What made you want to be an author?
I've always been creative. As a kid, I spent most of my time riding my horse in the woods in West Virginia. There are many old abandoned structures there, and I loved nothing better than making up stories about the people who'd lived and worked there. There were two in particular: an old abandoned blacksmith's shop and the ruins of an old farmhouse. About all that was left was the chimney and the foundation, but the family cemetery sat nearby, and I made up stories about every person buried in there, young and old.
As an angsty teenager with growing pains, I wrote poetry, then as I got older, I started writing fiction. I guess you could say I've always been an author. I just finally hit a point in my life where I could focus on getting them out into the world. It's a good thing, too, because my brain is full of all sorts of stories, all the time!
What are your own favorite books to read?
I'm an eclectic reader, but it's almost always something paranormal. I enjoy mostly urban fantasy, paranormal women's fiction, paranormal romance. I also like romcoms. When I was a kid, everything I read had a horse, a unicorn, or a pegasus in it, so maybe that's where my fantasy worlds got their start!
What was the first book you published?
My very first book is called Sweet Murder. It's book 1 in my Witches of Keyhole Lake series, and I wrote it on my off time when I was still editing books for other authors. Noelle, the main character, is a twenty-something woman living in a small Southern town. She and her younger sister, Shelby, live on their family farm and happen to be witches. They're funny, sarcastic, and most of all, they're a great story about family and small-town life.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Central West Virginia, then moved to a little town outside Colorado Springs for a while. After that, I moved to Mt. Airy, NC, then headed to the Ft. Myers area on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I currently live in a suburb of Orlando. I love the Gulf Coast, which is why I set some of my series there.
How many series do you have?
Right now, I have seven with an eighth on the way. Most of my series are paranormal cozies, but I also have a couple of light urban fantasies and one (soon to be two) paranormal women's fiction series. I love writing older characters, and if Noelle is the younger version of me, then Jules, the main character in my Shot of Midlife Magic series, is a reflection of who I am (or want to be) today!
Do you have a favorite character?
Oh, this is a tough one because almost all of my girls are a little piece of me. I suppose if I had to choose, it would be either Noelle, Jules, or Destiny from my Enchanted Coast Magical Mysteries series. She's the lighthearted, snarky part of me, though all my girls have a healthy dose of sarcasm in their repertoires.
What plans do you have for future series?
RIght now, I have two voices with ideas in my head that I'm going to have to listen to soon. One is a paranormal women's fiction series, and one is for another paranormal cozy mystery series.
The first is about a woman who lives in St. Augustine Florida. She's going to be a grim reaper who ends up finding out all about the magic - both good and evil - in her town. St. Augustine is one of America's oldest and most haunted cities, so I'm excited about exploring that.
The second series is about a younger woman who lives in her family's mansion/mortuary. I have several ideas for books in that series, but I'm keeping them under my hat for now!
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