Where
are you from?
I
grew up and attended elementary school, high school, nurses’
training and University in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
If
you go to this website and look at the you tube picture of Regina, my
condo building is in the frame.
Is
that where you and your family reside now?
Yes,
my husband and I returned to the city in 2004. One son and his family
live here and both my husband’s and my extended family. So this is
home.
How
long have you been writing?
I
have been writing for a long time. According to my family I was a
tattletale but I remember the accolades of a well told story. I wrote
poems as a teenager and young adult, but I always enjoyed reading
romance and women’s fiction. When I was having a rough day as a
young mother, my husband would bring home a series romance novel. I
could escape and explore another world for a short time. I started
attending classes and workshops while my children were young. As you
can tell by my family history they are now married with families of
their own so I have been at this a long time.
What
kind of writer would you describe yourself as?
I
am a pantser. I have not embraced plot outlines. I get an idea and
then I research and write in clouds around it. I have a female
character in mind then I have to people her world and find her love
interest.
I
also enjoy writing short stories. I’ve had approximately two dozen
published. I also enjoy the challenge of a flash fiction story with a
beginning middle and end in one hundred words.
But
short or long, women’s stories, the community and love that
surround them are my passion.
Do
you have any other interests?
My
friends call me the research queen. They mention something and I’ll
be on the computer and find the information for them. Or because I
have an inquiring mind, I have researched many subjects in the past.
I
was a nurse, office administrator, teacher’s assistant, volunteer,
and town councilor and adult university student, so I have many life
experiences from which to glean.
I
also love to walk and bicycle ride. Either at home or away, I explore
thrift shops. I examine what the communities donate to the poor. I
think I can tell a great deal about a community by the items on the
shelves and clothing racks.
Do
you have any websites and or book links that you would like to share?
What
can you tell me about yourself that we haven't covered?
When
I’m not writing I’m learning about how to promote myself as an
author of electronic published books. It’s like selling a piece of
land in a far off place. Readers need to have imagination and the
tools to explore this new and fast growing method of reading. I know
that many readers love a book to hold but my books are contained in a
computer chip of sort, whether it is on an e reader or a computer.
Moving
On, A Prairie Romance,
released Dec. 2011, is a one flame G-rated novel set in Regina Beach,
SK. http://www.reginabeach.ca/
.
Anna
is Moving On she will not love Nick. She won’t risk it. But he has
other plans.
Woman
of Substance,
released Dec. 2012, is one flame, G-rated novel set in Regina, SK.
Robbie
deceives Jake for all the right reasons. She needs him to forgive her
for love.
What
are your future goals with your writing?
I’m
clouding the first draft of a new novel. I know it will have love,
community and a strong woman character as well as a good man.
Is
there any other genres that you would like to try?
I
very much want to learn how to write what are referred to as quick
read books. These are novellas for adults who struggle with literacy,
ESL, or reluctant readers. http://orcabook.com/rapid-reads.com/
My
first novel Moving
On, A Prairie Romance
is as close as I have come. One reader told me that she had stopped
reading until she read my book. She returned to reading and is now
reading to her grandchildren. This is very rewarding for me as an
author.
Are
your books both Ebooks and paperback?
Moving
On, A Prairie Romance
and Woman
of Substance
are Ebooks.
Woman
of Substance
will also be a paperback later in 2013. Soul Mate Publishing offers
paperback about nine months after the release of the electronic
version.
However
I have many short stories in magazines and anthologies that are
printed.
How
long have you been published?
Do
you have a literary agent?
No,
and at this point in my career he or she wouldn’t eat very well
from my profits.
Do
you have an editor?
I
have had editors for most of my publications, the short stories as
well as both novels.
Both
XoXo Publishing™ and Soul Mate Publishing are publishers who
provide editors for your novels.
What
companies have you used for publishing?
Would
you use them again?
Yes,
I have published a very short story with XoXo Publishing for the
Christmas season.
I
am sure I will but it is never a guarantee of acceptance. All
manuscripts have to go through the right departments and be
appropriate for the publisher and the quality of their publications.
Both
publishers have contracts and honor them.
Have
you begun to see a profit from your writing?
I
have received payments for my short stories and royalty money from my
novels. I also spend money like any business on promotions such as
review tours etc. Advertising books gets them noticed and today the
expenses overshadow the royalties.
Have
you held any book signings?
I
have been involved in book signings for the published anthologies.
They are always so much fun. However, I have not had a signing event
for my novels. Yet! If I am accepted to the RWA “Readers for Life”
Literacy Autographing at the RWA Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on
July 17, 2013 then I will be there with new pens and a big smile.
I
enjoy reading at any event that I can. There are local opportunities
and one day I hope to read in other major cities in Canada, the
United States and perhaps even other countries in the world. I do
enjoy travelling.
Whew
the end. The readers will wonder if I could have told this story in
one hundred words.
Now
that is an experiment I have to try.
