Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Anywhere, everywhere, nowhere. Sometimes stories happen because a specific news story has caught my eye (such as Torn Away). Sometimes my ideas come from suggestions from editors or readers (Bitter End, Thousand Words). Sometimes I get them from my own life experiences (Perfect Escape). Sometimes they’re a result of something I’ve seen or overheard (Life on Mars). Sometimes they’re just…there (Hate List). And sometimes it’s a combination of all these things (ALL OF THEM!).
Inspiration is hard to pinpoint. I always have my mind and my eyes and my ears open for a potential story. And most of the time I don’t really care where the idea came from — I’m just glad it’s there and want to get it down on paper before it goes away!
Q: Are any of your books going to be made into a movie?
A: As of today, not yet.
Q: What do you do about writer’s block?
A: I don’t believe in it.
I do, however, believe in writer’s boredom, writer’s distraction, writer’s laziness…
Writing is not easy, even for people who like to write. Sometimes the words don’t come out the way you want them to at all, or the story sucks or the character is boring or…well, sometimes there’s a banana cream pie in the fridge that just keeps calling your name. One of the most difficult (and most important) parts of the job is discipline. You have to sit down and put your fingers on the keyboard and make things appear on the page. And sometimes discipline sucks. And sometimes you have cramps. And sometimes you’re sick or you’d rather be working at the public library. And when those things happen and the words stop flowing, and then–good golly!–that keeps happening for several days in a row and you get in a real funk…it’s just easy to blame it on “writer’s block.” Calling it “writer’s block” makes you sound as if you’re still participating in the writing process. But, bad news. You’re not. You’re giving into lack of discipline. You’re overediting yourself. You’re being critical or lazy, and you’re not allowing yourself to write.
Whenever I feel “stuck”–and, yep, it happens!–I know that all I need to do is hunker down and write. And not worry whether or not it’s good writing or whether or not I’ll have to rip it up and throw it away later or whether or not it’s advancing the story. I know that writing is the only thing I can do to pull myself out of whatever is distracting me and keeping me…”blocked.”
The absolute worst thing you can do for “writer’s block” is indulge it. Wallow around in your stuckness is only going to perpetuate it. Get in there and write!
Q: I’m writing a novel. How do I get an agent/How do I get published?
A: This took me nine years to figure out. There is, simply put, no easy way to get an agent, and no easy way to get published. You have to work for it. You have to learn how to properly query, which you can learn how to do by reading books, going to conferences and listening to agents and editors talk, and getting on their websites and reading their submission guidelines. You have to have your novel completely finished (and polished) before you even begin trying, and you have to have realistic expectations and lots of patience. Honestly, unrealistic expectations and lack of patience ar what knocks most potential writers out of the business.
Finally, and most importantly, you have to believe in yourself and in your work. Because there will be rejections. No matter how awesome you are. No matter how creative and innovative your story idea. No matter how much you’ve studied writing or how much you’ve paid for professional critiquing or how many times your writer’s group has gone over your first chapter. There will be rejections, and they will hurt like hell, and you will have moments where you will question your ability and maybe even want to give up. Those are the moments when you have to dig in and believe in yourself all the more.
You are never too old (or too young!) to try.
Q: What about self-publishing/indie publishing? Can you give me advice on that?
A: I haven't self-published/indie published anything (yet!), so I don't feel comfortable giving advice about it. Except...all that stuff I said about hard work, polished writing, self-belief above? It applies here, too.
If you're serious about indie publishing, I would strongly recommend you check out Michelle Zink's Publishing Freedom.
Q: Will you hook me up with your agent?
A: I love my agent, Cori Deyoe at 3 Seas Literary Agency, and I totally want her to have first dibs on all the best talent out there. However, if I don’t know you, I can’t really vouch for you or your writing.
Q: Will you critique my manuscript for me or blurb my book?
A: Unfortunately, at the moment, I'm focusing all of my time on writing and can't take on any critiques or blurbs.
Q: I am a speech/forensics student/coach and I want to perform an excerpt of your book for a competition. What year were you born?
A: 1972
Q: Can I/we make your book into a play?
A: You will need to contact my agent to inquire about securing performance rights.
Q: Do you visit schools, libraries, book clubs, or bookstores?
A: Yes! All of the above! I also Zoom with book clubs and classrooms. Send all queries through the Contact Me page.