Q&A

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I can’t remember ever not wanting to be a writer! I was one of those kids who was writing poems, stories, and plays in elementary school. In high school I wrote a scandalous novella in middle school and revealing all the secrets of seventh grade. I put basically everyone I knew in it. It was a hit at school, until it was confiscated in biology class.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

I am an avid reader and I read across genres. I grew up on Agatha Christie (Team Miss Marple) and we are now experiencing a golden era of sorts in the world of crime fiction — traditional mysteries, psychological suspense, domestic thrillers — you name it. But I also read way outside my genre. I love to read and reread E.M. Forster, Edith Wharton, Patricia Highsmith, David Lodge, Graham Greene, and Armistead Maupin. When I’m down or discouraged, I read Nora Ephron. And I am sucker for narrative nonfiction, especially if it involves crime — anything by Anne Rule. 

How long did it take you to write your debut novel?

It took about two years. But that was the fourth novel I’d written and tried to get to published, so my journey is just a wee bit longer than just those two years!

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk or habit?

My most interesting quirk or habit would probably be my color-coordinated drafting process. I write a skeletal rough draft on the computer and print it out, but then I do the real writing by hand. I curl up on the couch with coffee and colored pens and begin marking up my manuscript. Little changes are made on colorful sticky notes but large sections that need to be rewritten are done so on special yellow graph paper, which I order in bulk. What results is a messy, coffee cup-stained, colorful, and bursting at the seams piece of art. Something about the tactile nature of it makes me very happy. Color makes me happy, and I love the physical act of writing by hand, which seems to access a different part of my brain.

What is your biggest writing-related dream?

My biggest dream was always to walk into some wonderful independent bookstore with my family, and see my book for sale on the table! I wanted my children to be able to hold in their hands this thing their mom has worked so hard on. And I’m thrilled to say that has happened. My next dream? Having one of my books adapted for film or television. That would be too cool.