Can you, for those who don't know
you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
Most people don’t know I was a
real estate developer before I was an author. One of my residential
developments won a Best in America Living Award. I started and abandoned two
novels over the years while I was still working and raising three children. I
retired a couple years ago and decided it was now or never on writing a novel.
While I was writing Now I See You, I kept what I was doing a secret from
my family. I finally told my husband I was writing again when I was about half
way finished with the first draft. I didn’t tell my children until I was
finished. They were very surprised!
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I am an Agatha Christie fanatic.
In fact, I held off publishing Now I See You so that I could publish it
on September 15th, Agatha Christie’s birthday. I love that my first
novel was published on her birthday! I have read Christie’s autobiography,
several of her biographies, and many many of her books.
What are some of your pet peeves?
Probably my biggest pet peeve as
a reader is when an author will change character points of view within the same
scene. It stops me dead on the page—a huge distraction.
Where were you born/grew up at?
I grew up in Del Rio, Texas, on
the US-Mexico border. My family has ranched the country around Del Rio since
the 1880’s. I’m a seventh generation Texan, my family came here in 1832 when
Texas was still a part of Mexico. Y si, hablo espanol!
If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last
day?
I would spend it with my family.
(And I’d probably eat lots and lots of
strawberry Twizzlers!)
Who is your hero and why?
I have two author heroes—Agatha
Christie and Mary Higgins Clark. Both overcame personal hardship, pulled
themselves up by the bootstraps and succeeded beyond most people’s wildest
dreams. At the same time, they were kind and generous people with family and
friends who loved them.
What are you passionate about these days?
Animal rescue. There are so so
many animals currently in shelters that need their furever homes. My heart
breaks for them all. #AdoptDontShop
What do you do to unwind and relax?
Read! And go to the movies.
How to find time to write as a parent?
Just recently, my husband and I
became empty nesters. Since I kept writing a secret, while our youngest was
still living at home, I wrote Now I See You when he was in school. When
he would get home, I would quietly close my laptop and pretend I hadn’t been
working on anything important.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I probably first considered
myself a writer after I published Now I See You and started getting
positive feedback from strangers. Of course my family and friends were going to
say they loved it, but when I started getting 4 and 5 star reviews from total
strangers, then I finally thought I had a little street cred.
Do you have a favorite movie?
I have lots of favorite movies.
At the top of my list are Gone With the Wind, The Godfather, Tombstone, The
Patriot, and American President. I know, my taste is eclectic!
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I once spent six hours in the
library at the University of South Carolina studying John Jake’s working papers
that are archived there. John Jakes wrote historical fiction and is still one
of my favorite authors.
1 comment:
Thank you for including Now I See You on the blog today!
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