 How do you manage a large family and a career?
I have help. Just kidding. I really don't, other than a housekeeper once a week. I manage because I never
doubt that I can't do it. I wake up juiced to get going. I stay that way all day whether it be driving
kids to school, writing, publicity, speaking to other writers, or making sure the kids have their homework
done. I don't take a second for granted. One of my mentors is Anthony Robbins. I've followed his
principles for the last couple of years, and taken a state of gratitude for what I have and am doing in all
areas of my life. I simply don't fall into the trap that "I can't do it." If you want to learn more about
what I'm even talking about here, please visit Tony's site at www.tonyrobbins.com.
Was
your first book published?
Nope. In fact, my first book
is sitting at the bottom of a box in storage somewhere. No
one should ever have to read it. It took me a long time to get
published and a lot of manuscripts—nearly twelve years and
eight manuscripts and at least as many partials.
Did you always write mysteries?
No. I started out writing
thrillers because that’s what I liked reading at the time
and still do, but as my writing has lightened up so has my reading
choices. I’ve
also written a family saga, a children's fantasy and three children’s
books.
What
made you switch from thrillers to mysteries?
I’m
happy as long as I’m writing but I noticed that after the
birth of my daughter the books I chose to read became lighter and
this in turn affected my writing. I don’t
know if that’s psychological or not, but I wanted to write
lighter stories and laugh more. The research that goes into
writing a thriller can be depressing because as a writer you learn
a lot about some pretty horrific things and types of people.
Then, when I did start writing the mysteries I feel like I found my voice.
It felt natural and not like I was trying to be the next Patterson
or Mary Higgins-Clark. I was just being me as a writer.
Do you do a lot of research?
Yes, I do. I love that part of being
a writer because I love learning new things. There’s an old
adage that writers are always told—“Write what you
know.” That’s
good, but I think with all the information available to us today,
I’m more of a believer in “Write what you love or want
to know about.” Don’t get me wrong, I don’t
love murder, but I find it interesting the way murders and crimes
are solved.
I also love wine and even though I worked in the industry for awhile, I still
have a ton to learn. I love researching how it’s made, the differences
between wines and yes, I do love drinking it.
As for the equine mysteries,
I grew up riding, so I do
know a lot about horses but there is always more to learn and research.
I’m
certainly not a trainer so learning what that lifestyle is like
is interesting and fun.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
James Patterson, Sandra
Brown, Nancy Martin, Susan McBride, John Grisham, Holly Jacobs
and Nicci French.
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