Creating such an engulfing story that readers crave more. If I can draw someone in that deeply, then I have done my job as a storyteller.

I was five or six, and my parents had taken me to these dilophosaur tracks in the Arizona desert as part of my science project. I wrote a story about a woman discovering dino bones in her backyard and calling all her friends to let them know.

It seems like I was always writing, even if I didn't physically put the words down. In elementary school, I wasn't just playing in the backyard: I was crafting new adventures for me and my friends the Thundercats to have.

Middle school wasn't much different, except that I was toying with the idea of my own characters. Started typing them up on my computer, started trying to give shape to the images in my head.

And it was the start of high school when I wrote my first novel. It's long since gone, but I remember the "plot", most of the characters, and what I planned to do with the rest of the series. There are many days I wish I still had it around, that I could read back over it to see how far I've come. Having found one of the short stories it inspired (and was published), I am tempted to try and rewrite it, but with many decades more experience and skill.

Dr Seuss. William Shakespeare. Michael Moorcock. Anne McCaffrey.

Green Eggs and Ham. I was sitting at the dining room table reading it while my mom made dinner. I was really young, but that image has always stayed with me; my mom wanted me to be a good reader.

Plus, the moral of the book is the best ever, and one that everyone should embrace: try everything once, because you won't know if you like it until you do.

I always start with a spark. A fluff of an idea, and I start bouncing it around in my head. Build it up, work it out, make it into something more substantial. Then I'll mull over a plot and characters, get at least a sketch of them that can evolve as I write, try to see if I like the direction they're taking.

Then I pick up my Kraken pen and my notebook and start writing. All first drafts are pen and paper. Handwriting uses a different part of my brain, and the words (literally) flow easier if I write them down rather than try to type it out. I find it easier to flip back and forth between chapters, to reread something I've already done.

After I have my draft, I type it up. Transcription gives me a chance to start editing, playing around with words, noticing little things I didn't when I was scribbling it out at first. Then several passes where I make it shine, fix the little details, and otherwise make sure I'm ready for publishing.

That's tough, because everyone has their own merits. Keila (The K&V Chronicles) is tough but fragile, and she was a way to express some of the traumas I've gone through. Tayla (Handmaid) is...well, that's just a whole naughty fantasy rolled up into a big bag of Stockholm Syndrome.

But Cyryna (Nomycha) is probably my favorite. At least right now. I was able to explore concepts of balance, and good versus evil, and standing up for yourself, and accepting destiny and that you're not crazy for having odd dreams.

Of course, Morrigana (on my blog) is my nearest and dearest, but I don't expect most people will understand why.

Depends on the day, really. I take care of my family and household on some days. Others it's all about the pets or the garden. Then there's the artistic and craft pursuits. I try to balance those out across the week, so I don't get burnt out doing any one particular thing.

And there's the "research". I spend time watching movies or tv, normally while crocheting or writing. And I pick up the occasional book to keep abreast of what's going on.

Pretty much anything by Dean Koontz. He had an impact on my style, and he's one of the few books I can read without trying to edit it and "fix".

My phone, though I was gifted a Kindle a few years back.

Cluttered and messy, but in a semi-controlled chaos way. There's almost always a drink of some kind, and a pen and scrap paper. Whatever earrings or hair clip I had in that day. And lots and lots of knick knacks, crystals, stones, pins, coins. My wedding photo, and a picture of Orlando Bloom. Then my collection of raven and dragon statues, including some natural cobwebs for a naturally disused look.