I've been an avid reader since I was seven years old, so each author I've read has taught me something important about the writing process. However, I do have some all-time favorites. Flannery O'Connor, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Anais Nin, Emily Bronte, Alice Munro, Rebecca Wells, Khaled Hosseini, Stephen King, and Barbara Kingsolver come to mind. And of course, I'm always on the lookout for interesting new (and old) voices to discover.

I lead an interesting, full life. Art has been a driving force for me for as long as I remember, so to look forward to a day of reading, writing, or creating beautiful things is enough to spur me into action each day. I also love to travel, exercise, and brainstorm with my wonderfully creative friends. These simple things keep me both grounded and inspired.

The humorous aphorism concerning authors is that they are either writing or thinking about writing. I would add that it's a brave new world in publishing these days, so when not writing, most writers must keep up with social networking and do a certain amount of promotion. I make many of my own ads that are used in promotion and send them to my publicist or post them myself. I also love to keep up with my many friends on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Goodreads. Besides these "authorly" duties, I read (either professional blogs or for pleasure), race walk with my miniature schnauzer, lift weights, or talk with friends. Travel is also a passion of mine.

I must admit that I have not read as much as I like since I've been writing professionally. When I do select an ebook, it's usually on the recommendation of a trusted friend with whom I share reading compatibility. Occasionally, the buzz surrounding a certain book piques my curiosity enough to purchase it.

I love this question! Yes, I do remember my first foray into the writing world. I was ten years old and had been devouring every children's book I could get my hands on from our little neighborhood branch library. One summer day, I decided to write my own story, so I bought a notebook, and thus began the love of a lifetime. The short story was a romantic mystery titled "Masquerade." I don't remember the storyline, but I do remember there was a forbidden kiss in it, so I hid the notebook from my parents and siblings. I'm sure I threw that notebook away at some point, but I'd love to be able to read "Masquerade" again after all these years!

Like most creatives, I have a distinct work process. I write better at night, so I can normally be found torturing a paragraph at 3:00 a.m. I often sleep until noon unless I have appointments or errands. I get up, drink coffee until I feel human again, and start writing. I'm not someone who likes strict outlines. I opt for loose sentence outlines which guide me, but don't restrict my imagination. My characters come to me as fully-developed, three-dimensional people who often talk to me and set the direction of the story. Oftentimes, I feel more like a conduit through which the story flows than the prime-mover. When I'm "in the zone," I write for hours on end, stopping only to walk the dog, exercise, or grab something to eat. Then I'm back at my Mac again, working into the wee hours of the morning.

I don't have a recollection of the first story I read. I do, however, have a strong recollection to the first story I read that had a major impact on me. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," a short story by Flannery O'Connor, was assigned to my eighth grade English class. This story shook me to my core and scared me to death. I couldn't stop thinking about it! I understood for the first time the power authors possess to manipulate emotions in readers. And I also realized that what sets truly talented authors apart is their ability to weave word magic to make the reader FEEL the story, rather than just intellectualize it. This, then, has become my primary criteria for judging a story and its author.

I won't put out a book until I'm proud to put my name on it. This includes cover design. Probably because I'm so artistically inclined, I want the cover to appropriately reflect the story and be visually appealing to readers. Let's face it, the cover and the back blurb sell a book. With so many books to choose from, it's imperative to have a professionally designed, eye-catching book cover.

This is a bit like choosing my favorite child. It's an impossible task because I love them for different reasons, but I'll pick a couple of favorites to share. THE GREAT GATSBY is—to me—the perfect story. Fitzgerald tells this interesting tale in an concise manner—but with the language of a poet. Personally, if I had to give an example of one book to epitomize perfect storytelling, it would be this gem. Secondly, I would perhaps choose THE POISONWOOD BIBLE, by Barbara Kingsolver. The symbolism and literary imagery she employs in this saga are breathtaking, as are her syntax and writing style. To my mind, Kingsolver is at the top of the list of the finest contemporary storytellers. The last book I'll mention is LITTLE ALTARS EVERYWHERE, a small, somewhat obscure book by Rebecca Wells. Wells is not a household word, but she is one of the finest writers of character-driven stories I've ever read. I get a writer's "high" just reading her gorgeous prose.

For me, reading is the definition of pleasure. I don't get to read nearly enough now that I'm writing my own books, but I try to slip as many books as possible into my year. I read a wide variety of genres—everything from good fiction to How-To books on a variety of topics. Reading other voices is vital to good writing.

I will read anything anywhere! Reading on my iPad is quite pleasurable.

Oh gosh! lol While I am quite orderly in the other areas of my life, my desk is ordered chaos. My muse always has me scribbling down ideas on scraps of paper, grocery receipts, or a notebook I keep in my purse, so these scraps cover my desk—along with a storyline sheet, multiple notebooks, and research material. But I know right where everything is!