1. Tell us about your family. What do they think about your writing?
I'm not sure what they think, LOL. Actually, my husband is very proud, although I think he's afraid to read the romances. My adult sons kind of feign joy for me, and my 11 year old daughter is a big fan. My late mom was hugely supportive, read everything I wrote, even listened attentively to my cockeyed stories when I was being, uh, creative. And my dad was a tremendous inspiration to me. Oh, and I can't forget my sister, who is my number ONE fan. I doubt I'd have gotten this far without her support and prodding. She is also a great writer, but I can't seem to motivate her as much as she's motivated me.
2. You are a busy lady! Writing, PTA, Book-keeping... how do you do it?
Easy. It's all smoke and mirrors. Seriously, I am the poster girl for Over-Achievers Anonymous. I never used to be one, but it seems I've entered a phase of my life where I want to do so much, and I've just had to gear up my stamina, my enthusiasm, and my health to accomplish it all. I've also had to give up some things (sleep?) in order to fit in the things that interest me. For example, I used to be the art director for a small publisher, and I was doing 4 - 5 book covers a month myself besides being responsible for a stable of other artists sending in 4 - 5 additional covers. It was madness! I loved it, but had to give it up. I also gave up writing for a couple of years, which made me dreary and sad. But I'm back, the muse is back, and I'm a happy camper.
3. I find it interesting that you do photo restoration. How did you get started? I have so many old family photos I've considered having restored and just don't know how to go about it or whether it's safe to put into somebody else's hands. I mean, what if something happened to such an irreplacable item?
The photo restoration thing happened because when my mother passed away, I wanted to make a digital slideshow of her life. I already had a scanner, so I went to work scanning old photos and slides and negatives. Many of them were in bad shape, and since I was already familiar with Photoshop, I just started fixing them here and there. I got a bit obsessive about it, actually. I've always been kind of a detail-oriented person, so correcting pixels is a natural for me. I also learned to colorize, color-correct and do all sorts of trick things with photographs.
When I take someone else's photos to work on, they are handled with the utmost care and returned as soon as they are scanned. There's always going to be a risk, even with overnight delivery, insurance, etc. You just do your best and hope it doesn't get lost or damaged in transit.
4. You love lighthouses. What is it about them that makes them so special to you?
I've asked myself that question. I've always found them magical. They are unique architecturally, they have a romance about them--the proverbial "port in a storm" thing. Guiding the lost to safety. The image of a woman standing at the gallery railing, watching for her man to return from the sea... and the danger. The sea is an unforgiving master, routinely bashing the heck out of anything in its way. And let's not forget the keepers themselves; selfless loners who risked their lives day in and day out, dedicated to protecting the mariners who'd come to rely on them. Whew...I'm waxing poetic!
5. Tell us about your Paranormal Lighthouse Romantic Mystery.
I thought you'd never ask, *G*! POINT SURRENDER is my first PLRM (coined that myself, do you like it?) and I say first because there are two more right behind it. Because of that "romantic aura" I alluded to above, lighthouses tend to attract passion and mystery. In POINT SURRENDER, the lighthouse has a history of love, passion, jealousy and death. The H/H conflict over whether or not that history should be discovered and revealed.
Basically, the heroine discovers that the last keeper of POINT SURRENDER died in the lighthouse, leaving behind a wife and young son who virtually disappeared after his death. She becomes rather obsessed with finding out what happened, which annoys her love interest to no end. Ultimately, it's good that she persists, secrets are revealed, the pains of the past are unleashed and the ghosts can rest at last. Pretty basic, and yet different. The next book is titled CAPE SEDUCTION. (It has ghosts, too. Another PLRM!)
6. Where did the story come from? I immediately had a vision of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. *G*
I never know where my stories come from. It's almost like they already existed, and I am charged with the task of collecting them from my mind and writing them down.
There are ghosts, yes, and they are important to the story. But they are not scary, nor antagonistic. They are merely there, because some things in their pasts were not quite rectified. They don't actually speak to the main characters. Darned if I know where the story came from, however.
7. Do you believe in ghosts? And have you ever had a true experience with one?
Do I believe in ghosts? Well, yes and no. I could probably type several pages on this question, but lucky for the readers, I won't!
I believe there are two factors very important to the discussion of whether or not ghosts exist. One, the concept that all living beings have an energy about them that, even when the body stops living, goes on. That spark of life, soul or whatever you wish to call it. And of course, that leaves open a myriad of religious ideas and beliefs. But still, that psychic or cosmic energy just can't evaporate.
And two, I believe that since it's been shown that humans only use a small percentage of their mind, it's quite possible that people wind up with differing talents, perceptions and powers. Therefore, I think that some people have the ability to experience whatever form that energy is, and the way they perceive it might have to do with their own upbringing and beliefs. In a nutshell, of course.
Whew. You had to ask.
Have I ever had a ghostly encounter?
Not a "traditional" one, per se. But I did experience my late father's presence one evening. And surprisingly, I wasn't scared. I was so certain he'd walked into the room (he'd just passed away a few days before) that I turned to look around; I could actually smell the shaving cream he used. Not long after that, I "sensed" him again, although in a different manner.
8. With a young teen here at home who loves to read, I'm always looking out for books geared for her. What is LOCKER SHOCK! about?
I wrote LOCKER SHOCK! when my oldest son was in middle school. It didn't get to press until 4 years later, when my second son was at the same school. (I did my own cover art and he is on the cover.) This is a modern story about a group of friends and their various adolescent problems. None are quite so bad, however, as protagonist Ben's: he's found a real gun in his school locker, and he must find out which of his friends put it there -- and why. Yes, it's a message book, but it doesn't slap the reader in the face. There's also sports, appendicitis, a budding young love, and light mention of child abuse. Best for 10 - 14 year olds. Girls and boys. And it has a happy ending.
9. Do you think you would like to write more for young adults?
I am already halfway through another book about the same group of kids from Mydland Middle School. This one is called OLD ENOUGH, and deals with honesty, crushes, a single mother's pregnancy and a football star's important choices. I'm hoping to finish this book this year, as it's been waiting for a couple of years already! My niece, a sophomore in high school and a great role-model, is not-so-patiently waiting for this book as she plays a main role.
10. What do you find to be the biggest challenge of writing?
Wish I could say something new and fresh here, but I'm afraid my challenges are probably the same as others'. Time. TIME! I am never short on material, or inspiration. I could write 24/7 if given the opportunity. But aside from my "day job," my family and other hobbies, I find that marketing my book is a huge time consumer. Keeping up a website, MySpace page, Bebo, various blogs, submitting articles, doing booksignings, getting promo materials out in front of readers... you get the idea. And by the way, anyone attending the Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Book Fair should come to the Echelon Press booth -- I'll be there signing and handing out freebies to my fan. Er, fans. June 9-10. In Chicago. Whoops! Gotta run...
