GUTGAA Blogfest Meet 'n' Greet

About Me

As part of this week's GUTGAA BlogHop sponsored by Deana Barnhart, I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring and get to know my fellow writers. I'm fairly new to this bunch, but not new to writing. I wrote my first novel when I was eight (yeah, I think I got maybe 2,000 words written in total!)

You can read more about me on my blog, but I have been living in The Netherlands for more than twenty years now and love adding my American twist to things I experience in the Old Country. I have four children (all teenagers) plus a full-time job to boot (can't talk about it--it's classified) Anyhow, I keep busy with life in general and treasure the small moments I have to weave stories buried in the depths of my brain.

So - on to the questions!

Where do you write?

At my kitchen table located in the living room which is also doubles as our family's dining room, recreation room, man cave, and general crash chamber. Confused yet? Welcome to my world.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

A pile of (clean) laundry that has been sitting there for two days waiting to be folded, two kids watching SpongeBob Squarepants, hubby's sandals, an empty can of Diet Pepsi and a blood pressure monitor (can you guess who it's for?) And yes, I see all those things and much more in just one glance!

-Favorite time to write?

Evening/late night. After kids are in bed and I've had the chance to digest the latest episode of Pawn Stars!

-Drink of choice while writing?

Already covered this above, but it is Diet Pepsi (Diet Coke tastes HORRIBLE in Europe!) If that's not available, MARGARITAVILLE!

 

Fun Fact: Diet Pepsi is known as Pepsi Light and Diet Coke is Coca-Cola Light in Europe

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

I usually need complete silence or as close to it as I can get, but with four kids, two cats, one dog and a hubby who watches tv two decibels louder than he probably should, silence is golden (and rare!) My iPod and ear buds are my friends.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

My YA Sci-Fi thriller is based on a tourist trap attraction back home in Oregon. The Oregon Vortex (google it!) is an area where strange magnetic phenomenon occur and it's always been a running joke in our family. I thought it would be cool to take the urban legend and make it a gateway to another dimension. I was corn-fed on Star Trek, Star Wars, and Battlestar Galactica so I can't really say I'm surprised!

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

Make yourself your MC - dive in and let 'er rip! What do you see, think, feel, hear, smell? Also - never stop believing in your writing and DON'T GIVE UP!