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Frequently Asked Questions
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What inspires you to write?I get inspiration from my kids and grandkids. They are my most ardent cheerleaders. I want to keep writing to show them if you work hard at something, good things will happen. My writing friends also inspire me. I love it when one of them gets published. Most of all I’m inspired by ideas that pop into my head, and the challenge, and fun, of getting it into a manuscript.
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If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be?"Don’t wait for life to be less busy, that never happens. Jump in! I would tell myself to believe in my dreams and take steps, even baby steps, to inch forward toward my goal of being an author. Then I‘d read every book I could get my hands on in the genre I wanted to write, then of course, I’d dig in and WRITE!
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Do you have a routine you follow when writing?I don’t have a fancy office or den. I have a small table in the corner of my bedroom, and that’s where I write. It’s small and cozy, but handy. I see my computer every time I walk by, making it easy to slip into my chair and turn it on. Once I get going, several hours zip by.
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How did you become a writer?One evening, myself and a couple friends starting talking about what we wished we’d done in our lives, but never did. It was uncanny. We all wished we could be children’s authors. We acted immediately and signed up for the next SCBWI conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With a support group in place, conferences to attend, and encouragement to learn the craft, I started writing. That was the beginning of a wonderful journey.
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Could you share some of your challenges as a writer?I wish I could say writing came easily for me. It doesn’t. I’ve had to work at it. I’ve had to learn the craft. I’ve attended writing classes, and gone to as many conferences as I could. I’ve imposed on all my writer friends for help with re-writes, advice, and critiques. I’ve had my share of rejections, but each one helped me grow. I have more to learn and I have more to write. The love of words keeps me going.
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Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?It’s easy to say you want to write a book or be published but it’s another thing to actually put a book on paper. So, the first step for an aspiring writer is to write something down, even if it’s not good. Then, as you learn more about the craft, you can make it better. Secondly, understand the business. Being published is a long-distance run, not a sprint. If you want to be a writer, you have to be willing to do what it takes, no matter how long.
My grandma told me stories of how she loaded the buckboard wagon with supplies and would drive her team of horses to her one room school every Sunday afternoon. She lived there until she drove back home to the farm the next weekend. I wanted to be a teacher like her. However, my teaching days were much easier! (I had a car)
I loved reading to my students at school. They teased me about not being able to get though a book without crying. Charlotte's Web got to me every time.
I read the books in our home to my own kids so many times, they had them memorized. One time I told my 5 year old daughter to clean her room. She put her hands on her hips and said., "This mess is so big, and so deep and so tall, there's no way to clean it. There's no way at all." A slight variation from Dr. Suess', The Cat In The Hat. I nearly fell down laughing.
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Reading takes you on many adventures, but writing let's ME create the adventure! How cool is that?
This was my first writing corner.
This is my current workspace. It's quiet without distractions.
Meet Donella the Dragon.
Books my Grandma used in her one room school house.