that's all it took.
Have you seen an evolution in your writing? What steps did it take?
You betcha. I believe my writing has--and continues--to mature. I don't think I took any conscious steps other than in applying what I learn. Each time I do rewrites, every time I consider my editor's suggestions, I learn something new. Honestly, I don't understand the rules of grammar, but through constant writing, rewriting and editing, I'm learning what I need to know. Also, I've discovered that although I once thought I couldn't read critically, I now find myself being able to analyze another author's work. Even when I don't want to!
What have you always dreamed of writing, but haven't yet?
The ULTIMATE Time Travel--a melding of The Time Machine and Brigadoon. (Actually, I have started it!)
What one thing do you like most about writing? Least?
I LOVE telling stories and getting my characters to that happy ever after ending. (Even though it may not be evident in a couple of my current wips--it'll happen later. I promise.)
Least--I absolutely HATE writing back cover blurbs!
What is your next project?
Project? As in singular? Ain't no such thing. I'm usually working on more than one thing at a time. Right now I have a fantasy romance waiting on New York desk, a novella that was requested for an NBI anthology out next year, the fourth tale in the Double Keltic Triad, And the beginnings of another romantic suspense.
What advice would you pass along at this point in your career?
Ah, the advice question. I love this one. And, at least for now, I always give the same answer. I'm a lover of movies, and often sprinkle lines through my everyday thoughts and speech. And so, my advice--good for ANY point in a career--comes from Galaxy Quest--"Never give up--Never surrender!"
*lizzie made up games and stories to keep her company as a child. So, a witch lived in Grampa's weather research station and was only held at bay by a certain weed. An ancient road grader became a boat carrying wild adventurers to islands filled with sheep that turned into lions and cannibals.
Now, the stories of her imagination are beginning to find their way to paper and pixels. Still filled with fantasy and love, these tales take her far from the mundane world.
When *lizzie has to return to that mundane life, she's a lead cook at a university dining service. Happily, the folks she works with have become accustomed to her writer's ways and just shake their heads when she goes off on some fantastical tangent, asks strange what if questions, or just has to find a piece of paper and a pen that actually writes. One of her greatest delights is to watch the joy of writing fill a friend, and she'll do anything to help them achieve their dream.
And someday, when she grows up, *lizzie wants to be an eccentric.
KELTIC FLIGHT
The races of fairy and the gentry of the Faerie Otherworld have been separate so long, the wee folk are nothing but myth and legend. Until Korin falls in love with a half-gentry maid and is forced to make a bargain with his king in order to woo her. He risks danger in both the Otherworld and in the human world to fulfill the conditions set forthin the agreement. He'll do anything--including sacrifice his wings--to love Nanceen.
WILD KELTIC CAROUSEL
Abandoned as a baby in a chemical toilet, Bryce is adopted in the Zeroun extended family. He grows up surrounded by magic and the world of Faerie. But, it's not until he sees Carouselle dance, that he understands what magic really is. And it's not until his daughter Breanna discovers Carrie in a bookstore that he understands the power of love.
But fate plays an unforgiving role in their lives. First, Carrie suffers from the return of supressed memories. Then Bryce's father, Tommy, is kidnapped by a cult. And how does Bryce tell Carrie about the Faerie Otherworld and his family's connection to the magic there without chasing her away--forever?
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