I grew up as a child in many different states, from California to Minnesota, to Iceland to Virginia, then to Florida. This all stemmed from being a Navy brat. Yes, it influenced my writing. I suppose it influenced me by making me more open-minded to other places and different types of people. It also forced me to leave friendships behind and rely more on my own mind to entertain myself in the interim. I suspect that's why I started making up stories.

They say a clean desk is the sign of a sick mind. Guess I'm safe there! Cluttered is the word to describe my desk. But everything has its own corner, at least. As I finish one project, I can purge or put away one stack or notebook. So it is not just a static clutter; it is all useful.

Determination motivated me to become an indie author, that, and audacity. Yes, I had to have audacity to enter a story into a contest. And when it didn't win, I had to have the audacity to believe it was good anyway, and to take that story and develop it into an ebook of novella length. I guess what I'm describing is also confidence in myself. I've been writing all my life, too bad it took me this long to have that confidence and put it out in front of the public!

The greatest joy of writing is creating my own worlds, imagining what could be, and giving life to the idea of a person. It makes me feel so powerful to be able to do that. It's also very healthy for my mind! I used to be such a worrywart. You know, being a mother and all. My son is probably very glad I have something to keep my mind busy!

At this early point in the game, I hate to use the word "fan." What I have are friends who bought my book because they're curious about what I can do, and acquaintances in my book clubs who support me because they appreciate how supportive I am, and strangers who have bought and read my books because someone I know read it and gave it a review or spread the word. I am a self-published author of an ebook. I cannot do book signings, and my only hope is shouting it out online and on social media, with the support of friends, family, acquaintances, and anyone who likes my work. I would rather call them supporters than fans. However, I will be in print one day. At that point, I think I'll still call them supporters. I think it just shows more gratitude!

Stephen King, Phillip K. Dick, Terry Pratchett, James Patterson, Douglas Adams, Laurie Notaro, Carl Hiassen, to name a few. I guess we have a pretty good variety there. It just goes to show, I appreciate a good laugh every now and then, mixed in with the suspense!

I get out of bed today because I have so much to do. I have finally learned that the only way to do the things I want to do is to get up and do them. Simple, right? Now I just have to hope I don't run out of time!

I am editing a short novelette. It follows some of the characters from my other e-books which are published on Kindle. It should be ready for publication soon, and I plan to publish it here on Smashwords and on Kindle. It can be read as a stand alone or read after my first two e-books. This novelette tells the story of a young man who was created by humans to be a certain way, and how he must fight that and make a choice about the life he wants to live. He's also adorable, by the way.