Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I say I am on version 3.0 of myself. 1.0 was corporate me. 2.0 was mom me. 3.0 is whatever I want it to be including being an author. I have always loved writing since I was young and imagined that at some point in my life that would be what I’d do. So I am. I started with a screenplay just to check it off a bucket list. Then I wrote a children’s book when my kids were young. I followed that up with two self-published novels, Harvard, a romance, and Company Clown, a novella. One of my daughters graduated from Harvard, but I wrote the book when she was just 11 years old! Company Clown is loosely based off my time working for a name brand fast food company. In 2021, I came back to writing by publishing my memoir. I just released a compilation of poems from that memoir.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Long Enough to Love You is my most recent novel released in January. It is a women’s coming-of-middle-age story about second chances in life and love. I loved being a mom to my kids and giving all of me to them. The hard part came when the house emptied and I had to figure out where I fit in the scheme of life anymore. I talked to so many friends and strangers about the concept of one woman’s journey to redefine her happy by dissecting her life. Rediscovering my own diaries while writing my memoir served as inspiration for revisiting the power and impact of first love. So ultimately life inspired the fictional tale. And it seems to resonate with so many women…surprisingly, of all ages, not just middle-aged ones!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think I have any writing habits! I do tend to have passages come to me while running on the treadmill so I’m constantly sending myself emails while running with thoughts on how to say things or transition scenes. Emailing myself is the easiest way for me to remember what I’m thinking and then get it to paper quicker.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I wish I could say I’m a voracious reader. I love to read. I just don’t read quickly. I am in awe of the bookstagrammers who can power out so many books in such a short time. I love historical fiction so Kristin Hannah is a favorite. I also try not to read too much when I’m writing because I find I become too critical of myself. I know that not every author and every style is going to have a universal appeal. That’s the beauty of writing.
What are you working on now?
I have a few things in the works. A friend asked me to write a TV show pilot, which I did. A few people suggested Long Enough to Love You should be adapted to a movie so I am working on a screenplay for that. No one knows the book better than I do. And I love the challenge of taking a book that is very much an “in your head” story and making it come alive. I’m also working on my next novel and can’t wait to dive into that once the screenplay is done. It’s called “The Scarlet D” and takes the perspective that sometimes women are the ones that do wrong; we are not always the victims. I like this divorce fiction category and later in life romance so it’s an extension of that.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have struggled to figure out what is best. Written Word Media has a large reach and the click through rate is good with their promotions. Book Bub ads are good too. Romance and women’s fiction are such competitive categories. The fact I made it to #28 on Amazon’s best seller list for a few days was huge for me! Free promos have also worked and several times last year my memoir went to number one. I’m not sure how you say you’re a best selling free author!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write because you love to write not because you think you’ll make tons of money at it. Believe in your stories. Don’t get caught up in that one negative review when there are so many positive ones. Not every book is going to appeal to everyone. I look at well known authors and see how many poor reviews their best sellers get as a reminder.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Tell the story you want to tell not the one someone else thinks you should tell.
What are you reading now?
I just finished What Made Maddy Run? As an athlete who struggled with identity when she was younger and as the mother of three collegiate athletes, it really gives you pause to think. I’m finishing Annie Ernaux’s Getting Lost. A mentor compared me to her so I thought I should read something by her!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish the screenplay for Long Enough to Love You, hope to get it pitched, then focus on and finish my next novel this summer.
What is your favorite book of all time?
How do you pick just one?! Honestly, in recent years, there have been two books that have resonated for long after I finished reading them: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. It’s been years and I still think about how incredibly powerful both those books were.
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