It's like free therapy. I'd have a good day and the world I was creating would come alive instantly. Alternatively, after a bad day, I was able to vent my frustrations with reality through the characters and conflicts. I threw myself into the writing and editing as a way to deal with my grief over losing family members several times this year. At a certain point, the joy of writing is the same as reading: the ability to escape into a different world and different way of thinking. It is freedom at its finest.

I am currently working on the second book in the Nova Nocte series as well as developing two other stories. One will be a young adult dark fantasy. The other is a story that details a young man's journey through the afterlife.

Christopher Moore is the author of my favorite book: Lamb. I will read anything by him, Robert Asprin, Terry Goodkind, Jo Rowling, or Suzanne Collins. I also love the author George Clason for his book Richest Man in Babylon.

A very insistent kitty. Failing that, its the alarm on my phone telling me that I must go to work. But mostly it is the cat.

Working, reading, playing games, hanging out at the library, playing in the theme parks, playing poker, or just napping. There is also a good portion of time spent with my spouse watching tv.

I think it was the Lorax by Dr. Seuss. I still have a good portion of it memorized. The story became my favorite by Dr. Seuss, and I've been known to randomly quote it.

By the seat of my pants. I looked up guides to make my own using images from the public domain, downloaded some free software, and spent a few hours trying to work out how I wanted it to look. Eventually, I succeeded with an image completely different than what I initially had in mind, but it felt like a good fit for the story.

Classic fairy tales(especially the dark ones), Idiot's Guides, Harry Potter, Ender's Game, anything by Ray Bradbury or Robert Asprin, and whatever I happen to grab at the library. I will read almost anything. The only things I don't usually enjoy are: westerns, romance novels, and of course Twilight.

I've always scribbled down thoughts and bits of tales, but I only began actually writing about a year and a half ago. I was bored at work and the idea I'd had a few years before grew into full out story. I started by writing characters the way I wanted, but they kept changing, so I surrendered and edited as needed so they could lead the way. It's odd, but it was as though the story was alive and needed to emerge.

I'm not sure I have any fans as yet, but it has meant a lot to me that so many of my beta readers have enjoyed the story. I don't know what I'll do if I ever get asked for an autograph; I'd probably be so flattered, I'd insist on one from the fan. And a photo together.