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ABOUT YOU:
1. Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours.
My volumes for anything; music, television, has to be set on an even number, except in intervals of five; 5, 15, 25. I cannot have my volumes on odd numbers like 17, 23, 37, etc. It irks me.
2. If we opened your browser history, what would we find?
My Amazon author page. Menus for carbohydrates (diabetic daughter), and recently I looked up a new word, well new for me, that I read in a lesfic; pudenda. I couldn’t resist.
3. What is your favourite genre to read, and why?
Hidden-gender historical romances and historical western/romances. I love reading about the whole courting thing. I get that it’s dating, but there’s more romance and whimsy to it than modern dating. Hidden genders are a big sell for me because I love masculine women and it’s a huge turn-on to read about a woman dressed in a suit, acting like a man, knowing there’s a woman hidden underneath. Westerns because there’s a little butch in every cowgirl.
4. What are your favourite pizza toppings?
I love the flavours of Greek on my pizza; feta, tomatoes, olives. Yummy.
5. Sing in the rain or dance in the streets?
Dance! I can’t sing.
6. If you could choose three people to invite for a dinner party, who would they be and why?
Ryan Reynolds (Canadian!) have to have a canuck present, besides myself, Actor Bex Taylor-Klaus, I follow them on Instagram and they have some pretty passionate opinions, and Jack Whitehall, he is hilarious! His comedy is funny, clean, and isn’t hurtful.
7. What is your motto in life?
Think before reacting
8. Tomorrow I absolutely refuse to…
Slip on the ice
9. Tell us a funny incident/embarrassing moment in your life.
I farted on my date once.
ABOUT WRITING:
1. How long have you been writing for and when did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?
Been writing since grade school, always loved creating with words. I was thirty when I realized I wanted to take my writing more seriously.
2. What comes first, the plot or the characters?
In my head, the plot, but when I start any story, the characters end up taking over, screaming to me that they want to be seen first, ‘cause they’re selfish that way 😉
3. When you’re writing an emotionally draining (or sexy, or sad, etc) scene, how do you get in the mood?
I don’t, really. There’s only been a couple times that I knew an emotionally draining scene was coming, but instead of preparing, I just dove in. Yes, I had to take breaks to clear my eyes so I could see the screen in front of me, but I always pushed on. Sad love songs helps me write emotional scenes, too. I tend to thrive on the darker side of things in life, and death, sorrow, heartbreak is actually easy for me to write. Happier times are harder, unless it’s drunken sarcasm and fist fights, lol.
4. When writing a series, how do you keep things fresh for both your readers and also yourself?
Presenting long-loved characters with a new challenge, something foreign to them, and also introducing a new character can add spice. A change of scenery can also help.
5. What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself/or a new writer?
Don’t compare yourself, it’s exhausting and not worth it. No two writers are the same. Where one writer may excel in certain areas of writing, they may be weak in areas where you, yourself, aren’t.
6. What’s your next project?
At the moment, I have a new book coming out with Painted Hearts Publishing, called A Jade’s Diamond. It’s outside the norm in lesfic, and has a non-binary character and a Stonebutch character. It also deals with sex work, the dangers of the streets, love and lust. Right now I’m writing a new story about a dominant who’s looking for a change and wants to find love that can pair with her desires of kinkier sex.
ABOUT YOUR BOOKS:
1. Tell us about your first published book? What was the journey like?
The journey started when I was 14 when I created Rae, the MC in my first book. It wasn’t hard to write her story 16 years later because she had always been with me, in my head. Writing the book came with a lot of downs and some ups, because I was freshly clean of drugs (3 years sober) and my marriage was circling the drain. In the middle of writing my first book, our daughter landed in the hospital with type 1 diabetes. I remember sitting next to her bed as she slept as I wrote a scene that is in the book. Very emotional times. My emotions show here and there in the story. The pain I put Rae through coalesced with my pain.
2. What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?
I discovered that I like to open my stories with a bang, large or small. It could be the protagonist gearing up to kill someone, or them down in a hole burying a body, or having a stupid, silly fight with their spouse over a broken toilet, or discovering the main character is sitting in jail. It’s fun and keeps everyone interested.
3. Do you have a favourite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special?
I love them all, lol. I gotta go with Rae, because she’s reliable, strong, and I already know what she’s thinking and how she’s going to react to whatever is happening. A reviewer once described Rae as a “Rough, tough, cream puff” and that is exactly Rae. Hardened steel on the outside with a gooey centre. (Ssshhh, don’t tell her I said that, she’ll whip a shot glass at me with her vicious snarl) I also fell in love with Nayvee LaCroix, the protagonist in A Jade’s Diamond, they are strong and capable on the streets, but as soon as love penetrated their heart, they turned into a sweetheart. Quoting a character from the book: “You went from a hardened survivor to a softened soulmate.”
4. Where can readers purchase your books?
Kitten can be purchased everywhere. The rest of my books are available on Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited. A Jade’s Diamond, when it’s released, will be available through the publisher’s website as well as other areas you purchase books.
