Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I'm a native Texan and grew up in Mineral Wells, a small, dusty west Texas town. As a kid, I dug up ant lions (we called them Doodle Bugs) just to see them make new dens, chased Horned Toads and dodged monster-sized grasshoppers. My Granny lived next door to us and there was a large family on the other side. Pen pals during WWII, my parents had a sweet love story and weren't adverse to PDA around the house.
Perhaps that's why I tend to write about the twists and turns of families and friendships, always with a large dose of romance and often with a healthy helping of heat.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I got tired of editors loving my voice, loving my stories, yet I'd come within a hair's breadth and still no contract. I won numerous contests, sold several short stories to compilations and magazines. Still no contract on a novel. Then the stigma of indie publishing lifted and I went for it, first re-publishing a short story and novella (written as Annie Rayburn) which had previouly been e-published. Then I sold one book, also by Annie Rayburn. It was a lot of work for very little return. So I figured why not gain control of my career?
Believe me, it's still a lot of work, hiring an editor and cover artist, dealing with copyright and ISBN's and such, but it's a relief to finally have my work out there for readers to enjoy.
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