I belong to a yahoogroup that shares good books. Goodreads is another site I use for reviews. Occasionally, I'll search the bookstores for a particular subject that interests me. I also have a hidden passion for books written in the past, particularly the 19th century. They are so ornately written and give the writer's perspective on the time they lived. And they often don't even realize they are doing that!

I do. It was published in my high school magazine. Not bad, first story published! It was a short description of a rainy, city night.

I read anything and everything until something triggers and idea. Then, I put that idea in the back of my mind and allow it to vegetate. By the time I sit down to write, the story is almost fully formed. That is, unless my characters take it away from me and go running off in another direction.

Not the first exactly, but I do remember one of the most affecting. It was called "A Dog of Flanders" and it made me cry. It struck me then that the written word could cause people to feel something they might not usually do.

I have a file of photographs of different locations. I want to use one that not only is in the story but that exposes the feeling of the story. For instance, in "Margaret of Cork," the cover photo is of a road in western Ireland. It's the sort of rocky dirt road that would have been there in the 17th century, when Margaret is driven west. I think it shows the desolation of the men and women who lose everything and walk into the unknown.

This is always a hard question for me because often it's the book I just finished. But I'll try to answer.

Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin
Such an interesting man.
Relic or Reliquary by Preston and Child
Exciting with that touch of archaeology and science that I love.
Collected Poems by Robert Frost
I love his grasp of country life, the clarity and simplicity of it and under it all the complexity.
Tolkien's sagas
How do you not love Frodo and Bilbo and their battle against evil.
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
He paints humanity with a delicate brush.

Everything! All reading is a pleasure.

I like a tablet because it has multiple uses but I'll use anything handy.

I have a website and use social media a lot. I also network and get out the word anyway I can.

Oh, dear. Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't have a permanent desk. Right now, I'm typing at my sofa. I use the public library a lot. It's quiet and the dishes don't have to be done. However, I do keep my papers together and organized.

I grew up in New England and the seasons and land deeply influence my writing. There is a deep connection to history there and since I'm ethnically Irish-American, the deep roots of the Boston Irish have sent me running back to the old country for inspiration, more times than not.

I don't think it's a question of starting. I have always written.

Margaret was a real person who lived around 1630. She was evicted and did go to Kerry with her children. From her are descended most of the Caseys. I found her name while researching my family and wondered what she was like.