How did you get into writing?
I’ve been writing for fun since I was in high school. Journals mostly, back then. I shared some of my travel journals with friends over time, and eventually started fictionalizing them.
How often do you write?
Pretty much every day. Sometimes it’s new, sometimes it’s editing. I like to write early in the day. I try to daydream scenes over and over until they feel “right,” then I write them down. For a long time, I thought that was the “wrong” way to write. Then I read an interview with Tom Wolfe that he does that! I think that’s when I began to believe I could be a PUBLISHED writer. (We’ll see if it comes true.)
Who do you love to read?
I read everything. When I’m writing something new, I read a lot of non-fiction, so my imagination isn’t overly influenced by my reading. My all-time favorite is Jane Austen, as I mentioned elsewhere, but I don’t read tons of historical romance. I accidentally stumbled onto Janet Edwards’ Earth Girl series a couple of years ago (looking at books for middle readers), and loved those. World-building is something I’m working on behind the scenes; someday I’ll get brave enough to put some of it out here!
Why do you have politically-sensitive things in your stories? Aren’t you afraid it will turn people away?
I don’t think it’s political to say that we should treat everyone — EVERYONE — the way we would like to be treated. I don’t think science is political. My characters are often involved in medicine or science because that’s what I know. I think it helps to put something real in a fictional story, to have those touchpoints to things people might recognize. While my characters are never completely autobiographical, they can’t help knowing (and NOT knowing) the things I know. That said, I also do tons of research, even though you might argue my stories don’t completely require it. Non-fiction will also be coming eventually!