I have always read a great variety of genres. I do tend to cycle between fiction and non fiction. My bookshelves contain history, health, essential oils, nutrition, bible studies and commentaries, cookbooks, how-to's, romances, children's literature, classic literature, and lots of mysteries.

my kindle fire

Word of mouth has been most effective for marketing my books. I am continually amazed at the power behind the simple word of mouth from people who have read the books.

My desk is an example of organized chaos. I have a lot of piles of scraps of paper on which I have scribbled down ideas for books, mapped out the direction of a book, keep track of thoughts I want to pursue later, and tons of scripture notes.

I grew up in church. I know that doesn't give you a specific geographic location, but that is the truth. I grew up in church. That is the greatest factor and influence upon what I write. Whether I am writing a bible study or a book for children, there is something of my faith in each book.

As a child I would painstakingly write word for word some of my favorite books, add pictures, and staple the pages together. I would then give these books to my family members. I found a love of words in the 6th grade and knew that I wanted to be an author. I later pursued a different career path and figured that being an author was a nice dream to perhaps try when I had retired.

My latest book is a series of stories for children based on the festivals instructed by God in the book of Leviticus. Each book goes through the celebration of one of the feasts through the eyes of a boy and his sister. This series was a surprise to me because I never considered I would be writing for children. It has been exciting!

My first book was written in response to a personal spiritual journey. I knew that there were others out there who were going through a similar journey and perhaps my experience could help others with their own questions and need for answers. However, I knew that the likelihood of the book being accepted by a regular publisher was very unlikely. Plus, I want my books to provide an income for my family, not for a huge company and an agent. So, I knew pretty early on that I would need to self publish. It was not until three years ago that I realized the ease of publishing an ebook.

Smashwords has been a fantastic help to my journey as an author. They have made it very easy to publish any book in ebook format and to get that book out to multiple outlets. It has also allowed those who live overseas to obtain a copies of my books without having to have a hard copy mailed at a ridiculous cost for shipping. I also appreciate all the tips and instructions given to authors at Smashwords. There is a real atmosphere of empowering success.

Seeing the books in the hands of others. Hearing from the readers how one of the books impacted their lives.

It continues to amaze me that people choose to be fans of my writing. They keep me humble.

I am working on another series of children's stories. This one will be one large book with several different stories in it. I envision this one bringing back images of books like the original Winnie-the-Pooh. The hardest part with children's books it waiting for the illustrators to finish!

Jane Austin, J A Jance, Lilian Jackson Braun, Tony Hillerman, Craig Johnson, Beverly Lewis, and Dr Henry Cloud to name a few.

the anticipation of seeing what ends up being on the page when I am finished that day.

Reading, painting, drawing, studying the bible, writing old fashioned letters to friends and family, being with family

Honestly, I start in the lowest price category. Then, I browse through looking for titles that catch my attention. I also pay attention to the "recommended for you" tips that appear in my browser.

Yes, it was a novel i wrote while in middle school. It was about a teenage girl and her horse. I was fortunate enough to live next to a well published author and asked her to proof read it for me. She told me that she was impressed with my writing. However, I do not know what happened to that novel. There were quite a few written after that one.

I start out by scratching out ideas on paper and then imagine each page. This gives me direction and helps me in deciding what should stay or should be eliminated in the process. Many times, I simply start typing on the computer letting it flow. After I finish I leave it for awhile. When I return to it I am able to either be impressed with what i wrote and work from there, or I scrap it and start all over again.

I don't remember the first stories I read, but I do remember my mother reading to me almost every night. She read to me from the bible, from children's books, and from books she had checked out at the library. She introduced me to the library at an early age and we went on a regular basis. I remember feeling that the library was the greatest treasure anyone could ever have in their life.

With the children's books I allow the illustrator to create the cover. However, with the adult books, I keep my eye open for images with which I can connect. Some have been paintings done by friends, or photography done by family members, or simply images that I have seen on free sites. I want the cover to draw the reader's eyes, but also to give some indication as to what is the book's theme.

Horton Hatches the Egg. I applaud the loyalty and faithfulness of Horton. He ended up tricked into a situation that was not of benefit to him and yet he took responsibility for keeping his word and seeing to the benefit of the innocent egg and the creature inside that egg. That kind of maturity and loyalty is rare in our society today, but I believe that if more of us were like Horton, this world would be a much better place for everyone to live.