Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from the people around me, both known and unknown, in the words they speak and the facial expressions they wear. I might hear an amusing turn of phrase while passing two women who are lifelong friends caught in a whisper-shouting disagreement that originated decades ago when their now-grown children attended each other’s third birthday party. Oftentimes, my children’s questions are phrased in ways that delight my ears and tickle my humor. And, when the creative frenzy has entirely descended upon me, I can look upon a stranger’s attire and create an entire character based on a Kelly green cable-knit sweater with oversized brown buttons. (see Oswald, owner of Oswald’s Tiny Toys).

How long does it take you to write a book?

For my fiction works, a book takes six to nine months from the first sentence to the final manuscript once I force myself to sit down and write. Waiting for the aforesaid creative frenzy to descend upon me rarely happens. No, I must harness it with the unapologetic force we commonly call discipline. As a self-published author, the burden of set deadlines rests upon my shoulders, and I honor commitments to myself as I would a traditional publisher. For me, the relatively short timeframes are potent antidotes to the common ailments of analysis paralysis, suffocating perfectionism, and crippling comparisons.

Who are the authors that influence your writing, and why?

Charles Dickens is my most influential author because he didn’t simply tell a story with interesting characters and an intriguing plotline; he exposed the human condition on paper, with all its foibles and fortunes, cruelty, and compassion, forcing me to evaluate my interactions with fellow travelers in my chosen course. I love the passages where he wonders in philosophical musings, meanders over to poke fun at the ridiculous and man-made social structures that applaud themselves for solving the very problems they keep creating, and eventually takes the reader back to the original story.

Louisa May Alcott wrote character-driven fiction that reminds me that one need not go far from home to find a world much more significant than one can experience in a lifetime. The story of a simple family living within simple means has been the subject of several cinematic and television shows, proving the value of home, love, and loyalty.

Roald Dahl. Here is an author who was courageously amusing, ornery, and outrageous. He wrote what brought him joy, which allowed others to join him as his stories also brought them joy.

Do you have advice for writers working on their first book?

Sit down and write every day. Don’t compare. Don’t ask permission. Because your work is a living thing, allow for unanticipated changes in a story. Sometimes, after a character is developed, they can no longer do what you wanted them to do because doing so no longer fits their description. Rather than dumping your original idea, put it in a file where you can revisit and rework it for a different project.

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since elementary school. I once wrote a story on college-ruled paper, each page containing a picture in the middle of two paragraphs. My older sister bound the book with blue and pink yarn, made a front and back cover from a thick brown paper grocery bag originating from Price Chopper’s, and wrote the title, Tessa, although the story wasn’t about me, on the front in big felt letters. She added a burst of happy sunshine to the right-hand corner and planted a belief in my heart that I would someday write a real book. * Please note that I now realize my elementary book was an actual book.

Who is your favorite character in the Astrid Beeswax series, and why?

This question is like asking a mother to choose her favorite child! Well, not quite. The most straightforward character to write is Astrid herself. Still, the character who makes me giggle is the lederhosen-wearing-bushy-mustache-combing Mr. Charles Pip, guardian of Nova Flaherty, the Fire Child. He is my ode to Charles Dickens, with the last name of Pip representing Pip Pirrup in Great Expectations. Though his primary purpose is to be a supportive character, he is nonetheless the foundational calm that makes the storm possible.