Absolutely! The first story I ever wrote after deciding to become a writer was a novel entitled WHISPERING THE PAST. It's the story of a woman who moves into her childhood home with her husband. Her abusive past comes back to haunt her as her life begins to mimic that of her alcoholic mother. I was 14 years old when I started it. Two and a half years and three typewriters later, it was finished. It isn't bad, but I've never let anyone read it. No matter how much they've begged. Who knows? One day I may decide to drag it out, dust it off, and polish it up for publication.

My process usually goes like this:

Have a brilliant idea at the most inconvenient time. Jot down every detail as fast as I can before I forget. (Learned to do that the hard way) The idea usually consists of the title, the opening, and a vague sense of where I'll end up, but no real idea how I'll get there. Eventually I'll finish another one of the other projects I have going and get around to starting that one. Then I go like hell for as long as possible, writing thousands of words a day (my record is 10,500). Once finished, I step away for a while before coming back to read through it from the beginning, adding and taking away, polishing the story as best as I can. Then I step away from it for a while and come back, reading through it from the beginning one more time and paying special attention to both the words and the story, catching as many errors as possible.

I only write notes by hand, although occasionally I'll scribble out a short story or if I'm away from my computer and something strikes me, I'll write a scene by hand. Otherwise, I write it all on my laptop. I rarely outline anything. I've tried it. I don't like it. It just doesn't work for me. I like to go where the story takes me, and having an outline puts me under pressure to follow a strict route. It stifles me and I can't work that way.

That's a tough question because every book I've ever read had some sort of impact on me. The earliest books that really stuck with me were The Nancy Drew Mysteries. I read every one of them, and when there were no more for me to read I moved on to The Hardy Boys. I loved everything about them. The mysteries, the humor, the suspense, the entire worlds that were created on paper. It was amazing. But the book that means the most to me is Dean Koontz's Watchers. It was that book that made me want to write. I sat in my room after reading the last page, clutching the book in my hands, and simply staring across the room with wide eyes. I was in awe of him, of his stories, and mostly of the way he'd made me feel just by making up a story. He made me feel, and I knew right then that I was meant to do the same thing. I immediately set about writing my first novel. Watchers will always have a special place in my heart. If I'd never read it, who knows where I'd be now? I may have never discovered my calling.

The image I see in my mind for the cover usually comes to me early on, sometimes as soon as I have the idea for the story. Rarely do I have a story complete and have no idea what the cover should be. Since I make my own covers, I have the ability to make exactly what I see in my mind without having to convey that to someone else.

Watchers by Dean Koontz because it's the one that made me realize I wanted to be a writer.
Mine by Robert McCammon because it absolutely floored me on page one and didn't stop until the last page.
A Simple Plan by Scott Smith because the story is brilliant and ironic, and I do love irony.
After Midnight by Richard Laymon because it was the first of his I read and one hell of a ride.
Misery by Stephen King because all writers want a loyal cockadoodie fanbase.

I read horror, suspense, and thrillers.

Kindle, hands down.

Giveaways. You wouldn't think that giving away your work would increase sales, but it does. Not always, but most of the time. Nothing has been as effective as that for me. Not yet anyway.

My desk is cluttered. There are books and papers stacked a yard high, I swear. But it's okay because I don't write there. I have a laptop so my writing takes place wherever I happen to be. And it's a good thing because seriously. Someone needs to clean off my desk.

I was about 13 when I started writing poetry. My junior high English teacher would assign us poems to write and while the rest of the class groaned, I enjoyed it. It was so easy for me. The words just fell out of my pen. I soon found myself writing them for fun. My childhood wasn't pleasant, and this was a great escape for me. At 14 I began writing my first novel. Other teenagers were running around with their friends, partying and other nonsense, but I was holed up in my bedroom clacking away at an old typewriter into the wee hours of the morning.

I wasn't even aware such a thing existed until spring of 2011. I'd recently discovered J.A. Konrath and Blake Crouch and was reading everything of theirs I could get my hands on, including Konrath's blog, The Newbie's Guide to Publishing. At first, I thought self-publishing had to be a scam, but after doing a lot of research I decided it wasn't. I thought about it for a while and decided to give it a shot. The traditional publishing industry was such a hassle, I figured I had nothing to lose. I already had a few novels and short stories laying around, so I figured why not publish them and see if they'd sell. I was floored when I started selling books immediately. Literally the same day I published them I sold something like 10 books. I couldn't believe it. I've sold books every day since. I can't believe this didn't come along sooner. It's the best thing that has ever happened to writers, and I only wish I would've done it sooner.

Without Smashwords, my books would've never been available to the public. They'd still be sitting on my hard drive, collecting virtual dust while I continued to live my life wondering whether or not I would've ever made it as an author.

The people in my stories are real to me, so the greatest joy is simply telling their tales to the world. Of course having readers tell me how much my books mean to them is great too.

Everything.

Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon, Blake Crouch, Jeff Strand, Robert McCammon, Jillian Flynn

If I'm not writing, you can find me outside taking photographs, or stretched out on the couch watching television or reading. I'm a simple gal. I prefer staying home with my husband and son to going out.

Pretty much always the urge to pee. That and the perpetual list of things I have to do.

I try to write my books so that they can each be read independently, though some of them actually go together. For example, PUSHED is the sequel to HELD and should be read second, but could be read as a stand-alone novel. My MINUTES TO DEATH series also can be read as individual stories, but there really is an order and it's this: THE LONELIEST ROAD, CLOSE TO HOME, THE LAST RESORT, SHOCK ROCK, and THE FRENCH QUARTER.

Various sources. Word of mouth is the most common.

I try to write my books so that they can each be read independently, even the ones that are part of a series. For example, PUSHED and 22918 are both follow-ups to HELD but can easily be read as stand-alone novels. My MINUTES TO DEATH series can be read as individual stories, but there really is an order and it's as follows: THE LONELIEST ROAD, CLOSE TO HOME, THE LAST RESORT, SHOCK ROCK, and THE FRENCH QUARTER.