What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
The most difficult part for me is cutting through the noise and focusing. I find that I often have to write by hand in order to quiet my inner perfectionist and keep myself off the Internet of Distractions. The drawback of writing by hand, of course, is that I need a secret decoder ring to decipher my awful penmanship.
At what point do you think someone should call themselves a writer?
That’s an easy one. At the point where they start taking themselves seriously as a writer. I would say that usually comes after a full-length manuscript is completed from start to finish, but everyone has their own gauge for determining their goals. It took me years and several published books before I began answering “what do you do?” with “I’m a writer.”
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Quiet. Coffee. My three dogs sleeping nearby. Time. An added bonus is if I have stashed chocolate somewhere that my husband hasn’t found.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
It’s nearly impossible to build a career off one book. No matter what happens with the first book–loved by all, hated universally, published with fanfare, published and forgotten–it doesn’t matter. Each new book gives you the chance to be better.
And….
If you are a writer and you aren’t loving writing, you’re probably writing the wrong thing.
Both came from a wonderful friend and bestselling author Jennifer Ashely. So talented and wise.
If you could be mentored by a famous author, who would it be?
I’ve been fortunate to have a wide circle of author friends so I already feel like I’ve been mentored by many famous authors and they all have my undying gratitude.
What’s next for you? Are you working on a new project? If so, can you give us a teaser and/or an expected release date?
I just finished a novella that is part of a series written with two of my besties. They are small-town holiday romances that revolve around a glitch in a dating app. It was so much fun to write and they are releasing this week exclusively on Kindle Unlimited.
Miss Taken, by Erin Quinn
Miss Matched, by Pepper Swan
