When did you start writing and what inspired you to start?
I’ve been a storyteller ever since I can remember. Before I could write, I’d tell stories to my stuffed animals. When I was in second grade, students who passed their spelling pretests on Mondays got to write stories while the others took the final spelling tests on Fridays. I so looked forward to that. As I got older, writing in English classes became my favorite, and my forte. So I majored in writing in college and earned a master’s degree before working as a writer in corporate America and then teaching writing in college. When we moved to Arkansas, my family suggested I start writing the books I’d been talking about for years. My kids were old enough that they didn’t need my constant attention, so I did.
Is there a message in Mystery, Ink: Mystery Heir that you want readers to grasp?
As much as the novel is a mystery, it is about relationships, particularly the relationship between a father and a child. Mystery, Ink: Mystery Heir explores healthy relationships, unhealthy relationships, non-existent relationships, and what happens when a good relationship suddenly goes away. If a reader walks away with anything, I hope it’s with an understanding of the importance a father plays in his child’s life, not just in the formative years, but always.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
With respect to the mystery itself, no. I’ve never had that kind of drama in my life (thank God). With respect to relationships, some of them were, some weren’t. I’m blessed to have been raised by the best father in the world, and I have the best father-in-law, too. There are strong male role models for my children on both sides of their family. But I have friends who have been on the other side of the spectrum, so while I don’t have direct experience, I know how my main character, Naomi, might feel seeing those failing relationships and reacting to them.
List your favorite quotation or words you live by.
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is … the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
—Mark Twain
What is your favorite book by another author?
Lover Unbound by J. R. Ward. She writes paranormal romance, in fact, many say she leads the field in PNR, and this is one of my favorites in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. All of the leads are tormented and flawed in some manner, yet they’re all heroic and ultra-alpha males. She has the ability to create amazing storyworlds and larger than life characters who are still believable, all while crafting heart-stopping romances.
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