Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up on a farm just outside of a sleepy small town in rural Kansas. My background definitely influences my writing, if only because I write very character driven fiction. Not much exciting happened in my home town...it was the day to day struggle and interaction between the people there that gave it character. Beyond that, you'll always see themes from small town America creeping into my stories--dogs, horses, gardening, farmer's markets, county fairs, etc.
When did you first start writing?
I've been putting stories down on paper pretty much as long as I can remember. During high school and college, I dabbled in fanfiction learning how to craft short stories. Only in the past several years have I considered writing novels, let alone novels for public consumption. After a few false starts, things have fallen into place and here we are.
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