Meet and Greet for GUTGAA

September is the month of an exciting contest hosted and created by Deana Barnhart. Gearing up to Get an Agent is a pitch contest and a chance to get to know other writers. There are eleven agents involved and a number of small presses. The first week is a chance to visit other blogs and read the answers to some questions, hopefully finding some great blogs and drawing new followers. To see the list of blogs, check out the Meet and Greet post.

Here are the questions and my answers:

-Where do you write?

I actually write, blog, query and so on at the kitchen table. Since it’s at the center of the house, it gives me a partial view of everything going on. Plus, it’s easy to get up and grab chocolate.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

How boring that I don't have an exciting view of mountains or some such, but instead see an empty chair. I could have said the dog’s food bowl for an equally inspired answer.

-Favorite time to write?

Always first thing in the morning. I have to write first thing before other interruptions drive what I dreamed up overnight out of my head. Writing at any other time is a struggle.

-Drink of choice while writing?

I don’t drink anything when I write. I think I have a secret fear it will spill onto my laptop and fry all my work. I back up my work by emailing it to myself whenever I reach a milestone.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

Silence doesn’t work. My satellite radio station, the Pulse, is always on the tv. In fact, I changed satellite providers when they cancelled my station.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

My inspiration for Dodge the Sun was a cheap ankle bracelet I got at a water park. The entire story came from the idea of a girl controlled by a magic anklet.

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

Use little details to flesh out your characters. So many people say details clog the story and bog it down. I think the opposite is true. Adding the right details gives your story depth. And always integrate strong and active verbs into your manuscript!


Bio: My complete bio is in the about me page at the top of the blog. I've been writing for about five years. My second novel, a YA epic fantasy called Kindar's Cure, is being published by Divertir Publishing in March 2013. Dodge the Sun is my third novel, and it is a YA fantasy with a post-apocalypse setting.

The other things you should know is that I love chocolate candy, Cadbury cream eggs being my favorite, I'm a book worm, and I don't like waiting. I have a hard time refraining from shooting out query letters before my manuscript is one hundred percent ready.

You can also find me on Twitter and my author Facebook page.