I am an "Army brat" so I grew up in two foreign countries and five states. My youngest years were spent in California, Texas and Germany, the latter in which I learned to speak fluent German by the age of seven. I believe my writing was greatly influenced by this by making my characters more adaptable to the changes they go through during the series; which are many. My teenage years started in Japan where I also learned to speak some Japanese, which is why I chose to have my characters on the parallel world speak a different language as well as English. I chose Gaelic Irish because, not only is it my ancestry, but that is where many of my mythic characters stem from.

In high school, however I became a serious writer when I started my Hypnotherapy Practice many years ago. I wrote about my profession in "How to Set Up a Successful Private Practice," and "Scripts for Success." I sold to a few Hypnotherapy Schools and I gave Seminars, writing study books and a quarterly newsletter on the many ways to use self-hipnosis. It wasn't until my husband passed away from Alzheimer's that I found myself in a position to write for the pure pleasure of writing. That is when I started this series.

After I started writing my first book I decided to investigate the publishing world. There was so much information out there that I decided to find someone to talk to that knew more about indie publishing. He told me to get a twitter account first and explore the information there. So I did and now I am on my third book in a series of four. I am not sure which direction I am going at this point but I believe traditional publishing has merit and every writer needs to do their own research and decide what is best for them.

Distribution, I believe my e-book is being read in more places that it would have if I hadn't joined Smashwords. And by learning how to format for Smashwords I have learned a great deal more about how the world of publishing works.

I love my characters. My book is character driven and they have taken me through a wonderful world of myth and mystery. I never know where they will lead me when I sit down to write each day but it is always an adventure. With the finished product in my hands I am sometimes puzzled by how I could have accomplished something that I have always envied when reading a good book by another author. Yes, I have been writing for a long time but there is a big difference between writing non-fiction and fiction. I am hooked.

Everything. It is wonderful to read a review and see five stars next to it, but it is amazing that so many people want to read my book. If it weren't for readers there would be no books. I have had the privilege of being both a reader and a writer and I would not be a good writer if I accepted only the good things my readers say about my books. Both the good and the bad help a writer to be better at their craft.

Even though it hasn't published yet, the third in the series, "Rise of the Hybrids" is finished, so I will be working on the last book in the series. After that I am working on a new non-fiction book called "Bewildered, a Caregivers Story" about caring for three family members with Alzheimer's Disease and how my family and I coped. It will be "our story" rather than a handbook for caregivers.

I lost my husband four years ago, in Arizona, which is where I started writing this series. But the bills from my house was more than I could handle so I moved to the Northwest of California two years ago. Over the past two years my life has taken some good and bad turns, so I am still trying to find a place for everything I do. Writing is my passion and I have spent most of my time in front of my computer. Six months ago, everything changed for me. I met someone who makes me smile a lot and we are still getting to know each other. Three weeks into our relationship I had a mild heart attack, which had a great deal of impact on both of us. He had lost his wife a year and a half before from a heart attack, but instead of running away he took care of me and brought me home to live with him. It was sudden but we just fell in love quickly and decided life was too short to not take chances. We have not regretted a single moment. Our families have been supportive as well, so what more can you ask for? I am just living every moment of every day and that entails a lot.

Yes, it was in my Junior year of high school. It was a true story about a dream, called "From a Dream to a Nightmare." It was published in our school short story book called the "Pen and Ink."

First I write what my story is about, the premise, plot and the main theme. Second; I create my characters: their names, descriptions, personalities, and how they interact with the main characters. Then I do my research and make notes regarding the characters. My research can be from books, movies, TV programs and the internet. Then I started with chapter one through chapter ten. That is where I stopped and went back through each chapter making changes, deleting, and adding or revising. I didn't have a title until I was well into the book but each one came easier than the last. I edit in the same way at least three times. The fourth edit I read out loud, the fifth edit I make sure all of the names are the same through the whole book, even though I make a list of new and old characters and check them frequently. The sixth edit is for content and word usage. I have Word 2010 which has spell check, punctuation and word usage. The last edit is for pure enjoyment, I read the book and imagine the way I would if I was reading someone else s book. Then I send it to editing and publication.

I have been an avid reader all my life and every book has an impact on me for different reasons. Both of my parents were avid readers so I was reading well above my grade level in grade school. Reading is knowledge and knowledge will open any door you happen to come upon. One unusual thing about my series is that it is Science Fiction Fantasy and even though my dad and both husbands read Science Fiction I never got into it. My story is about a parallel world for which I did a lot of research and I loved every minute of it.

When I look for a book, the name needs to stand out for me and then the authors name before I read the synopsis. I decided to do the same when creating my covers. I kept the fonts the same with each book but added a simple graphic and background to reflect the content.