FAQs

How much of your books are based on real life?

I'm a military spouse myself, so the parts of the books about moving and the things to do with the military are based on some of experiences I've had. The motherhood angle is straight out of real life, but I have to add--for the record--that my family is nothing like the family in the books. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

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When did you start writing?

I've been writing in one format or another for most of my life. During elementary school I started novel after novel. I just had one tiny problem--I couldn't finish them. I was great at opening scenes, but I didn't have any plots! I majored in English Lit, so I did a ton of writing in college. Then I wrote articles for base newspapers and travel brochures for a travel company. It wasn't until 1999 when I started writing the first drafts of the first book in the series, MOVING IS MURDER, that I returned to fiction. And, yes, I finally figured out how to structure a plot so I got past the first chapter.

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What are your writing habits?

I try to write every weekday. I set up my laptop and hunker down until I've met my word goal for that day. I don't revise as I go. I start at Chapter One and don't look back until I get to the end. I don't outline, but use a graphic organizer when I'm writing a synopsis. I do know generally where the book is going and I definitely know how it's going to end.

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Do you have any favorite writing quotes?

Elmore Leonard said, "There isn't any secret. You sit down and you start and that's it."

This quote is one that inspired Denise Swanson and I like it, too: "It's not how good you are, it's how badly you want it."

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What advice would you give to unpublished writers?

Read. Know what is selling in your type of writing. Know what section your book will go into in the library and bookstore. Write. Sit down and do it. It took me years to learn this! Join writer's groups and go to conferences. Polish your work. Don't send it out too soon. Learn how the publishing business works and, most importantly, be persistent and patient.