Q1. Tell me about your self?
A. Oh wow, me in a nutshell … when I write these things, it always sounds like a really bad personal ad, lol. I like to take long walks, preferably at night when it feels like I am the only person in existence. I am an avid reader. I love to crochet and do paper art. I live with my husband in a small town in Oklahoma. I love our neighborhood because it's right on the edge of the country, so coming home I get to say, "hello" to the cows across the road. As a Christian, I strive to do everything to God's glory, although if you've ever read any of my inspirational essays, you know I often hilariously fail at perfection! I love being a writer and talking to people about writing.
Q2.What are your favorite books to read?
A. I love cozy mysteries. I'm a big who-done-it fan! In fact I used to work as a library aide in a school. The little bitties would come to the desk asking for mystery books. There aren't a lot of that type of book written for their age, so I wrote one. It's called The Mystery of the Red Mitten. It's a picture book mystery written especially for young children.
Q3. When did you decide you were going to write a book?
A. When I was in middle school I decided I wanted to become a writer. I used to love to write scenes about exotic places. It didn't bother me that I knew nothing about those places. It wasn't until years later I learned about research and "write what you know." I wrote my first full novel in college. My first book, Callie and the Stepmother was published in 2005.
Q4. How did you come up with the name of your book?
A. It varies. For Callie and the Stepmother, I was reading Cinderella to a group of kindergarteners. After finishing, I asked, "What do you think of the story?" I little boy raised his hand and said, "Stepmothers are mean!" That started the wheels turning in my head. What if a child had read all the fairytales and decided that all stepmothers are mean? Then that child got a stepmother. Callie is sort of a more modern version of the name Cinderella.
The Princess and the Pee was a play on The Princess and the Pea (totally different stories - mine is about a Princess who wets the bed.)
Q5. What are you working on for 2021
A. I am writing my second Two Little Old Ladies book. My first tells the adventures of two sisters, Lillybelle and Annabelle. They are in their "golden" years, but they certainly aren't going peacefully (or quietly). I felt Lillybelle and Annabelle have a lot more adventures in them. Two Old Ladies is a collection of short stories with devotionals. My second book, "Two Little Old Ladies: Even More Attitude" will be more of the same, with maybe a mystery or two thrown in!
Q6. How long have you been writing?
A.My first book was published in 2005. I have been writing since middle school, but only decided to actually try and make it a profession after I got married. I used to make up bedtime stories for my son and decided to start writing them down.
Q7.What advice would you give other authors?
A. Writing is a business. Do it because you love it, but to be published you need to treat it like a profession. Learn your craft. Get it a critique group. Your mother and Great-Aunt Sophie will always love your writing. You need unbiased opinions to make your writing the best it can be.
Q8. Where can people find you online?
Please sign up for my newsletter. It comes out four times a year. You do need to be on a computer to signup. You can't see the form on a phone.
Q9. What is your favorite coffee drink?
A, Not a coffee drinker, although I do have a mild Dr. Pepper addiction.
Q10. What is your favorite coffee shop?
A. I don't have one.
Q11. Do you plan on making a new book in the future?
A. Yes, it addition to the Two Little Old Ladies book, I would like to publish a collection of my humorous essays. You can find some of them on my website under Prayer, Praise and a Good Belly Laugh.
Q12. How many books have you written?
A. 8
2 short chapter books: Callie and the Stepmother, The Princess and the Pee
2 picture books: Grrr...Night!, The Mystery of the Red Mitten
1 poetry book: Shoe Haiku
2 YA books: I Spy, Stone Girl (winner of the 2020 Creative Women of Oklahoma Award)
1 humorous inspirational: Two Old Ladies: It's All in the Attitude
Q. 13. Did you go to college to be a writer?
A. I went to college to be a teacher and got sidetracked into writing.
Thank you so much for interviewing me!
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