Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an up-and-coming lesbian romance author from the Deep South. I have dreamed of being a writer from first grade forward (I blame Reading Rainbow). The Right Kind of Woman is my debut novel – the first of many to come.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My wife and I were married in Massachusetts in July of 2014 and the trip there and back inspired my debut novel, The Right Kind of Woman. I was absolutely mesmerized by the rural beauty of the towns and the idea that we were straddling two so very different cultures: the heavily religious and slower paced South and the more progressive and academic North. My lead characters became physical embodiments of this idea, in a way.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am very partial to the sound the keyboard keys make when they’re pressed. I have had several keyboards, in the past, that I could not work with. The noise was not fulfilling (also, my wife is laughing in the background at this response). Aside from that, I am very low-maintenance. I lock myself away in the office and listen to instrumental bluegrass.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I lean toward books that can fully transport me from the monotony of the daily grind. Although they’re more traditional, M/F romance novels, I am a big fan of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, specifically in relation to her ability to transcend individual novels for the characters and draw them out for longer arcs. I also enjoy the genre of Magic Realism, which is primarily showcased in Latin American literature, like Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second and third books in my Southern Lesbians series – The Wrong Kind of Woman, about a rough-and-tumble biker, and The Right Time, about a May/December romance that parallels my own marriage.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My only advice, given that I am by no means an expert, is to find a publishing company or agent that makes you feel like you are truly supported and believed in.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up! That sounds so cliche, but it’s true. Expect one hundred “NO” responses before you can even entertain a “YES.”
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’m not sure how it parlays into the world of an author, but I have found that is applicable to almost everything else; my mother always told “It is better to have and not need, than to need and not have.” This is why I always pack an umbrella and a box of tampons.
What are you reading now?
Ha! I am currently reading about sixty-five short stories about aliens and bears, although that is for purely professional reasons. For pleasure, I finished “In the Heart of the Sea” at the close of the summer and I was profoundly moved by it. I now know everything there is to know about the New England whaling lifestyle.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing more books that feature strong-willed and opinionated women surrounded by families that love and support them!
What is your favorite book of all time?
I have two books and one play:
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice
Macbeth by Big Willy Shakespeare
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