Working at my telecommuting job, creating container gardens, playing with the farm animals - the newest member being Baby - a little red wattle piglet that I bottle-fed, and keeping tabs on my 13 year old son.

Yes, I was in fifth grade and it was a story about clouds and how I wanted to live life.

I don't really have one - I just get ideas and sit down and try to make them into something. Sometimes dreams inspire me to tell stories.

The book "The Sword in the Tree" which was a retelling of the King Arthur legend is the first book I remember reading - I guess I was about 5. It was so intriguing and really took me out of my rural life in Kentucky. I thought it was so cool, that the sword was in that hollow tree.

Love vampire mysteries, supernatural stories, stories that tell a great story from the perspective of a normal person.

A globbed up mess of post-it notes, coffee cups, a magic 8 ball, a buddha, a lucky troll, and a bunch of pictures of my son. And a stuffed panda.

I grew up in rural Kentucky and the biggest influence it's had on my writing is that I am always looking for "different" environments. I end up writing about what I know though - the beauty of the land, the cool, inviting creeks that wind through my land, and the people I've grown up around.

I started writing about the time I started reading - when I was 2 and a half. Granted, most of those first notes were letters to my mom indicating why I was running away from home. I never got further than my grandparents house - would get hungry and stop off for a snack and then forget why I was mad and go back home. Too bad they were written on a chalkboard - so no saves.

Fear of publisher rejection!

I like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Stephen King, Charlaine Harris, and pretty much anything I pick up that intrigues me.

First generation iPad because I'm cheap!

Giving me peace of mind and getting some of my greatest nightmares out of my head.

An unnamed book on child loss.

Knowing the work I do makes a difference.

To Kill a Mockingbird - because it's an American classic that really draws you into the story!
The Southern Vampire Mysteries - because those books are brain candy and complete escapism.
The Bone Collector - I love the suspense that Deaver is able to create quickly - it's wonderful and I always hope it lasts.
Doctor Sleep - a return to form from Stephen King - and I always wanted to know what happened to Danny.
Ghost Story - a book that I cannot get out of my mind - it's a perfect read for a cold, snowy day.