I actually see myself as more of a hybrid author than just an indie. When I first decided to make the transition from “writer” to “author” I carried the usual preconception about what that meant: I needed a real publisher, even if it was only a small one. A “vanity press” was beneath me, and I knew nothing about subsidy publishing other than that the flow of money started off in the wrong direction. I found a good fit with my “Women of the Bible” series. Buoy Up Press has been wonderful to work with, and I started with them when they were still very small. But as they grew they displayed some of the same constrictions as other imprint publishers, mainly in the time it took to get a work from acceptance to print. When I realized that I could write more books in a year than my publisher could send to market I decided to explore alternatives. After a lot of reading and research, I saw that there were basically four ways to get a book published today, and I decided to abandon my snobbery and look at each publication path as objectively as I could. When I did that I discovered that each of the four paths has advantages and each has disadvantages. The trick was to exploit all of them.

As my career advanced, I began self-publishing because I realized that the extraordinary advances in technology made it possible to self-publish works approaching the same standards of quality that traditional publishing offered. Once I realized this, and it was not easy overcoming my prejudices about self-publishing I must say, it only took one more development to motivate me, and that was the realization that I could write faster than my publisher could produce. I like having control over when my book comes out. Since the author does most of the marketing anyway, I might as well have the advantages of having full control of the project from start to finish. Albeit, it is a lot of work to either do it all yourself or supervise a team of qualified expert designers, editors, and marketers.

I really am a nerd at heart. I love to read and research, as well as tell a story. You could say that I began my writing career by adding commentary in crayon to the children’s books my mother gave me when I first learned to read, a creative technique which did not win my parents’ praise.
In school and all the way through college, there were two things I always enjoyed: research and writing. I even thought (briefly) about becoming a librarian, and I still visit “the stacks” as often as I can manage it.
As far as my greatest joy in the writing process, it has to be writing the first draft of a novel. My stories formulate in my head first. The characters and the scenes are vivid, almost like a movie at times in my mind. When it has simmered enough, it boils over and onto the page. The story keeps coming out until it doesn't. I am definitely a panster, but over the years of writing, I've discovered that if I hit a snag in my plot, I can write a very rough working list of events. This list on my story board helps me see where I've been and where I want to go. It helps me see options and endings if I don't have one to begin with. It's fun for me.

I'm pretty much an extrovert. I love people and love feedback - what others think, what they like, what they don't like and what they want to read. A lot of writers are uncomfortable speaking to a group or being in public and are quite happy with the solitude of the writer's life. I want solitude when I need it to work - write - focus. I also enjoy meeting and hearing from fans and readers. Without them, it's like throwing a party and no one comes. They are special and I, as an author, am grateful for my fans and readers for their dedication and love of reading.