Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?
I've always wanted to be three things: a wife, a mom, and a writer, so I guess you could say I'm living the dream! I've been married to my husband, Harrison, for seven years and I'm a stay-at-home mom to three kids, ages 4, 2, and 1. But I've always wanted to be a writer. When I was about 10 I went to a friend's house one day and she had written a story for a kids' writing contest. Something about seeing that story written on paper just resonated with me and all I wanted to do was write my own story. That hasn't changed since. I have always read a lot of books and even when I'm not writing, I'm probably thinking about writing.
How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?
As a busy mom, finding time to write isn't easy! I sneak it in during nap times and late at night when my kids are asleep. But I also try to plan one night a week when my husband stays with the kids and I go to a coffee shop or somewhere quiet and spend time focused on writing.
How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?
I really enjoy writing at a coffee shop where I don't have the distractions of home. I play music in my headphones and that keeps me focused. When I start out a story I like to outline with pen and paper. Sometimes my mind works faster when I'm writing by hand than if I'm typing. But once I'm working on the actual book, I work on a laptop. It's nothing fancy, just a Word document open on the computer and I keep my written outline close.
What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?
My favorite part is seeing the characters come to life. I also love it when my characters do something I didn't expect them to do. That might seem funny since I'm writing and creating them, but sometimes I'll type something out and think "Oh, well I didn't know that was going to happen," and that's pretty fun. My least favorite part is major edits, like seeing that a plot just isn't going in the right direction anymore and having to hit the delete button on a lot of work. It happens though, and usually, the writing comes easier and better once I get rid of it and get back on track. It's just hard to lose something after you've worked so hard.
How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?
For this particular book, the idea came from one sentence someone said to me. The book doesn't have anything to do with that person, but when they said it it was like I heard a character say it and I could see the circumstance and storyline behind it. I actually started writing the book about ten years ago, but I would just work on it here and there and didn't have any kind of time frame for when I wanted it finished. Once I really got serious and said I was going to finish it, it took me about four months to write the first draft. But then I put it on the backburner and it was close to a year before I picked it back up. Then editing and beta readers and proofing took several months.
What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?
I promote through social media, on Instagram and my Facebook page. I also like to cross-promote with others authors and work with book bloggers and reviewers.
What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?
I'm currently working on the sequel to my book, Even Still, and I'm hoping to finish that by the fall.
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Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.
I have lots of projects in my mind at all times. I'm always making notes in my writing notebook for story ideas that I hope to get to someday.
What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?
I would say, just start! Read a lot of books that you like and get a feel for your favorite kind of writing. And just write! Your first writings might be just for you, or it might be a terrible first draft, but just write. You've got to start somewhere. And once you've got something put together, find a few people to read it and give you some feedback and just keep going!
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My site: www.happymamalife.com
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