I was planning for Nanowrimo, where authors write a novel in a month, and studying the Little Match Girl story by Hans Christian Anderson, learning as much as I could about the era he lived in. I've always loved the Regency, and the Victorian Era's.

One of the topics I studied was the grieving process. There were three things done immediately when someone died: They stopped the clocks, opened the windows, and covered the mirrors so the spirit of the deceased wouldn't get trapped inside it.

The 'what if' game went crazy in my mind. I called a friend, told her my thoughts, and we plotted the entire story out together. Of course it changed a little in the writing process.

You spend so much time writing, and rewriting a story to get everything perfect. I had sent out a few agent queries, and while the rejections were discouraging, they were positive responses. I attended a writers conference, and one of the topics was self-publishing and how it no longer has the stigma of not being as good as a traditional publishing house. I went home and immediately started planning. Many great writers fell through the cracks before modern technology. It's great that we have more than one path to choose from these days.

Every time someone reads just a chapter and gets excited about it. Those moments are priceless.

I love the feedback and encouragement they've given me. I wouldn't have made it far without them.

I'm working on a re-write of a novella called The Carriage, that I hope to publish in February of next year. It's about two sisters who always fight. One gets tired of it, so she visits a witch and receives a potion to send her sister, Alexis, to the Victorian era.

Alexis meets Ezra, a man recently murdered by his brother, but brought back to life by a family acquaintance as a supernatural creature. It doesn't take long for him to learn that Alexis is from the future. He tries to help her, but she always runs away, getting herself into trouble. It's a fun story with both comedy and tragedy, and a stronger historical feel than Reflections, since most of the character's time is spent in the past.

Most of my free time is spent critiquing other authors, and I'm one of many readers for a screenwriting contest every year. The rest of my time is spent with my husband, We recently joined a gym, and we love visiting a local farm on the weekends for fresh harvested produce.

I try to write a chapter or more a day for a first draft, and two or more if I'm working on a rewrite. My chapters aren't really long so I'm usually well beyond my goal.

Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr, Seuss. I memorized the entire book.

Cover design is tough. I would love to be able to commission all my artwork, but that can get expensive. Reflections cover was made by my husband after I purchased stock artwork. For the novella, The Carriage, coming in February, I purchased the main character artwork from a wonderful graphics designer, Consuelo - Parra, and my husband is making the cover for me.

I've always loved the Arthurian legends, so Mary Stewart's, Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, Last enchantment, and The Wicked Day. I also love Anne Bishop's, Black Jewels series. She does an excellent job of making the devil a great guy, and I love her characters. Giving my characters their own voice is important to me, and Anne Bishop excels at it. My friend, Renea Mason, who wrote Symphony of Light and Winter, is also very talented with that.

I'm terrible at marketing, but I'm really proud of my trailer; I made it myself and I'm not very technically inclined. I've been having a lot of fun on Pinterest, and Twitter too. I think my best techniques have all been based on my friends pushing me forward, and my following their lead. I'm so glad they don't mind.