My lap serves as my mobile desk, but most times I can be caught hammering out plots and prose at a local cafe or library. In that case, those desks are more like small, circular tables, usually kept from wobbling with a wad of napkin or cup sleeve. And there is often some sticky substance somewhere just to the right or left of where I set my laptop that I always run my hand through when pausing between keystrokes. I try not to think about what kind of danish or bearclaw that might have come from while I'm deep in the throes of a story. Although, I can't be held responsible if my hero or heroine suddenly takes a break from the action to enjoy such a gastronomic delight. What can I say? I write what I know...

I think it's when, not where, that most influences my craft. I was a child of the eighties who craved Saturday morning cartoons and sugared cereal, digital watches and dreams of space travel. I miss those days and that melancholy is largely what prompts a story or string of sentences. As for the where, it was right in the heart of the Midwest, so, naturally, I can talk about anything with anyone. This proved to be a desirable skill when it comes to crafting novels and short stories across different genres.

The first story I remember was about a boy who stows away aboard a space shuttle while he is visiting the space museum. His interstellar adventure was everything my seven-year-old imagination could muster. I typed it out on an old-school typewriter that my father used to create the local newsletter and even created a "hard-back" cover for it with some cardboard and thick thread. It was only about 5 pages long--complete with hand-drawn illustrations. Man, it was something to behold... Of course, the story itself was almost completely unintelligible. Let's just say I benefit greatly from Word's spell checker.

I wrote the first few chapters of Jeff Goodwin and The Gnat Who Changed My Life back in 1997 as a senior in college. I needed to come up with a story for my creative writing class, and this quirky character popped into my head. Since I was still in school, there was a wealth of material to add to Jeff's skewer as he roasted college life and the inherent idiosyncrasies with any institution of higher learning. The resultant story and the remaining 150 pages that you can read today were added immediately following graduation and then gently massaged into a cohesive story with an actual plot over the next 20 years. Much of the story was built from my own observations of romance, self-discovery, and adventure that comes to unwitting freshmen when they first attend college.

I plan--and have always planned--on writing across a number of genres. This first book is a campus novel, YA romcom. My current work in progress is a steampunk action-adventure trilogy. The one after that will be a fantasy set complete with dragons and wizards, and then I hope to add some nonfiction in from time to time. Because of that and the fact that I have four small children, I felt my time would be better spent writing and selling than chasing down an agent and publisher for each, completely different composition. That, and the fact that my style and ethic are not exactly "trendy" means that I would have to compromise my vision for most publishers to be willing to take a chance on me.

Smashwords has allowed me to dip my toe in the water of indie publishing--and the dream of becoming an author--without fear, cost, or hassle. Their platform is ideal for setting up a small shop that I can guide people to for my books, and the name Smashwords sticks in readers' minds. So, it's easy to say, "Search B.A.Bunner at Smashwords" and I know they'll find my works.

Creating worlds and experiences for people to enjoy is by far the greatest joy of writing. I love that I can take you on a journey to another world, another time, with other people just by stringing together words. The power of that magic is something I cherish every day as a professional copywriter, and the fact that I have free reign in fiction means I can let loose and weave as amazing a tapestry as I want.

My fans are the only reason for me to churn out another book. The first one I wrote was for a writing class 20 years ago. Now that it's out, and people are actually enjoying it (I hope!), I just want to keep the conversation going, now. I would still write some if there weren't people to read my prose, but it wouldn't be as much fun, or as many words as what I hope to put out over the next 20 years.

My current Work In Progress (WIP) is a steampunk story about a female bounty hunter with a strict moral code. I love the idea of taking a hypersexualized character like a steampunk maiden and making her above reproach in every way. It's a character I think my daughter would aspire to imitate, and I could get behind that. Maybe without the corset, though...
Of course, I also have the sequel to my first novel, Jeff Goodwin and The Gnat Who Changed My Life in some degree of completeness. His sophomore year has even more quirkiness, romantic tension, and mystery than the first one did, and that'd be something worth reading.

I really love the fun reads like Jessica Day George or Patricia Wrede, but most of what I prefer to read is self-help or nonfiction. Sad to say it, but I am not a very good reader. I find the perfect blend, however, in books about writing. Since they give plentiful examples of fiction text to deconstruct, I get the joy of learning something useful while reading popular fiction.

I have a strong faith that drives me in everything I do and that is largely responsible for my optimistic attitude as well as the spring in my step each day. I've always woken each day with a fairly good idea of what I should be doing that day. I'd say I'm type A, but the pile of clothes on the back of the rocking chair next to my bed proves otherwise. I think my artistic wanderlust wins over my internal Martha Stewart on most days.

I have four small children, so if I'm not writing, I'm probably being tackled, treated to tea, or being asked to draw something. If not for the children (and the financial drain that comes with having them), I would probably be really into woodworking, welding, and stained glass. Anything with my hands, really. I love working on houses and daydreaming about creating a cozy nook to wrap up in. I love my tea, and could live in Rivendell all the days of my life. The Rivendell of Return of the King--where it's fall all the time.