I don't remember the name but I do remember the impact it had on my teacher. My reading skills took on a kind of life of their own when I was in about the second grade but prior to that, I'd had quite a bit of trouble turning library books back in on or before their due date. I had a lot of overdue books. When I was in the third grade, I asked my teacher if I could borrow a book from her classroom to read. She wasn't happy with me and told me that I could with a very sour look but that I had to bring it back the next day because she was aware of my library record. I did as I was told and brought the book back and handed it to her the next day. She told me that I didn't have to return it yet, just bring it back each day until I was done. I let her know that I was done with the book and the look of surprise she gave me was quite gratifying. The disbelief in her voice was fairly rewarding when she asked me, "You read it in a night?!" I spent most of my youth with my nose stuck in a book. Where ever I was, anyone could count on me having a book or three near.

Quite simply put, I don't! I'm NOT a graphic artist if the cover of my work "Birthright" is any indication. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. Trust me, I've tried and I always bump the ruler and screw up the line. Drawing is not among my strong points and I gave up trying a long time ago so I defer to a true professional in regards to cover art. They can give me what I want without me having to get all stressed out about it. No muss, no fuss.

Pretty much anything Dean Koontz is alright in my book, if you'll pardon the pun but I don't really have favorite books, I have favorite authors. Sorry to disappoint but I'm just not able to limit myself when it comes to what I read. Granted, I have my reservations when English is a second or even a third language to an aspiring author. I would highly recommend that anyone who wants to write should probably write in their native language and go to a translator for the rest. I know, I know...I didn't even answer the question but I don't really have a straight answer.

Normally, science fiction really floats my boat and trips my trigger and all that jazz. I do also enjoy thrillers, mystery, horror and fantasy though. I'm an avid student of faith based concepts and spend a lot of time studying the Bible in the vernacular. It's most enlightening when you change your perspective and read it through the filter of point of view set in the proper time period. That kind of thing really will change your life.

I really want a Kindle Fire HD. They're just pretty and I know that sounds like a bit of a cop out but hey, my first e-reader was a Kindle and I still love it. I'm as loyal as a hound dog in that way and I see no reason to change my ways.

Truthfully, marketing is not a self-absorbed thing. The best way to market your own work is to market and recommend the work of another author. One good turn deserves another and I suppose that I should probably mention that giving books away for free is also a brilliant marketing gimmick. I've given away more books than I've sold and even if that sounds a bit like shooting myself in the foot, it totally works. Other than that, author interviews, word of mouth recommendation (those free copies come in handy here), shameless self-promotion and a whole show of confidence I don't always have to feel come in right handy, too.

Messy with a super clean and beautiful computer set up thanks to my tech geek husband. He and I share a desk and he's not realistically any more organized than I am so every once in awhile, we have to rummage through the piles of papers, envelopes, sticky notes, CD's, DVD's and cords that bog down the desk and see to the distasteful chore of getting the bloomin' desk cleaned up. It usually looks good for about a day before we screw it up again.

I grew up in my head. I told you I wasn't ever far from a book. Other than that, I lived a lot of my younger life in Iowa in the exotic Midwest...You can quit laughing at that now. If you're confused or even utterly mystified, remember that a lot of ethanol comes out of Iowa because most of the corn they grow isn't for eating. It goes to make grain alcohol to blend with the gas used to power your car which seems a little pointless to me and it really makes for a boring drive. There isn't much scenery and even less impact on my writing.

In Kindergarten if you count my ABC's. If not, fast forward about seventeen years to a time when I was bored and broke and absolutely dying for something to do. When I started writing, I fell in love and put away much of the spare time I spent reading in favor of writing. It had to happen at some point, I guess.

The song of the universe. You don't have to hear it to understand that it's there and to dance. You don't have to know it to feel the beat. Even the human heart keeps time with the song of the universe so feel the beat and bust a move. You don't have to look cool to enjoy the song and dance.

Because I couldn't take any more rejection and traditional publishing binds a person to contracts and delicacy. I have no such contractual obligations and that is enormously liberating. Consider it without discarding it out of hand and you might see the merits of both independent and traditional publishing. It's not like it's rocket science. It was a gamble and so far, it's starting to pay off. Just a thought...