Many things influenced me to become an indie author. I love that as an indie author I have control over the types of stories I write and the way the books are presented (design of the covers, etc.). I love that writing has become like painting or dancing in that the artist can present her work to the world without gatekeepers who might reject it. I have a strong entrepreneurial streak, so I love it that my art and my business are one and the same - I get to think of new marketing ideas and make my website as effective as it can be etc. I love that, succeed or fail, it is all up to me.

So much joy!! I love the writing itself, when I am in the zone and my fingers are flying and the story is pouring out. I love when I make myself laugh or cry with my writing. I feel a tremendous amount of joy when I give a story to a reader and they say that they enjoyed it and connected with the characters. I feel lots of joy when a project is completed, but I also feel joy when I'm beginning a new project. There is joy-potential in a story that is just beginning and I love that.

My writing process has changed quite a bit over the years. I used to be a 'pantser', i.e., I'd have an idea and begin writing without any idea of where the story is going. Now I tend to outline very thoroughly and then write each book quite quickly. I use Scrivener writing software (which is the best thing ever) and put my outline in the notes field on the right hand side of the screen. When I'm in writing mode (i.e., not revising or outlining) I set a word count every day that I must achieve. These days it's 5,000 words a day. With this practice in place, the book comes into being very quickly once the outline is done.

Recently I began using Dragon Dictate to 'speak' my first draft, rather than type it. This has increased my daily word count, and has also relieved a bit of RSI I was experiencing.

I love working this way during a first draft (i.e., fast) because it gets me out of my head. Writing quickly encourages me to ignore the critic in my head. I feel that my creativity has actually blossomed using this practice. I'm not nearly as critical of myself or my writing as I used to be. The stories seem to be flowing well and I am loving my work more than ever!

My most recent book (Horse With No Name) is an historical mystery set in 1890 in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. I have long been fascinated by what might be called the 'frontier' period of Canada's history - the mid-to-late 1800s and early 1900s when the western part of our large country was just opening up to settlers. The last spike of the Canadian railroad that joined the country end-to-end was driven in 1885 and Canada's western-most province changed inexorably after that.

I love writing about strong female characters. Julia Thom, the schoolteacher and amateur sleuth in the Town Called Horse mysteries is such a character. I find it endlessly fascinating to wonder about and then explore what life would have been like for a single woman with intelligence and a desire to remain independent at this time in Canadian history.

I grew up in a few places; I was born in Toronto and spent many summers in the cottage country near Gravenhurst. I spent my teen years on a small acerage outside Cochrane, Alberta. And now I live on the west coast of Canada, in Vancouver. I think my growing up years fostered in me a love of nature and animals, which shows up in everything I write. The country setting of my teen years has influenced my series of western mysteries. My love of horses and dogs shows up everywhere, especially in the main character of my first series of books, who is a dog named Sugar.

I dabbled in writing stories from a young age. Maybe my tweens or teens. I got more serious about it as I got older, but it wasn't until my mid-40s that I determined that I wanted to make a career of writing. I can't not write and that drive has been with me for as long as I can remember.

My desk is a flat rectangular table with a keyboard tray. I'm not a big fan of clutter so I tend to keep things like desks really simple. It has a few treasures on one corner (a ceramic frog that symbolizes my first book, a ceramic bird, which symbolizes my Sugar and Clive book series for middle grade readers, and a tiny crystal ball, which symbolizes my belief in the magic of the universe). The desk houses my Mac Book Pro, a few piles of paper, and a green cube which holds my pens and pencils. The desk is never cluttered but it is usually dusty!

I mostly read mystery novels (by people like Lawrence Block, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, Giles Blunt, and Craig Johnson) and memoirs.

I use an Apple iPad mini, with apps for iBooks, Kobo, and Kindle. Love my iPad mini! Can't go anywhere without it these days. I am one of those people who can't go anywhere without taking 2 or 3 books with me (in case I finish one or in case I don't feel in the mood to read one, so I need an alternative). Now I can do that with one slim device. It's fantastic!

They mean the world to me! My fans mean everything to me and I hope that they can feel that when they read my stories. I write so that readers feel loved, and I get that love back when someone reads my books.

When I am not writing I am often editing or revising a previous project. I also spend time interviewing other authors, connecting with authors via my blog and generally running my writing business, trying to keep on top of all the tasks associated with that. When I am not working on or in my writing business you will often find me walking in nature, or reading, or sharing a laugh with a friend.

Smashwords is awesome. Without Smashwords I couldn't put my books in as many ebookstores around the web. Mark Coker's belief in indie authors and his voice as a champion of indie authors has been hugely inspiring, and I appreciate the whole team at Smashwords so much.