Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in the upper Midwest in the 1970s and 80s in a predominantly German, Swedish, and Norwegian community. It was a city with about 36,000 people in it back then. Big enough to have everything we needed and not know everyone but small enough that I could ride my bike most places and felt safe enough to do so. I tend to pull a lot of small details from my childhood in to my writing, including my love of nature in all four seasons, family traditions, and innocence. Being a GenXer, I had a lot of freedom. I've written that into several of my characters' backstories. Like Hugo and Kevin disappearing all day to fly fish when they were teens or skateboarding all over town together, just talking and messing around and doing those aimless things I was able to do in my childhood.
What do you read for pleasure?
I don't get much chance to read for pleasure because I'm usually editing for clients and I need to rest my eyes at some point. ;) When I get a chance to sit back with a book of my choosing, romance, especially LGBTQ romance, is my first choice. I also read books on writing-craft, those that help me resolve a certain problem (think Marie Condo), and factoid or quirky info books on various subjects of interest (Charles Panati). I read some YA, fantasy, and I've read a lot fanfiction in the last decade.
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