FAQ

These are the questions I'm most often asked.

When did your writing career begin?

I started writing seriously in 1995. I sold lots of magazine articles, stories and poems. That's when my "writing" career began. My career as a book author came a little later and has been more enlightening.

What inspires you to write?

I’m usually not inspired as much as driven to write. It’s something I feel compelled to do.

What part of the writing process is the hardest for you?

Accepting that what I do is a business. I can’t believe someone would actually pay me to do something I love so much! I keep expecting the police to ramrod my door any day and arrest me for taking advantage of my publisher.

What do you think makes a writer successful?

Knowing it’s never easy. Putting their work and sweat and love into a book, and realizing that once that’s done, the process starts all over again.

What inspired the Fortune Tellers Club?

My own childhood. My best friends, Pamela and Debbie and I spent hours with the Ouija Board, asking silly questions about who we’d marry, if we’d travel or be rich. I think young girls are naturally curious about their future. I took it a step further with the Fortune Tellers Club, having them solve mysteries as well.

Have you experienced any censorship issues regarding the "mystical" content of the Fortune Tellers Club books? Have they discouraged you at all?

There have been a few incidences, but the positive responses to the book far outweigh the negative. I’m not discouraged at all. No matter what the content, not all books are for everyone. I’m just happy that Fortune Tellers Club has been so well received. I hope it has a long and happy life.

What advice would you offer to other aspiring writers.

Read! Read! Read! Both how-to books and the genre in which you wish to write. I once heard that you have to read 1000 books before you can write just one. That’s so true. My biggest lesson came when I took one of my favorite books, When Zachary Beaver Came To Town by Kimberly Willis Holt, and dissected it. I made note of when she used description within dialogue. What strong verbs she used. How she painted a scene so we could visualize it. This was when I began to see my own writing weaknesses. I don’t think a million how-to books could have taught me that.