My family! Aaron, my husband, along with Tigger and Hobbes, my cats, brighten my day. Writing keeps me going like coffee. I think everyone needs to find something they can do without relying on others to make them happy. Of course writing would make me even happier if I could get millions of readers to like my books!

I'm working on the sequel to Travelers called Settlers. My goal is to have it done by next summer. If I can get it finished before then, that would be even better. I want the readers to get the answers to the questions I leave hanging in the first book. I know when I read a book series, I don't like to wait too long for the next book.

It is hard to have one favorite author since there are so many genres I like. Adriana Trigiani is a great story teller for true-to-life fiction novels. I loved reading the Shoe Maker's Wife. I've recently finished a John Green book, Paper Towns, and I liked his insight. Both Adriana & John have great quotes in their books. J.K. Rowling is awesome at creating imaginary worlds and characters. I'm one of the millions who love her books. I grew up hearing Little House on the Prairie books read to me, so I have a sentimental spot for Laura Ingalls Wilder. Ramona the Pest made me laugh whenever I read it out loud to my third graders. I love the way Beverly Cleary portrays kids. If an author can bring me into a different world than my own, I think they did their job splendidly. I could list many more who have added to my love for books, but that would take up too much space.

I have a Monday through Friday job to pay the bills. After that I spend my time with my family & friends. My husband and I like to travel which I write about in my blog. http://carlasbooks.weebly.com/travel-blog. I also enjoy reading and watching movies. I'm one of the few who actually likes the books that are made into movies. It isn't because they follow the books accurately or that the main character is what I envisioned. It is because I like movies as their own media and their way of expressing a story differently. I like to compare and contrast the two. Most of the times the book is better, but there are a few times I like the movie better because it ends on a happier note.

I wrote a book when I was five, with my mom's assistance, called The Lollipop Tree.

I write during my lunch time at my paid job, and on Saturday mornings before my husband is awake. Until I have time to get my ideas on paper, I'm making mental notes of how I want different parts of my story to go. If the ideas are more complicated I'll email them to myself so I won't forget them.

The desk I use when I'm writing my books is my lap. I rarely sit at a table because my cats want to be my buddies when I work on my books. My desk moves around to different chairs, because sometimes the cats fight for the prime spot on my legs. That means I have to own a recliner to give them ample space.

Since I grew up in the country, there weren't a lot of kids my age to play with. My siblings were older, and the neighborhood kids were more their age. They really didn't like the annoying little sister hanging around them. So I had to rely on my imagination for my own entertainment. I never got bored. To this day I use my crazy fantasy world of fake friends to create my stories.

Being myself and not worrying about judgement from others. Also, my brain needs a creative vent, and it is just more fun to pretend in my writing world than to balance a check book or go grocery shopping.